12th Troop Carrier Squadron

12th Troop Carrier Squadron
12th TCS C-82 Packets over Europe, 1952
Active	1 January 1938 -8 January 1961
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Airlift
Engagements	American Defense World War II European-African-Middle East Campaign World War II Algeria-French Morocco with Arrowhead Tunisia Sicily Naples-Foggia Anzio Rome-Arno North Apennines Po Valley
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation: (MTO)
Insignia
12th Troop Carrier Squadron Emblem

The 12th Troop Carrier Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 322d Air Division stationed at Dreux-Louvilliers Air Base, France. It was inactivated on 8 January 1961.

History

Established as part of the Army Air Corps in January 1938 at Olmsted Field, Pennsylvania but not activated until 1 December 1940. Not equipped or manned. Unit designation transferred to Westover Field, Massachusetts, but not equipped or manned until after the Pearl Harbor Attack. Equipped with C-47 Skytrain transports and trained for combat resupply and casualty evacuation mission.^[1]

Was ordered deployed to England, assigned to Eighth Air Force in June 1942. Assigned fuselage code 7D. Performed intro-theater transport flights of personnel, supply and equipment within England during summer and fall of 1942, reassigned to Twelfth Air Force after Operation Torch invasion of North Africa, stationed at Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria. In combat, performed resupply and evacuation missions across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia during North African Campaign. During June 1943, the unit began training with gliders in preparation for Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. It towed gliders to Syracuse, Sicily and dropped paratroopers at Catania during the operation. After moving to Sicily, the squadron airdropped supplies to escaped prisoners of war in Northern Italy in October. Operated from Sicily until December until moving to Italian mainland in December.

Supported Italian Campaign during balance of 1944 supporting partisans in the Balkans. Its unarmed aircraft flew at night over uncharted territory, landing at small unprepared airfields to provide guns, ammunition, clothing, medical supplies, gasoline, and mail to the partisans. It even carried jeeps and mules as cargo. On return trips it evacuated wounded partisans, evadees and escaped prisoners. These operations earned the squadron the Distinguished Unit Citation. It also dropped paratroopers at Megava, Greece in October 1944 and propaganda leaflets in the Balkans in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations until end of combat in Europe, May, 1945.^[1]

After hostilities ended, was transferred to Waller Field, Trinidad attached to the Air Transport Command Transported personnel and equipment from Brazil to South Florida along the South Atlantic Air Transport Route. Squadron picked up personnel and equipment in Brazil or bases in Northern South America with final destination being Miami, Boca Raton Army Airfield or Morrison Fields in South Florida.^[1]

Was reassigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), September 1946, performing intro-theater cargo flights based at Munich-Riem Airport. Transferred to Kaufbeuren AB when Reim Airport was closed. Was re-equipped with Douglas C-54 Skymaster aircraft and deployed to RAF Fassberg during 1948 Berlin Airlift. Flew continuous missions across hostile Soviet Zone of Germany in Berlin Air Corridor, transporting supplies and equipment to airports in West Berlin, 1948-1949. Later operated from Rhein-Main AB and Wiesbaden AB in American Zone of Occupation, later West Germany until blockade ended. Remained as part of USAFE until 1961, being upgraded to C-82 and later C-119 Flying Boxcar transports as part of USAFE 322d Air Division based in West Germany and France. Inactivated as part of downsizing of USAFE bases in France, 1961.^[1]

Lineage

• Constituted as 12th Transport Squadron on 1 January 1938

Activated on December 1940

Redesignated 12th Troop Carrier Squadron on 5 July 1942

Inactivated on 31 July 1945

• Activated on 30 September 1946

Redesignated: 12th Troop Carrier Squadron (Medium) on 1 July 1948

Redesignated: 12th Troop Carrier Squadron (Heavy) on 5 November 1948

Redesignated: 12th Troop Carrier Squadron (Medium) on 16 November 1949

Discontinued, and inactivated, on 8 January 1961.

Assignments

• 60th Transport (later Troop Carrier) Group, 1 December 1940 – 31 July 1945
• 60th Troop Carrier Group, 30 September 1946
• 60th Troop Carrier Wing, 12 March 1957
• 322d Air Division, 25 September 1958 – 8 January 1961.

Stations

Olmsted Field, Pennsylvania, 1 December 1940 Mitchel Field, New York, 20 May 1941 Westover Field, Massachusetts, 16 December 1941 – 20 May 1942 RAF Chelveston, England, 10 June 1942 RAF Aldermaston, England, 7 August 1942 Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria, 8 November 1942 Relizane Airfield, Algeria, 30 November 1942 Thiersville Airfield, Algeria, 20 May 1943 El Diem Airfield, Tunisia, 29 June 1943 Ponte Olivo Airfield, Sicily, 6 September 1943 Operated from Comiso Airfield, Sicily, 22 October-9 November 1943 Gerbini Airfield, Sicily, 9 November 1943 Brindisi Airfield, Italy, c. 29 March 1944

Pomigliano Airfield, Italy, 7 October 1944–May 1945 Waller Field, Trinidad, 4 June-31 July 1945 Rhein-Main AB, Germany, 30 September 1946 Neubiberg AB, Germany, i November 1946 Tempelhof AB, Germany, 5 May 1947 Rhein-Main AB, Germany, 20 January 1948 Kaufbeuren AB, Germany, 17 April 1948 Wiesbaden AB, Germany, 24 December 1948 Rhein-Main AB Germany, 26 September 1949 Wiesbaden AB, Germany (Later West Germany), 20 October 1949 Rhein-Main AB, West Germany, 7 July 1950 Dreux AB, France, 13 September 1955 – 8 January 1961

Aircraft

• C-47, 1942–1945; 1946–1948
• C-54, 1948–1949
• C-82, 1949–1953
• C-119, 1953–1960

References

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

1. 10th Airlift Squadron Public Page

• 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.

External links