39th Airlift Squadron

The 39th Airlift Squadron is a United States Air Force unit based at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. The unit flies the Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules. It is primarily tasked to transport cargo and personnel, and where circumstances require, airdrop them. It traces its history to 1942 and fought in the Pacific during the Second World War.

History

The 39th conducted paratroop drops on Noemfoor, Luzon, as well as aerial transport in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II during World War II. The squadron participated in the Berlin Airlift in 1948. It was the squadron that provided disaster relief for the Peruvian earthquake in June 1970 conducting numerous missions to the people of Peru.
It was part of airlift missions to Grenada, in October 1983, to Panama, December 1989 – January 1990, and to Southwest Asia, August 1990 – March 1991.

Operations

Lineage

Constituted as the 39th Transport Squadron on 2 February 1942
Redesignated 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 3 July 1952
Activated on 31 August 1971
Activated on 1 October 1993

Assignments

317th Transport Group, 22 February 1942 – 14 September 1949
317th Troop Carrier Group, 14 July 1952
465th Troop Carrier Wing, 12 March 1957
317th Troop Carrier Wing, 8 July 1957
322d Air Division, 25 September 1958
317 Troop Carrier Wing, 15 April 1963 – 31 July 1971
317th Tactical Airlift Wing, 31 August 1971
317th Tactical Airlift Group, 1 October 1978
317th Tactical Airlift Wing, 1 April 1980
317 Operations Group, 1 January–1 June 1992
7th Operations Group, 1 October 1993
317th Airlift Group, 1 April 1997 – present

Stations

Duncan Field, Texas, 22 February 1942
Bowman Field, Kentucky, 9 October 1942
Lawson Field, Georgia, October 1942
Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base, North Carolina, 2–12 December 1942
Garbutt Field, Queensland, Australia, 22 January 1942
Archerfield Airport, Queensland, Australia, 22 February 1942
Port Moresby Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 28 September 1943
Finschhafen Airfield, New Guinea, 23 April 1944
Hollandia Airfield, New Guinea, July 1944
Leyte, Philippines, 19 November 1944
Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, 28 March 1945
Okinawa, Ryuku Island, 19 August 1945
Fukuoka Air Base, Japan, 11 November 1945
Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, 15 January 1946
Yamoto Air Base, Japan, 17 July 1946
Carelus Army Air Field, Japan, 6 September 1946
Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, 16 October 1946 – 21 September 1948
Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany, 30 September 1948
RAF Celle, Germany, 23 December 1948 – 14 September 1949
Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, Germany, 14 July 1952
Neubiberg Air Base, Germany, 23 March 1953
Évreux-Fauville Air Base, France, 24 June 1956 – 20 June 1964
Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, 20 June 1964 – 31 July 1971
Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, 31 August 1971 – 1 June 1992
Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, 1 October 1993 – present

Aircraft