Active 1953–1960, 1966-1972 Role Airlift | Country United States Part of Pacific Air Forces | |
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Branch United States Air Force Motto(s) Efficient Airlift Support | ||
The 483d Tactical Airlift Wing was a tactical airlift and composite wing assigned to Pacific Air Forces during the Vietnam War. It was the host organization at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base South Vietnam from 1970–1972.
Contents
- Korean War
- Vietnam War
- Lineage
- Assignments
- Groups
- Operational Squadrons
- Support Units
- Stations
- Awards
- References
The unit history includes the temporarily bestowed history of the World War II 483d Bombardment Group, which was a United States Army Air Forces combat group. It served primarily in the Mediterranean, African, and The Middle East Theatres of World War II. During the Korean War, the group was redesignated the 483d Troop Carrier Groupand assigned to the wing.
The Wing was first organized as the 483d Troop Carrier Wing during the Korean War, as an airlift organization assigned to Far East Air Forces (later Pacific Air Forces) (PACAF) for duty.
Korean War
The wing was activated at Ashiya AB, Japan as the 483d Troop Carrier Wing on 1 January 1953 and replaced the 403d Troop Carrier Wing, Medium and absorbed the 403d's mission, personnel and equipment. It was assigned to the 315th Air Division of Far East Air Forces (FEAF) for duty in the Korean War.
The wing was equipped with Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars and performed troop carrier and air transport operations in the Far East, including landing of troops and cargo in forward areas of the combat zone, air transportation of airborne troops and equipment, and air evacuation of casualties. In June 1953, as the Korean war neared an armistice, all wing C-119s airlifted the entire 187th Regimental Combat Team (Airborne) from Kyushu, Japan to Seoul and Chunch'on, South Korea, to preclude enemy breakthroughs. This was the largest mass movement of personnel in the history of combat cargo to that time. For is actions in the Korean War, the wing received the Korean Presidential Unit Citation.
Between April 1953 and September 1954, the wing aided the French Air Force in Indochina by training aircrews, evacuating wounded, and maintaining aircraft. For these actions, the wing became one of the first units in the Air Force to receive the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. In 1958, the wing began to reequip with Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. Its transition was complete by 1959. It performed theater transport duties and participated in joint exercises with Army units until inactivated in Japan on 23 June 1960. Its squadrons were transferred to the direct control of the 315th Air Division and relocated to Naha Air Base and Tachikawa Air Base, Japan as Ashiya AB closed.
Vietnam War
The 483d Troop Carrier Wing (TCW) was again organized on 1 January 1967 at Cam Ranh Air Base, South Vietnam when the United States Army transferred all its C-7 Caribou aircraft to the Air Force. The 483d TCW was assigned the mission of providing intra-theater airlift in support of United States military civic actions, combat support and civic assistance throughout the Republic of Vietnam. In addition, the wing was transferred ex-United States Army C-7A Caribou light transports.
The C-7s provided the light load-short haul transport to rough landing strips in South Vietnam. The unique capabilities of the C-7 for short landing and takeoff made Caribou transports vital to the war effort. On many occasions the C-7A's flew emergency airlift missions to airstrips and combat areas that no other aircraft could reach. Most notable were those in support of special forces camps in the Central Highlands.
In June 1968 the wing flew a record 2,420 combat troops in three days between Dak Pek, Ben Het and Đắk Tô. In August 1968 pinpoint night airdrops were accomplished at Duc Lap, Ha Thanh and Tonle Cham Special Forces camps. Ammunition and medical supplies were parachuted into 75-foot-square drop zones while the camps were under attack. In June 1969 during the siege of Ben Het more than 200 tons of ammunition, POL, rations, water and medical supplies were airdropped into a 100 x 200-foot zone with every load on target and 100 per cent recovered.
In March 1969, a provisional group was established at Vung Tau Airfield to exercise command and control over the wing's units located there. As drawdowns from Viet Nam began, the group was discontinued in June 1970.
In March 1970, when the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing was inactivated, the wing became the host wing at Cam Ranh Air Base. As a corrolary to assuming the support mission for the base, support organizations assigned to the wing carried out a number of civic actions, including construction of housing, providing support for orphanages and educational institutions and improvement of water supply systems.
Again in April 1970, the wing, now designated the 483d Tactical Airlift Wing (TAW) helped break the siege of Dak Seang Special Forces Camp. The wing flew 100 air-drop sorties under heavy hostile fire in ten days delivering some 400,000 pounds of vital supplies. When three C-7s were shot down with the loss of all crewmen between 2 and 6 April, the operation switched to low-level night drops. On 15 May 1970 the 459th Tactical Airlift Squadron (TAS) ceased operations in preparation for inactivation 1 June as part of the U.S. forces drawdown in Vietnam, and on 31 August 1971 its sister unit at Phù Cát Air Base, the 537th TAS, inactivated in place, followed shortly thereafter by the 536th TAS at Vung Tau. During their five years' flying for the 483d TAW, the C-7A Caribous carried more than 4.7 million passengers, averaging more than one million a year during 1967–1969. At the same time the wing averaged more than 100,000 tons of cargo each year.
On 31 August 1971, three electronic warfare squadrons from the inactivating 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at various bases in Viet Nam, were assigned to the 483d TAW. The following day, two special operations squadrons were transferred from the inactivating 14th Special Operations Wing. The electronic warfare squadrons were inactivated or assigned to other wings within six months.
The three remaining C-7 squadrons inactivated in early 1972 (535th TAS on 24 January, 458th on 1 March, and 457th on 30 April). Most of the C-7 Caribous were transferred to the VNAF. All Australian aircraft departed for Australia. The mixture of reassigned squadrons from other wings were all inactivated or reassoigned by the end of May. The 483d Tactical Airlift Wing was inactivated on 31 May 1972. For its service in Vietnam, the 483d TAW was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations, three Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with combat "V" (Valor) device and three Republic of Viet Nam Gallantry Crosses.
Lineage
483d Tactical Airlift Wing
Assignments
Groups
Operational Squadrons
Korean War
Vietnam War
Support Units
Stations
Awards
The temporary bestowal of the honors of the 483d Bombardment Group entitles the wing to display the two Distinguished Unit Citations earned by the group as appropriate in addition to these awards.