708th Airlift Squadron


The 708th Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last assigned to the 349th Operations Group at Travis Air Force Base, California, where it was inactivated on 30 September 1996.
The squadron was active during World War II as the 308th Troop Carrier Squadron a training unit that was part of the I Troop Carrier Command.
It was activated in 1972 as an associate unit, flying aircraft assigned to the regular Air Force 60th Military Airlift Wing.

History

World War II

The 308th Troop Carrier Squadron was activated at Baer Field, Indiana as an Operational Training Unit in March 1943 and equipped with Douglas C-47 Skytrains and Douglas C-53 Skytroopers. It served in this role until July 1943. The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to "satellite groups". The OTU program was patterned after the unit training system of the Royal Air Force. It then assumed responsibility for their training and oversaw their expansion with graduates of Army Air Forces Training Command schools to become effective combat units. Phase I training concentrated on individual training in crewmember specialties. Phase II training emphasized the coordination for the crew to act as a team. The final phase concentrated on operation as a unit.
However, most units had been activated. Training “fillers” for existing units became more important than unit training. The 308th then served as a Replacement Training Unit for glider crews until April 1944. RTUs were oversized units to train individual pilots or aircrews.
However, the United States Army Air Forces found that standard military units lke the 308th, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. Accordingly, the 308th was disbanded and its mission, personnel, and equipment were absorbed by the 805th AAF Base Unit.

Reserve associate operations

The 708th Military Airlift Squadron was activated at Travis Air Force Base, California in 1972 as an Air Force Reserve associate squadron. The squadron did not have aircraft assigned, but flew Lockheed C-141 Starlifter aircraft assigned to the regular United States Air Force 60th Military Airlift Wing. The squadron was inactivated in 1996 as part of phaseout of C-141s.

Lineage

308th Troop Carrier Squadron
  • Constituted as the 308th Troop Carrier Squadron on 15 March 1943
  • Reconstituted on 19 September 1985 and consolidated with the 708th Military Airlift Squadron as the 708th Military Airlift Squadron
708th Airlift Squadron
  • Constituted as the 708th Military Airlift Squadron on 18 October 1971
  • Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with '''308th Troop Carrier Squadron'''

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft