50th Air Division
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
50th Air Division
| 50th Air Division | |
|---|---|
 50th Air Division emblem |
|
| Active | 8 January 1941 – 31 July 1946 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | see "Stations" section below |
| Equipment | see "Aircraft / Missiles / Space vehicles" section below |
| Decorations | see "Lineage and honors" section below |
The 50th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at Pope Field, North Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 July 1946.
|
Contents
|
History
Established and activated as the 50th Transport Wing on 14 January 1941. Was a major training organization for I Troop Carrier Command, 1942-1943, training subordinate units in the United States prior to overseas deployment.
In October 1943, became a command and control organization for IX Troop Carrier Command, Ninth Air Force in England. Subordinate units began training for the invasion of continental Europe. This training involved airdropping paratroops and towing gliders.
In June 1944, subordinate units dropped paratroops of the 101st Airborne Division in Normandy, subsequently flying numerous missions to bring in reinforcements and needed supplies. During the airborne attack on The Netherlands (Operation Market Garden, September 1944), the 50th dropped paratroops, towed gliders, and flew resupply missions. Several of its subordinate units also participated in the invasion of southern France in August 1944. The 50th supported the 101st Airborne Division in the Battle of the Bulge by towing gliders full of supplies near Bastogne on 27 December 1944. In addition, its units participated in the air assault across the Rhine River in early 1945 and later flew numerous freight missions to carry gasoline, food, medicine, and other supplies to allied ground forces pushing across Germany.
Returned to the United States in March 1946, became subordinate organization of new Tactical Air Command with responsibility for the theater transport (Troop Carrier) mission. Inactivated 31 July 1946.
On 1 September 1959, the USAF redesignated the wing as the 50th Air Division; however, the division was never activated.
Lineage
- Established as 50th Transport Wing on 8 January 1941
- Activated on 14 January 1941
- Redesignated 50th Troop Carrier Wing on 4 July 1942
- Inactivated on 31 July 1946
- Redesignated 50th Air Division on 1 September 1959 (Remained inactive)
Assignments
- Office, Chief of the Air Corps, 14 January 1941
- Air Corps Maintenance Command (later, Air Service Command), 15 March 1941
- Air Transport Command (later, I Troop Carrier Command), 30 April 1942
- Army Service Forces, c. 9–15 October 1943
- Ninth Air Force, c. 15 October 1943
- IX Troop Carrier Command, 16 October 1943
- I Troop Carrier Command, 29 September 1945
- Tactical Air Command, 21 March 1946
- Third Air Force, 28 March – 31 July 1946.
Components
Groups
|
|
Squadrons
|
|
Stations
|
|
Aircraft
|
|
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
- USAFHRA Factseet, 50th Air Division
External links
Invaders: The Story of the 50th Troop Carrier Wing
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article 50th Air Division.
Read more