13th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron

C-46 Commando

The first predecessor of the squadron was activated at Syracuse Army Air Base, New York in June 1944 as the 13th Combat Cargo Squadron, one of the four operational squadrons of the 4th Combat Cargo Group.[2] Combat cargo squadrons were organized to operate independently, with logistics and administrative support from an attached airdrome squadron. In the case of the 13th, this support was provided by the 348th Airdrome Squadron.

The squadron was initially equipped with Douglas C-47 Skytrains. In August, the squadron moved to Bowman Field, Kentucky, where it continued its training and equipped with larger Curtiss C-46 Commandos. The squadron completed its training and began its move to the China Burma India Theater in early November 1944.[2]

The squadron arrived in theater in late November 1944 and began operations the following month. In December, it transported material and equipment for the construction of the Ledo Road. Until May 1945, it concentrated on transporting materiel and reinforcements for forces operating in Burma. In February 1945, it transported "men, mules and boats" as forces crossed the Irrawaddy River. In May, the 13th dropped Gurkha paratroopers during the assault on Rangoon. In June, the squadron moved to Namponmao Airfield, Burma and transported supplies and personnel over the Hump to China. The squadron returned to India in November and was inactivated in late December 1945.[2][3] The squadron was disbanded on 8 Oct 1948.[2]

The 13th Aeromedical Transport Squadron was activated at Travis Air Force Base, California on 8 November 1956 as the 1st Aeromedical Transport Group replaced the 1706th Air Transport Group (Aeromedical Evacuation). Military Air Transport Service (MATS) had begun aeromedical evacuation operations at Travis on 16 December 1948, when it moved the 1733d Air Transport Squadron (Aeromedical Evacuation) to Travis from Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, where it had been organized on 9 October 1948 and assigned to the 1702d Air Transport Group.[4] In July 1950, the 1702d Group was discontinued and the 1733d was transferred to the 1704th Air Transport Wing at Travis, and became the primary unit for the air movement of casualties from the Korean War once they reached the United States.[5] On 1 February 1953 MATS centralized its aeromedical transport squadrons in the United States under the 1706th Group and the 1733d Squadron was reassigned to it. The 13th absorbed the 1733d's mission, personnel, and equipment on activation and the 1733d was simultaneously discontinued.[6]

On 1 June 1964, the 1405th Air Base Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois was redesignated the 1405th Aeromedical Transport Wing, and assumed responsibility for the aeromedical transport mission from the 1st Group. Under the 1405th, responsibility for aeromedical evacuation missions expanded to include all of North America and the Caribbean, not only missions within the United States. The expanded mission called for augmentation of the 13th and the wing's other regular squadrons by squadrons of the Air National Guard.

In January 1966, the 1405th Wing transferred it mission, personnel and components to the 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing, as Military Airlift Command replaced its operational Major Command controlled (MAJCON) units that could not carry a permanent history with Air Force controlled units. The squadron was inactivated on 8 December 1968 as the C-131 was phased out of the aeromedical evacuation fleet and replaced by the Douglas HC-9 Nightingale.[7]

• 4th Combat Cargo Group, 13 June 1944 – 29 December 1945[8]
• 1st Aeromedical Transport Group, 8 November 1956
• 1405th Aeromedical Transport Wing, 1 June 1964
• 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing, 12 January 1966 – 8 December 1968[11]

• Syracuse Army Air Base, New York, 13 June 1944
• Bowman Field, Kentucky, 16 August–6 November 1944
• Sylhet Airfield, India, 28 November 1944
• Agartala Airfield, India, 2 January 1945
• Chittagong Airfield, India, 31 January 1945
• Namponmao Airfield, Burma, 10 June 1945
• Ondal Airfield, India, November–29 December 1945[8]
• Travis Air Force Base, California 8 November 1956 – 8 December 1968[12]

• Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1944,[8]
• Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1944-1945[8]
• Douglas C-54 Skymaster, 1956-unknown[13]
• Convair C-131 Samaritan, 1956-1968[13]

Explanatory notes

Citations

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• 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. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Watkins, Robert A. (2017). Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. Vol. VI, China-Burma-India & The Western Pacific. Atglen,PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-5273-7.
• "AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits" (PDF). Washington, DC: Department of the Air Force Index. 15 June 1971. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2016.