904th Military Airlift Group  | |
|---|---|
C-130 Hercules as flown by the group | |
| Active | 1963–1975 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch |  |
| Role | Airlift |
| Insignia | |
| 904th Tactical Airlift Group emblem |  |
The 904th Military Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 459th Military Airlift Wing at Stewart Air Force Base, New York, where it was inactivated on 31 December 1969.
During the first half of 1955, the Air Force began detaching Air Force Reserve squadrons from their parent wing locations to separate sites. The concept offered several advantages. Communities were more likely to accept the smaller squadrons than the large wings and the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate recruiting and manning. Continental Air Command (ConAC)'s plan called for placing Air Force Reserve units at fifty-nine installations located throughout the United States. When these relocations were completed in 1959, reserve wing headquarters and wing support elements would typically be on one base, along with one (or in some cases two) of the wing's flying squadrons, while the remaining flying squadrons were spread over thirty-five Air Force, Navy and civilian airfields under what was called the Detached Squadron Concept. [1]
A squadron in air force, army aviation, or naval aviation is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force. Land based squadrons equipped with heavier type aircraft such as long-range bombers, or cargo aircraft, or air refueling tankers have around 12 aircraft as a typical authorization, while most land-based fighter equipped units have an authorized number of 18 to 24 aircraft.
In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group. Each squadron will contain around 20 planes.
Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.
Although this dispersal was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during the Berlin Crisis of 1961 To resolve this, at the start of 1962, Continental Air Command, (ConAC) determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing groups with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed. However, as this plan was entering its implementation phase, another partial mobilization occurred for the Cuban Missile Crisis, with the units being released on 22 November 1962. The formation of troop carrier groups occurred in January 1963 for units that had not been mobilized, but was delayed until February for those that had been. [2]
The Berlin Crisis of 1961 occurred between 4 June – 9 November 1961, and was the last major politic-military European incident of the Cold War about the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of post–World War II Germany. The Berlin Crisis started when the USSR launched an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of all armed forces from Berlin, including the Western armed forces in West Berlin. The crisis culminated in the city's de facto partition with the East German erection of the Berlin Wall.
A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. The terms group and wing differ significantly from one country to another, as well as between different branches of a national defence force.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis of 1962, the Caribbean Crisis, or the Missile Scare, was a 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union initiated by American ballistic missile deployment in Italy and Turkey with consequent Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba. The confrontation is often considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war.
As a result, the 904th Troop Carrier Group was established at Stewart Air Force Base, New York on 17 January 1963, as the headquarters for the 336th Troop Carrier Squadron, which had been stationed there since November 1957. [3] Along with group headquarters, a Combat Support Squadron, Materiel Squadron and a Tactical Infirmary were organized to support the 336th.
The group mission was to organize, recruit and train Air Force Reserve personnel in the tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials by airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped with C-119 Flying Boxcars for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.
Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 June 1992 and its personnel and equipment absorbed by Air Combat Command (ACC).
The 904th was one of three C-119 groups assigned to the 514th TCW in 1963, the others being the 903d Troop Carrier Group at McGuire AFB, New Jersey and 905th Troop Carrier Group at Bradley Field, Connecticut.
Bradley International Airport is a civil/military airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Owned and operated by the Connecticut Airport Authority, it is the second-largest airport in New England.
Reassigned to Military Airlift Command, 1966, trained and re-equipped with C-124 Globemaster II intercontinental transports. Began flying worldwide airlift missions. Elevated to active-duty in January 1968 to provide additional airlift support for the Vietnam War. Returned to reserve status, June 1969. Inactivated with retirement of C-124 in December 1969 and inactivation of Stewart AFB.
The 452d Air Mobility Wing is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at March Air Reserve Base, California. If mobilized, the Wing is gained by the Air Mobility Command.
The 445th Airlift Wing is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. If mobilized, the wing is gained by the Air Mobility Command.
The 459th Air Refueling Wing is a wing of the Air Force Reserve Command of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force and stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. If mobilized, the wing would be gained by the Air Mobility Command. The wing flies and maintains Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, providing air refueling.
The 403d Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 full-time air reserve technicians. It also controls an active duty associate airlift squadron consisting of active duty regular Air Force personnel integrated into the operations of its reserve airlift squadron.
The 514th Air Mobility Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. It traces its history back to the activation of the 514th Troop Carrier Wing in May 1949.
The 916th Air Refueling Wing is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. If mobilized, the Wing is gained by the Air Mobility Command.
The 336th Air Refueling Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 452d Operations Group, stationed at March Joint Air Reserve Base, California.
The 943d Rescue Group is a reserve component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to Tenth Air Force under the Air Force Reserve Command and is based in Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. When mobilized, Air Combat Command directs group assets into theater to support wartime tasking and other operations, like humanitarian relief. United States Northern Command may gain group assets directly to support disaster relief, search and rescue tasking in the aftermath of catastrophic events like hurricane, tornado, wildfire, flooding and earthquake, when they occur in the US, or its territories.
The 901st Tactical Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 433d Airlift Wing, based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, where it was inactivated on 1 April 1985.
The 902d Troop Carrier Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 94th Troop Carrier Wing at Grenier Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where it was inactivated on 25 January 1966.
The 903d Military Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 514th Military Airlift Wing at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 1 July 1973.
The 905th Military Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 459th Military Airlift Wing at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where it was inactivated on 1 April 1974.
The 909th Tactical Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 459th Tactical Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, where it was inactivated on 1 September 1975.
The 915th Tactical Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the Tenth Air Force, based at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 April 1981.
The 922d Tactical Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 433d Tactical Airlift Wing, based at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, where it was inactivated on 1 November 1994.
The 925th Tactical Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 446th Tactical Airlift Wing, based at Ellington Air Force Base, Texas, where it was inactivated on 25 March 1968.
The 933d Tactical Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 440th Tactical Airlift Wing, based at Billy Mitchell Field, Wisconsin. It was inactivated on 1 September 1975
The 935th Tactical Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 442d Tactical Airlift Wing at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri, where it was inactivated on 1 November 1974
The 941st Military Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 349th Military Airlift Wing, based at McChord AFB, Washington. It was inactivated on 25 July 1969.
The 942d Military Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 452d Military Airlift Wing, based at Norton AFB, California. It was inactivated on 1 January 1972.
