50th Troop Carrier Wing

50th Air Division
50th Air Division
	50th Air Division emblem
Active	8 January 1941 – 31 July 1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Garrison/HQ	see "Stations" section below
Equipment	see "Aircraft / Missiles / Space vehicles" section below
Decorations	see "Lineage and honors" section below

The 50th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at Pope Field, North Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 July 1946.

Established and activated as the 50th Transport Wing on 14 January 1941, it trained subordinate units in the U.S. In October 1943, the wing moved to England, was assigned to IX Troop Carrier Command, and began training for the invasion of continental Europe. This training involved airdropping paratroops and towing gliders.

In June 1944, subordinate units dropped paratroops of the 101st Airborne Division in Normandy, subsequently flying numerous missions to bring in reinforcements and needed supplies. During the airborne attack on The Netherlands (Operation Market Garden, September 1944), the 50th dropped paratroops, towed gliders, and flew resupply missions. Several of its subordinate units also participated in the invasion of southern France in August 1944. The 50th supported the 101st Airborne Division in the Battle of the Bulge by towing gliders full of supplies near Bastogne on 27 December 1944. In addition, its units participated in the air assault across the Rhine River in early 1945 and later flew numerous freight missions to carry gasoline, food, medicine, and other supplies to allied ground forces pushing across Germany.

On 1 September 1959, the USAF redesignated the wing as the 50th Air Division; however, the division was never activated.

History

Lineage

Established as 50th Transport Wing on 8 January 1941

Activated on 14 January 1941

Redesignated 50th Troop Carrier Wing on 4 July 1942

Inactivated on 31 July 1946

Redesignated 50th Air Division on 1 September 1959 (Remained inactive)

Assignments

Office, Chief of the Air Corps, 14 January 1941
Air Corps Maintenance Command (later, Air Service Command), 15 March 1941
Air Transport Command (later, I Troop Carrier Command), 30 April 1942
Army Service Forces, c. 9–15 October 1943
Ninth Air Force, c. 15 October 1943
IX Troop Carrier Command, 16 October 1943
I Troop Carrier Command, 29 September 1945
Tactical Air Command, 21 March 1946
Third Air Force, 28 March – 31 July 1946.

Components

Groups

10 Transport (later, 10 Troop Carrier) Group: 14 January 1941 – 5 October 1942
60 Transport Group: 31 March – 15 June 1942
61 Transport (later, 61 Troop Carrier) Troop: 31 March – 15 June 1942; 12 October – 3 November 1942
62 Transport Troop: 14 January 1941 – 15 June 1942
63 Transport (later, 63 Troop Carrier) Troop: 14 January 1941 – 15 June 1942; 4 May – c. 4 June 1943
64th Transport Group: 31 March – 15 June 1952
89 Transport (later, 89 Troop Carrier) Group: 1 May – 3 November 1942
313 Transport (later, 313 Troop Carrier) Group: 31 March – 15 June 1942; 20 May – 3 August 1945
314 Transport (later, 314 Troop Carrier) Group: 31 March – 15 June 1942; 3 November 1942 – c. 13 May 1943
315 Transport (later, 315 Troop Carrier) Group: 31 March – 15 June 1942; c. 15 October 1943 – 18 February 1944
316 Transport (later, 316 Troop Carrier) Group: 31 March – 12 October 1942; 9 October 1945 – 15 February 1946

317 Transport Troop: 31 March – 15 June 1942
349th Troop Carrier Group: 20 May – 28 August 1945; 9 October 1945 – 15 February 1946
375th Troop Carrier Group: c. 19 December 1942 – c. 15 June 1943
403 Troop Carrier Group: c. 19 December 1942 – 28 June 1943
433 Troop Carrier Group: c. 14 March – 20 April 1943; 1 June – 1 August 1943
434th Troop Carrier Group: 9 February – 20 April 1943; c. 15 October 1943 – 3 March 1944
435th Troop Carrier Group: c. 22 March – 20 April 1943; c. 1 July – 13 August 1943; 4 November 1943 – 21 February 1944
436th Operations Group: 3 March – 20 April 1943; 10–13 August 1943; c. 15 January – 13 March 1944
437th Troop Carrier Group: January – c. 26 August 1944; 10 – 18 July 1945
438th Troop Carrier Group: c. 15 February – 15 March 1944; 10 July – 3 August 1945
439th Operations Group: 21 February 1944 – 15 July 1945
440th Troop Carrier Group: 11 March 1944 – c. 18 October 1945
441st Troop Carrier Group: 17 March 1944 – 9 August 1945
442d Troop Carrier Group: 30 March 1944 – 20 May 1945

Squadrons

1 Troop Carrier Pathfinder (Provisional): 19 – 26 May 1945
2 Troop Carrier Pathfinder (Provisional): 13 April – 26 May 1945
29 Troop Carrier: attached 20 May – 12 September 1945
806 Medical Air Evacuation Transport: 17 November 1943 – 1 February 1945
810 Medical Air Evacuation Transport: 22 December 1943 – 22 July 1944
811 Medical Air Evacuation Transport: unkn – 1 March 1944
813 Medical Air Evacuation Transport: 1 February – 29 August 1944; 11 September 1944 – 15 September 1945

814 Medical Air Evacuation Transport: 14 February – 7 April 1944
815 Medical Air Evacuation Transport: 1 February – 8 April 1945
816 Medical Air Evacuation Transport: 13 October 1944 – 8 April 1945; 1 July – 3 August 1945
817 Medical Air Evacuation Transport: 1 October 1944 – 17 May 1945; 1 – 27 July 1945
818 Medical Air Evacuation Transport: 22 January – 8 April 1945; 12 May – 3 August 1945

Stations

Wright Field, Ohio, 14 January 1941
Camp Williams, Wisconsin, 25 May 1942
Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri, 9 September 1942
Camp Mackall, North Carolina, 27 April 1943
Pope Field, North Carolina, 28 July 1943 – 29 September 1943
RAF Cottesmore (AAF-489), England, 17 October 1943

RAF Bottesford (AAF-481), England, 18 November 1943
RAF Exeter (AAF-463), England, 26 April 1944
Le Mans Airfield (A-35), France, 1 October 1944
Chartres Airfield (A-40), France, 3 November 1944
Pope Field, North Carolina, 29 September 1945 – 31 July 1946

Aircraft

C-27, 1941–1942
C-33, 1941–1942
C-34, 1941–1942
C-47, 1941–1945
C-50, 1941–1942
C-53, 1941–1945
C-46, 1944–1946

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
USAFHRA Factseet, 50th Air Division

External links

Invaders: The Story of the 50th Troop Carrier Wing