3rd Ferrying Group

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3rd Ferrying Group
(later 533rd Tactical Airlift Group)
B-24 bomber .75 front.jpg
Consolidated B-24 Liberator as constructed at the Ford Willow Run plant
Active1942-1944
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Branch United States Army Air Forces
Reconstituted 1985 as part of United States Air Force
RoleAircraft ferrying
Part of Domestic Wing, Air Corps Ferrying Command

The 3rd Ferrying Group was a World War II unit of the United States Army Air Forces (AAF). It was activated in February 1942 as the Detroit Sector, Ferrying Command in February 1942, but soon changed its name. It ferried aircraft manufactured in the midwest until March 1944, when it was disbanded in a general reorganization of AAF units in the United States. It was replaced by the 553rd Army Air Forces Base Unit, which continued its mission until spring 1947.

Contents

The group was reconstituted in 1985 as the 533rd Tactical Airlift Group, but has not been active since.

World War II

The group's origins can be traced to 3 January 1942, when Air Corps Ferrying Command, in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor divided its Domestic Division into six sectors. The Detroit Sector was established at Wayne County Airport, Michigan and was responsible for ferrying aircraft from the Curtiss-Wright Corporation factory at Columbus, Ohio, the Ford Motor Company factory in Ypsilanti, Michigan (Willow Run), and the Bell Aircraft and Curtiss-Wright factories in Buffalo, New York. The bulk of this work consisted in flying new planes from the plants to modification centers in the US. On 18 February, this office was formally organized as a unit, the Detroit Sector, Ferrying Command and Ferrying Command's Domestic Division became the Domestic Wing, Air Corps Ferrying Command. [1]

In April 1942, the group was assigned its first operational unit, the 5th Air Corps Ferry Squadron. At this time, Ferrying Command had requested the AAF to reorganize its sectors as groups, with assigned squadrons. Accordingly, the sector became the 3rd Ferrying Group on 26 May 1942. Shortly thereafter, the 19th Squadron joined the group in June. The group expanded in 1943 with the addition of the 60th, 74th and 306th Ferrying Squadrons. The group was also one of the units selected to use Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron pilots to ferry aircraft. Although initially intended to be limited to acting as copilots or flying small aircraft, these women pilots eventually flew essentially every plane in the AAF inventory. [2] [note 1]

By 1944, the AAF was finding that standard military units like the 6th Group, whose manning was based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were not well adapted to support missions. Accordingly, the AAF adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. [3] As part of this reorganization the group was disbanded on 31 March 1944 along with its subordinate units and its resources were absorbed by the 553rd Army Air Forces Base Unit (3rd Ferrying Group) which was designated and organized on the same day. [4] The base unit was redescribed as the 553rd AAF Base Unit (Ferrying Group) then discontinued after the end of World War II on 1 December 1946.

The 3rd Ferrying Group was reconstituted and redesignated the 533rd Tactical Airlift Group on 31 July 1985, but remained inactive. [5]

Lineage

Activated on 18 February 1942 [6]
Redesignated Detroit Sector, Domestic Wing, Ferrying Command on 25 April 1942
Redesignated 3rd Ferrying Group, Domestic Wing, Ferrying Command on 26 May 1942
Redesignated 3rd Ferrying Group on 20 May 1943
Disbanded on 31 March 1944

Assignments

Components

Stations

Campaign

Campaign StreamerCampaignDatesNotes
Streamer AC.PNG American Theater without inscription18 February 1942 – 31 March 1944Northwest Sector, air Corps Ferrying Command (later 7th Ferrying Group)

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References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron pilots should not be confused with the Women Airforce Service Pilots program.
Citations
  1. Administrative History, pp. 64-66
  2. "Abstract, History Air Transport Commaand, Jan 1942-Jan 1944". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  3. Goss, p. 75
  4. 1 2 Kane, Robert B. (12 April 2010). "Factsheet Twenty-Second Air Force (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  5. 1 2 Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations
  6. Administrative History, p. 68.
  7. "Abstract, History 553 AAF Base Unit Jul-Dec 1945". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 3 September 2022.

Bibliography

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website https://www.afhra.af.mil/ .