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44th Military Airlift Squadron

Field	Value
unit_name	44th Military Airlift Squadron
image	Lockheed C-141A-10-LM Starlifter 63-8088.jpg
image_size	300
caption	Arrival ceremony for Lockheed C-141A-10-LM Starlifter(Tail 63-8088) at Travis Air Force Base, CA on 23 April 1965. Known as the "Golden Bear", This plane was the first production C-141 Starlifter to see active service. It was assigned to the 44th Air Transport Squadron, 1501st Air Transport Wing at Travis
dates	1955-1972
country	United States
branch
type	Strategic Airlift
identification_symbol	[[File:44th Military Airlift Squadron - MAC - Emblem.png	165px]]
identification_symbol_label	Patch with 44th Military Airlift Squadron emblem
identification_symbol_2	[[File:44th Air Transport Squadron - MATS - Emblem.png	165px]]
identification_symbol_2_label	Patch with 44th Air Transport Squadron emblem

The 44th Military Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 60th Military Airlift Wing of Military Airlift Command at Travis Air Force Base, California.

In 1965, the 44th was the first USAF squadron to receive the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter. It was inactivated on 1 March 1972.

History

World War II

The squadron was first organized during World War II in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations as a ferrying unit. It was disbanded in September 1943 and replaced by Station 10, North African Wing, Air Transport Command in a general reorganization of Air Transport Command.

Cold War

A C-141A 63-6075 60th MAW on the ramp at Tan Son Nhut AB, South Vietnam, July 1966

The squadron was reconstituted as the 44th Air Transport Squadron in 1953 at Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, when Military Air Transport Service (MATS) assumed responsibility for the base from Air Defense Command. MATS operations at Grenier were short-lived, however and in November 1955 the squadron moved to McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, where it was inactivated.

Reactivated in 1961 at Travis Air Force Base, California as a Boeing C-135 Stratolifter strategic airlift squadron, it operated these aircraft over the Pacific and around the world transport routes under MATS. It became the first organization to use jets while airlifting Bob Hope Christmas tours to the Far East in 1963. On 23 April 1965, the squadron received the first operational Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, which it operated over MATS and later Military Airlift Command routes on a worldwide basis, 1965–1972. The squadron frequently flew cargo and personnel to United States bases in South Vietnam and Thailand during the Vietnam War. It was inactivated in 1972 due to budget restrictions as part of the post-Vietnam drawdown of the USAF.

Lineage

Constituted as the 44th Ferrying Squadron : Activated on 15 September 1942 : Redesignated 44th Transport Squadron on 24 March 1943 : Disbanded on 30 September 1943
Reconstituted as the 44th Air Transport Squadron, Heavy on 20 April 1953 and activated : Redesignated 44th Air Transport Squadron, Medium c. 1 July 1953 : Inactivated on 14 November 1955
Redesignated 44th Air Transport Squadron, Heavy : Activated on 1 November 1961 : Redesignated 44th Military Airlift Squadron on 8 January 1966 : Inactivated on 1 March 1972

Assignments

13th Ferrying Group, 15 September 1942 – 30 September 1943
Atlantic Division, Military Air Transport Service, 20 April 1953
1610th Air Transport Group, c. 1 July 1953
1611th Air Transport Group, 9–14 November 1955
1501st Air Transport Group, 1 November 1961
1501st Air Transport Wing, 18 January 1963
60th Military Airlift Wing, 8 January 1966 – 1 March 1972 (not operational after 1 January 1972)

Stations

Khartoum, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, 15 September 1942
Wadi Seidna Air Base, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, c. 1943 – 30 September 1943
Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, 20 April 1953
McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, 9 - 14 Nov 1955
Travis Air Force Base, California, 1 Nov 1961 - 1 Mar 1972

Aircraft

C-135B Stratolifter, 1961–1965
C-141 Starlifter, 1965-1972

References

Notes

Bibliography

References

Mueller, p. 415
Mueller, p. 559
Ravenstein, pp. 95-97

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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