Country United States Garrison/HQ Andrews Air Force Base | Type Airlift | |
 | ||
Active 1 July 1942 - 27 December 1945
27 June 1949 - 16 June 1951
12 October 1966 - 30 April 1972
1 April 1975 - Present Branch United States Air Force Part of Air Mobility Command
18th Air Force
375th Air Mobility Wing
375th Operations Group | ||
The 457th Airlift Squadron (457 AS) is part of the 375th Air Mobility Wing and is stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. It operates C-21 aircraft providing executive airlift.
Contents
History
Established in mid-1942 under II Bomber Command as a B-17 Flying Fortress Replacement Training Unit (RTU). Operated until March 1944 with the end of Heavy Bomber training.
B-29 Superfortress operations against Japan
Re-designated on 1 April 1944 as a B-29 Superfortress Very Heavy bombardment squadron. When training was completed moved to North Field Guam in the Mariana Islands of the Central Pacific Area in January 1945 and assigned to XXI Bomber Command, Twentieth Air Force. Its mission was the strategic bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands and the destruction of its war-making capability.
Flew "shakedown" missions against Japanese targets on Moen Island, Truk, and other points in the Carolines and Marianas. The squadron began combat missions over Japan on 25 February 1945 with a firebombing mission over Northeast Tokyo. The squadron continued to participate in wide area firebombing attack, but the first ten-day blitz resulting in the Army Air Forces running out of incendiary bombs. Until then the squadron flew conventional strategic bombing missions using high explosive bombs.
The squadron continued attacking urban areas with incendiary raids until the end of the war in August 1945, attacking major Japanese cities, causing massive destruction of urbanized areas. Also conducted raids against strategic objectives, bombing aircraft factories, chemical plants, oil refineries, and other targets in Japan. The squadron flew its last combat missions on 14 August when hostilities ended. Afterwards, its B 29s carried relief supplies to Allied prisoner of war camps in Japan and Manchuria.
Squadron remained in Western Pacific, although largely demobilized in the fall of 1945. Some aircraft scrapped on Tinian; others flown to storage depots in the United States. Inactivated as part of Army Service forces at the end of 1945.
United States Air Force
Reactivated as a reserve B-29 squadron at March AFB, California in 1949. Squadron personnel were activated for Korean War service on 1 May 1951 and reassigned to active duty units and deployed to Far East Air Forces. Inactivated as a paper unit in June 1951. Reactivated as a C-46 Commando Troop Carrier Squadron in June 1952, but unclear whether manned or equipped. Inactivated in July 1952.
Reactivated during the Vietnam War at Cam Rahn Air Base, South Vietnam in 1966. Provided intratheater airlift in Vietnam, including airland and airdrop assault missions from, 1966–1972, being inactivated as part of the drawdown of United States forces and the closure of Cam Rahn AB.
The squadron conducted pilot readiness training from, 1975–1984 and administrative airlift from, 1975–1993. It supported intratheater airlift in Southwest Asia, August 1990–April 1991. It has provided airlift support for high-ranking dignitaries of the US and foreign governments since 1993.