304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron

304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron
304th EAS C-17 sits on the ice runway at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Nov. 21, 2011.
Active	1943-1946; 1949-1951; 1952-1955; 1957-1974; 2007-Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm

304th Tactical Airlift Squadron - Lockheed C-130A-55-LM Hercules 57-0522 Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri, 1974.

The 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 13th Air Expeditionary Group, based at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

Mission

The 304th EAS operates the C-17 Globemaster III airlfiter in support of Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica (JTF-SFA). The squadron provides the bulk of the aerial resupply between New Zealand and Antarctica. It also provides ntercontinental transport of personnel and cargo to and from the United States.

The 304th EAS consists of aircraft and personnel deployed forward to New Zealand from the 62d and 446th Airlift Wings, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

History

The squadron was first activated as the 304th Troop Carrier Squadron in September 1943 under I Troop Carrier Command and equipped with Douglas C-47 Skytrains. It trained in various parts of the eastern United States until early 1944. The squadron deployed to England and became part of IX Troop Carrier Command.

The unit prepared for the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. It began operations by dropping paratroops of the 101st Airborne Division in Normandy on D-Day on 6 June 1944 and releasing gliders with reinforcements on the following day. The unit received a Distinguished Unit Citation and a French citation for these missions. After the Normandy invasion the squadron ferried supplies in the United Kingdom.

After moving to France in September, the unit dropped paratroops of the 82nd Airborne Division near Nijmegen and towed gliders carrying reinforcements during Operation Market Garden. the airborne attack on the Netherlands. In December, it participated in the Battle of the Bulge by releasing gliders with supplies for the 101st Airborne Division near Bastogne.

When the Allies made the air assault across the Rhine River in March 1945, each aircraft of the squadron towed two gliders with troops of the 17th Airborne Division and released them near Wesel. The squadron also hauled food, clothing, medicine, gasoline, ordnance equipment, and other supplies to the front lines and evacuated patients to rear zone hospitals. It converted from C-47s to Curtiss C-46 Commandos and used the new aircraft to transport displaced persons from Germany to France and Belgium after V-E Day. It was inactivated in Germany in September 1946.

Postwar the squadron was activated in the air force reserve in 1940 at Fairfax Field, Kansas, operating C-46 Commandos. It was called to active duty and onactivated during the Korean War in 1951. Its aircraft and personnel were used as fillers for active duty units, and the squadron was inactivated. The unit reformed in the reserve in 1952, moving to Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base near Kansas City in 1955. Conducted routine reserve training operating Douglas C-124 Globemaster IIs flying worldwide transport missions beginning in 1961. The squadron was called to active duty in 1961 due to the Berlin Wall Crisis, but returned to reserve service in the late summer of 1962.

The squadron converted to Lockheed 130A Hercules aircraft on 27 October 1971. It was inactivated on 30 June 1974 when personnel and equipment was merged into the 303d Tactical Airlift Squadron.

Operations and Decorations

Combat Operations. The squadron participated in airborne assaults on Normandy during Operation Neptune in Jun 1944, in Southern France during Operation Dragoon, over the Netherlands during Operation Market in September 1944, and into Germany during Operation Varsity in March 1945. It was called to active service during the Berlin Crisis from October 1961 until August 1962. It routinely flew airlift support missions to the Pacific region and Southeast Asia from 1964 until 1972.
Campaigns. World War II: Rome-Arno; Southern France; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Central Europe.
Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citation: France, [6-7] Jun 1944. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award: 1 Aug 1967-25 Oct 1968. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Apr 1966-19 May 1972.

Lineage

Constituted as the 304th Troop Carrier Squadron on 25 May 1943

Activated on 1 Sep 1943

Inactivated on 30 Sep 1946

Redesignated 304th Troop Carrier Squadron (Medium) on 10 May 1949

Activated in the reserve on 27 Jun 1949

Ordered to active service on 10 Mar 1951

Inactivated on 12 Mar 1951

Activated in the reserve on 15 Jun 1952

Inactivated on 26 Jul 1955

Activated in the reserve on 16 Nov 1957

Redesignated 304th Troop Carrier Squadron (Heavy) on 8 May 1961

Ordered to active service on 1 Oct 1961

Relieved from active duty on 27 Aug 1962.

Redesignated 304th Air Transport Squadron on 1 December 1965

Redesignated 304th Military Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1966

Inactivated on 30 June 1974

Redesignated 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, and converted to provisional status on 27 Mar 2003.

Assignments

442d Troop Carrier Group, 1 Sep 1943-30 Sep 1946
442d Troop Carrier Group, 27 Jun 1949-12 Mar 1951
442d Troop Carrier Group, 15 Jun 1952-26 Jul 1955
442d Troop Carrier Group, 16 Nov 1957
442d Troop Carrier Wing, 14 Apr 1959
936th Troop Carrier (later, 936th Air Transport; 936th Military Airlift) Group, 17 Jan 1963-30 June 1974
Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate at any time after 27 Mar 2003.

