370th Air Expeditionary Wing

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370th Air Expeditionary Wing
370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group - standup ceremony.jpg
The unit activation and assumption of command of the 370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group and Squadron took place at New Al Muthana Air Base 22 April 2007
Active1934; 1937–1944; 2007–2008
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
BranchFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
RoleTraining
MottoAlatum Servitium (Latin for 'Winged Service')
Insignia
370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group emblem 370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group.png
10th Troop Carrier Group Emblem [a] 10 troop carrier gp-emblem.jpg

The 370th Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces Central, which may activate or inactivate it at any time. The unit was last stationed in Iraq, and was likely inactivated in 2011 as part of the United States pullout of forces.

Contents

History

Pre World War II

The 370th Air Expeditionary Wing was originally constituted as the 1st Transport Group in 1933. [1] As a Regular Army Inactive unit, it was assigned reserve personnel in early 1934 only for training purposes. [2] From February to May 1934, the group was provisionally organized at Columbus, Ohio. [2]

In 1937, the group was consolidated with the 10th Observation Group, also constituted in 1933 but never activated. The consolidated group was designated the 10th Transport Group and activated on 20 May 1937. [1] Its original squadrons were the 1st, [3] 2d, [4] 3d, [5] and 4th Transport Squadrons. [6] It provided a single headquarters for these squadrons, which had been assigned to the various Air Depots in the United States. [3] [4] [5] [6] The group headquarters and one of its squadrons were located at what is now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. It operated single-engine Bellanca C-27 Airbus and twin-engine Douglas C-33 transports as part of the logistics organization of the Air Corps on routes in the US and to Alaska and the Canal Zone, transporting supplies, materiel, and personnel. [1]

In May 1941, two of the group's squadrons were reassigned to provide cadres for newly forming transport groups as the Air Corps expanded. The 3d Transport Squadron was reassigned to the 63d Transport Group, [5] while the 4th Transport Squadron was reassigned to the 62d Transport Group [6] This left the group with two of its original squadrons, plus the 5th Transport Squadron, which had activated under the group in 1939. [7]

World War II

Douglas C-39 transport, a military modified version of the DC-2 C-39-transport.jpg
Douglas C-39 transport, a military modified version of the DC-2

On 30 April 1942, the group transferred to the Air Transport Command (later I Troop Carrier Command) (I TCC) and was redesignated as the 10th Troop Carrier Group two months later. [1] It converted primarily to Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft, but also flew other military models of the Douglas DC-3. [8] After its transfer the group acted as an Operational Training Unit (OTU), OTUs were oversized units that trained cadres for "satellite" troop carrier groups. [9] In 1943 the group was given the additional duty of acting as a Replacement Training Unit training replacement aircrews. [1] In February 1943, the last of the group's original squadrons, the 1st and 2d Troop Carrier Squadrons deployed to the China Burma India Theater and were assigned to Tenth Air Force. [3] [4] The following month, they were replaced by the 307th and 308th Troop Carrier Squadrons. [10] During the next two years, the group moved frequently to various I TCC stations, while its squadrons were frequently located elsewhere. [7] All squadrons except for the 38th Troop Carrier Squadron, located at Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base, North Carolina [11] were colocated with group headquarters by early 1944. [1] [7] [10]

The Army Air Forces found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to performing the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. [12] As a result, the 10th was disbanded in April 1944 [1] and its mission, personnel, and equipment were combined with the support organizations at Alliance Army Air Field and transferred to the 805th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Troop Carrier), [13] while that of the 38th Squadron was transferred to the 810th AAF Base Unit (Combat Crew Training School, Troop Carrier).

Expeditionary Service

Airman 1st Class Brad Sisson, 322 AEW, tapes Tech. Sgt. Dale Peters doing a Hometown Holiday Greeting spot for his stateside family and friends 370aeag1.jpg
Airman 1st Class Brad Sisson, 322 AEW, tapes Tech. Sgt. Dale Peters doing a Hometown Holiday Greeting spot for his stateside family and friends

The 370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group was activated during the Iraq War on 29 March 2007. Its activation ceremony at New Al Muthana Air Base was delayed until late April. [14] The mission of the 370th was to restart the Iraqi Air Force by training its aircrews how to operate, employ and maintain Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Mil Mi-17 [15] aircraft, and to maintain and operate as a self-sufficient air base. This mission was known as "CAFTT" for Coalition Air Forces Training Team. [15] The group included personnel from a variety of career specialties [15] and it was assigned to Second Air Force as part of Air Education and Training Command.[ citation needed ]

The group included the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron, inactivated in December 2011 with the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

Lineage

10th Observation Group

Consolidated with the 1st Transport Group as the 10th Transport Group on 20 May 1937ref name=Maurer52/>

370th Air Expeditionary Wing

Organized provisionally on 14 February 1934
Discontinued as a provisional organization on 11 May 1934
Consolidated with the 10th Observation Group as the 10th Transport Group, and activated, on 20 May 1937 [c]
Redesignated as: 10th Troop Carrier Group in July 1942.
Disbanded on 14 April 1944
Reconstituted and redesignated 370th Military Airlift Group on 31 July 1985 [8]
Redesignated 370th Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status on 24 October 2005 [8]
Redesignated 370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group on 23 March 2007 [8]
Activated on 29 March 2007 [8]
Inactivated on 1 November 2008 [16]
Inactivated in December 2011

Assignments

Components

Airlift Squadrons

Support Units

Stations

Aircraft

Gliders

References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. ↑ Approved 9 December 1941. Description: Azure, ten bendlets or surmounted by a torteau fimbriated of the second [color] charged with a wheel winged bend sinisterwise of the like [color].
  2. ↑ Not related to the 1st Transport Group, which was activated as the 1st Ferrying Group and served in India during World War II.
  3. ↑ Not related to the 10th Transport Group, which was activated as the 10th Ferrying Group and served in the Caribbean during World War II.
Citations
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Maurer, pp. 52–53
  2. 1 2 Clay, p. 1296
  3. 1 2 3 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 9–10
  4. 1 2 3 4 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 17–18
  5. 1 2 3 4 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 25
  6. 1 2 3 4 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 31–32
  7. 1 2 3 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 37
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 AFHRA Factsheet, 370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group Archived 23 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 27 November 2012)
  9. ↑ Craven & Cate, p. xxxvi
  10. 1 2 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 372–374
  11. ↑ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 181–182
  12. ↑ Goss, p. 75
  13. ↑ Abstract, History of Alliance AAF Apr–Jun 1944 (retrieved 27 November 2012)
  14. ↑ Air Force Print News Story: 370th Group and squadron stand up, 22 April 2007 (retrieved 28 November 2012)
  15. 1 2 3 4 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Press Release, Airmen help Iraqi air force become self-sustaining service, 9 June 2008 (retrieved 28 November 2012)
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Air Force Organization Status Change Report, November 2008 (available at Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency)
  17. ↑ Air Force Organization Status Change Report, February 2010 (available at Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency)
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 At various I TCC stations after 1942
  19. ↑ AFHRA Factsheet, 2d Airlift Squadron Archived 24 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 27 November 2012)
  20. ↑ AFHRA Factsheet, 4th Airlift Squadron Archived 24 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 27 November 2012)
  21. ↑ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 140–141
  22. ↑ AFHRA Factsheet, 38th Airlift Squadron Archived 26 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 27 November 2012)
  23. ↑ Clay, p. 1366

Bibliography

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