Country United States Garrison/HQ Dover Air Force Base | Role Airlift | |
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Active 1944-1945; 1947-1951; 1952-present Branch United States Air Force Part of Air Force Reserve Command | ||
The 326th Airlift Squadron is part of the 512th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. It operates McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission worldwide.
Contents
The squadron was first activated in 1944 as the 1st Combat Cargo Squadron. It served in the China-Burma-India Theater, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions. After VJ Day the unit was converted to the troop carrier mission as the 326th Troop Carrier Squadron. It was inactivated in theater in December 1945.
The squadron was activated in the reserves in July 1947. In 1949 it moved to Reading Municipal Airport, Pennsylvania, where it was called to active duty for the Korean War, but inactivated after its personnel were used as fillers for other units. It was activated again in the reserve in 1952.
Mission
Fly peacetime missions as a corollary of, training. Be prepared to be the initial and primary source of augmentation of the active forces in an emergency requiring expansion of the active forces.
World War II
The 326th trained for overseas troop carrier operations from, April–August 1944. It moved to Asia, and transported troops and supplies to forward areas in China and India from, September 1944-September 1945.
Air Force reserve
The squadron was once again activated as a reserve unit under Air Defense Command at Morrison Field, Florida on 15 July 1947. The squadron was nominally a Curtiss C-46 Commando unit, but it is not clear to what extent it was equipped with tactical aircraft while at Morrison.
In June 1949, Continental Air Command, which had assumed the responsibility for training reserve units from Air Defense Command in 1948, reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization system. As part of this reorganization and unit reductions required by President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget, the 435th Group moved to Miami International Airport, where it was assigned to the newly formed 435th Troop Carrier Wing. Reserve flying operations at Morrison came to an end, with the exception of the 326th Squadron, which remained there until September, when it moved to Pennsylvania and was assigned to the 512th Troop Carrier Group. The squadron was manned at 25% of normal strength. The squadron was called to active service for the Korean War in March 1951, but its personnel were used as fillers for other organizations and it was inactivated two weeks later. The unit's aircraft were distributed to other organizations as well.
The squadron resumed training in the reserve for airlift missions in 1952. It has since taken part in various contingency and humanitarian airlift operations worldwide. Beginning in 1992, took part in various contingency and humanitarian airlift operations worldwide; flew global and training missions; provided presidential support. Supported Operations Allied Force and Southern Watch, 1998-1999; Global War on Terrorism after 11 Sep 2001.