Attached to: 13th Air Expeditionary Group, 1 October 2007 (TBD)

Stations

Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri, 1 Sep 1943
Alliance Army Air Field, Nebraska, 15 Dec 1943
Pope Field, North Carolina, 26 Jan 1944
Baer Field, Indiana, 2-8 Mar 1944
RAF Fulbeck (AAF-488), England, 27 Mar 1944
RAF Weston Zoyland (AAF-447), England, 12 Jun 1944

Operated from Follonica Airfield, Italy, 18 Jul-24 Aug 1944

Saint-André-de-l'Eure Airport (B-24), France, 5 Nov 1944

Operated from Metz Airfield (Y-34), France, 21 Apr-15 May and 26 May-10 Sep 1945

AAF Station Munich, Germany, Sep 1945-30 Sep 1946
Fairfax Field, Kansas, 27 Jun 1949
Olathe NAS, Kansas, 27 May 1950-12 Mar 1951; 15 Jun 1952
Grandview (later, Richards-Gebaur) AFB, Missouri, 3 Apr 1955-30 June 1974
Hickam AFB, Hawaii, 1 October 2007 – Present

Aircraft

Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1943-1946; 1949-1950
Waco CG-4A Glider, 1944-1945
C/TC-46 Commando, 1949, 1950-1951, 1952-1955

C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1957-1961
C-124 Globemaster II, 1961-1971
C-130 Hercules, 1971-1974
C-17 Globemaster III, 2007–Present

References

Bibliography

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.

Further reading

External links

USAAF Ninth Air Force in World War II

Stations

Palestine (Mand)	Lydda Muqueibile Ramat David St Jean

Egypt	Abu Sueir Ismailia El Amiriya Daba Deversoir Fayid Kabrit * Landing Ground 174 Payne Sidi Haneish

Libya	Baheira Belandah Benina Castel Benito Berca Darragh El Adem El Assa Gambut Hamraiet Lete Martuba Tmed El Chel Tobruk Tripoli Sidi Azeiz

Tunisia	Ben Gardane Bou Grara Chekira Hani Hazbub Hergla El Djem El Haouaria Kairouan Medenine Menzel Heurr Sfax Soltane

United Kingdom	Aldermaston Andover Andrews Field Ashford Balderton Barkston Heath Beaulieu Birch Bisterne Boreham Bottesford Boxted Charmy Down Chalgrove Chilbolton Chipping Ongar Christchurch Cottesmore Earls Colne Exeter Folkingham Fulbeck Gosfield Great Dunmow Greenham Common Grove High Halden Headcorn Holmsley South Hurn Ibsley Kingsnorth Langar Lashenden Little Walden Lymington Matching Membury Merryfield Middle Wallop North Witham Ramsbury Raydon Rivenhall Saltby Scorton Staplehurst Spanhoe Stansted Stoney Cross Thruxton Upottery Warmwell Welford Weston Zoyland Wethersfield Winkton Woodchurch Wormingford

Europe	Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany too numerous.

Units

Commands

Wings

Bombardment	97th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 99th Bombardment

Fighter	8th Fighter 9th Fighter 70th Fighter 71st Fighter 84th Fighter 100th Fighter 303d Fighter

Troop carrier	50th Troop Carrier 52d Troop Carrier 53d Troop Carrier

Groups

Bombardment	12th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 322d Bombardment 323d Bombardment 340th Bombardment 344th Bombardment 376th Bombardment 386th Bombardment 387th Bombardment 391st Bombardment 394th Bombardment 397th Bombardment 409th Bombardment 410th Bombardment 416th Bombardment

Fighter	36th Fighter 48th Fighter 50th Fighter 57th Fighter 79th Fighter 324th Fighter 354th Fighter 358th Fighter 365th Fighter 362d Fighter 363d Fighter 366th Fighter 367th Fighter 368th Fighter 370th Fighter 371st Fighter 373d Fighter 404th Fighter 405th Fighter 406th Fighter 474th Fighter

Troop carrier	61st Troop Carrier 64th Troop Carrier 313th Troop Carrier 314th Troop Carrier 315th Troop Carrier 316th Troop Carrier 349th Troop Carrier 434th Troop Carrier 435th Troop Carrier 436th Troop Carrier 437th Troop Carrier 438th Troop Carrier 439th Troop Carrier 440th Troop Carrier 441st Troop Carrier 442d Troop Carrier IX Troop Carrier Pathfinder (Provisional)

Reconnaissance	10th Reconnaissance 67th Reconnaissance 69th Reconnaissance

Squadrons

Liaison	14th Liaison 47th Liaison

Night fighter	422d Night Fighter 425th Night Fighter

United States Army Air Forces

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