62nd Airlift Squadron

62nd Airlift Squadron
62nd Airlift Squadron
	A 314th Airlift Wing C-130 Hercules delivers relief supplies to Wajir Airport, Kenya
Active	1942–1946; 1949–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Airlift Training
Part of	Air Education and Training Command
Garrison/HQ	Little Rock Air Force Base
Nickname(s)	Blue Barons
Motto(s)	Primus in Toto Latin First in Everything (WW II, 1993–present)
Engagements	Mediterranean Theater of Operations; European Theater of Operations; Korean War; Vietnam War
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Insignia
62nd Airlift Squadron emblem (approved 9 December 1994)
62nd Troop Carrier Squadron emblem (approved 26 October 1993)
62nd Troop Carrier Squadron emblem (approved 24 April 1953)
62nd Troop Carrier Squadron emblem (World War II)

The 62nd Airlift Squadron is part of the 314th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. Originally constituted in 1942 as the 62nd Troop Carrier Squadron, it first deployed to Morocco in 1943, remaining in Europe until its inactivation in 1946. It reactivated three years later and deployed to Japan during the Korean War. In 1967, the unit was redesignated the 62nd Tactical Airlift Squadron, and in 1991 the 62nd Airlift Squadron. It operates Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules aircraft and provides advanced training to pilots, copilots, and loadmasters for combat airlift and airdrop operations.

History

World War II

Activated in late 1942 under I Troop Carrier Command and equipped with Douglas C-47 Skytrains. Trained in various parts of the eastern United States. Deployed to French Morocco in May 1943 and assigned to Twelfth Air Force to support combat operations in the North African Campaign. Remained with Twelfth Air Force, moving to Tunisia and Sicily providing transport and resupply operations as well as casualty evacuation of wounded personnel in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO). Reassigned to IX Troop Carrier Command in England during early 1944 as part of the build-up of Allied forces prior to the D-Day invasion of France.

Began operations by dropping paratroops into Normandy on D-Day (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. 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 dropped paratroops near Nijmegen and towed gliders carrying reinforcements during 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.

Moved to Belgium in early 1945, and participated in the Western Allied invasion of Germany, participating in the air assault across the Rhine River in March 1945, each aircraft towed two gliders with troops of the 17th Airborne Division and released them near Wesel.

Post-war

After V-E Day, became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe, at Villacoublay Airfield and was part of the European Air Transport System, supporting the occupation forces in Germany as well as carrying supplies and personnel between various stations in Western Europe. Inactivated in early 1946 while stationed in France.

Tactical Air Command

Reactivated as part of Tactical Air Command (TAC) in 1949 with Fairchild C-82 Packets and various gliders as an assault squadron.

Korean War

Deployed to Japan for combat operations in 1950 for the Korean War. Furnished airlift between Japan and Korea and airdropped paratroops and supplies at Sukchon/Sunchon and Munsan-ni. was part of airborne assaults on Sukchon and Munsan-ni.

Return to United States

Returned to the United States in 1954, was equipped by TAC as one of the first Lockheed C-130 Hercules squadrons when the aircraft came into operational service. The squadron flew airlift from the Philippines into Vietnam, March–May 1965.

Flying training

It has conducted C-130 Training since 1971.

2020 Coronoavirus epidemic

To protect Air Force personnel from infection, in 2020 the squadron took on a new task: flying Air Education and Training Command students to training locations. Normally such students take commercial flights.^[4]

Campaigns and decorations

Campaigns. World War II: Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Central Europe. Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953. Vietnam: Vietnam Defensive.
Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Sicily, 11 July 1943; France, [6–7] Jun 1944; Korea, 28 November-10 Dec 1950. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 6 May 1953 – 10 September 1954; 11 January-14 Feb 1955; 1 January 1960 – 31 December 1961; 1 September 1962 – 15 April 1963; 1 December 1965 – 30 June 1967; 1 June 1969 – 31 May 1971; 1 January 1975 – 30 June 1976; 1 June 1985 – 31 May 1986; 1 July 1991 – 30 June 1993; 1 July 1993 – 30 June 1995; 1 July 1995 – 31 March 1997; 1 July 1997 – 30 June 1999; 1 July 1999 – 30 June 2001; 1 July 2001 – 30 June 2003; 1 July 2003 – 30 June 2004; 1 July 2005 – 30 June 2006; 1 July 2006 – 30 June 2007; 1 July 2008 – 30 June 2009. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, 1 July 1951 – 27 July 1953.

Lineage

Constituted as the 62d Troop Carrier Squadron on 27 November 1942

Activated on 5 December 1942

Inactivated on 27 August 1946

Redesignated 62d Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 20 September 1949

Activated on 17 October 1949

Redesignated 62d Troop Carrier Squadron on 1 March 1966

Redesignated 62d Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 May 1967

Redesignated 62d Airlift Squadron on 1 December 1991^[1]

Assignments

315th Troop Carrier Group, 5 December 1942 (attached to 89th Troop Carrier Group)
314th Troop Carrier Group, 15 March 1943
Third Air Force, Aug-27 August 1946
314th Troop Carrier Group, 17 October 1949
314th Troop Carrier Wing, 8 October 1957 (attached to 322d Air Division 6 June–August 1961, Detachment 3, 315th Air Division, 19 May-29 July 1962 and 5 August–October 1964, 315th Air Division, March–May 1965)
839th Air Division, 1 December 1965 (attached to Troop Carrier Wing Provisional, 4413)
64th Troop Carrier Wing (later 64th Tactical Airlift Wing), 1 July 1966 (attached to 513th Tactical Airlift Wing, 15 December 1967 – 8 April 1968, 29 June-2 Oct 1968, 16 November 1969 – 11 January 1970, 3 July-30 August 1970; 322d Tactical Airlift Wing, 10 April-12 Jun 1971)
314th Tactical Airlift Wing, 31 May 1971
34th Tactical Airlift Training Group, 1 November 1978
314th Operations Group, 1 December 1991 – present^[1]

Stations

Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri, 5 December 1942
Del Valle Army Air Base, Texas, 12 December 1942
Pope Field, North Carolina, 12 January 1943
Lawson Field, Georgia, 25 February-3 May 1943
Berguent Airfield, French Morocco, 29 May 1943
Kairouan Airfield, Tunisia, 24 June 1943
Castelvetrano Airfield, Sicily, 3 September 1943 – 15 February 1944
RAF Saltby (AAF-538),^[5] England, 24 February 1944
Poix Airfield (B-44),^[6] France, Mar 1945
Villacoublay Airfield (A-42),^[6] France, 15 October 1945 – 15 February 1946
Bolling Field, District of Columbia, 15 February 1946
Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina, August-27 August 1946

Smyrna Air Force Base (later Sewart Air Force Base), Tennessee, 17 October 1949 – 27 August 1950
Ashiya Air Base, Japan, 4 September 1950 – 15 November 1954
Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee, 15 November 1954 (deployed to Évreux-Fauville Air Base, France, 6 June–August 1961; Clark Air Base, Philippines, 19 May-29 Jul 1962, 5 August–October 1964, March–May 1965; RAF Mildenhall, England, 15 December 1967-c. 28 March 1968, 1 July-2 Oct 1968, and 16 November 1969 – 11 January 1970)
Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, 9 March 1970 – present (deployed to RAF Mildenhall, England, 3 July-30 August 1970; Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, 2 April-31 May 1971^[7]

Coronoavirus EpidemicCoronoavirus Epidemic

Aircraft

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1943–1946)
Fairchild C-82 Packet (1949–1950)
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (1950–1957)
Lockheed C-130 Hercules (1956 – present)^[1]

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Robertson, Patsy (15 December 2010). "Factsheet 62 Airlift Squadron". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 240–241
^ Watkins, p. 69
^ Ford, Jaden. "Little Rock AFB's 62nd AS protects training pipeline with airlift assistance". Air Education and Training Command. U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
^ Station number in Anderson.
^ ^a ^b Station number in Johnson.
^ Station information in Robertson, except as noted.

Bibliography

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

Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL yes: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
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. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
Watkins, Robert (2008). Battle Colors. Vol. III Insignia and Markings of the Ninth Air Force in World War II. Atglen, PA: Shiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-2938-8.