The 732nd Airlift Squadron, officially the 732d Airlift Squadron, is a unit of the United States Air Force. It is part of the 514th Air Mobility Wing at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. It operates McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in providing global strategic airlift to US and allied forces.
The squadron was activated in June 1942 as the 332nd Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, the squadron deployed to the European Theater of Operations in the spring of 1943. It participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany until V-E Day, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations for its actions. It returned to the United States in December 1945, and was inactivated at the Port of Embarkation.
The squadron was reactivated at Marietta Army Air Field, Georgia in the reserves in 1947, but was not fully manned or equipped until 1949, when it began to receive Douglas B-26 Invaders. It was inactivated on 20 March 1951 after being called to active duty for the Korean War, with its personnel used as "fillers" to bring other units up to strength.
From 1952 to 1955, the unit was designated the 332nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, and, after a brief return to light bomber operations, in 1957 became the 732nd Troop Carrier Squadron, when it absorbed the personnel and equipment of another unit at Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire. It was mobilized in 1962 for the Cuban Missile Crisis and provided airlift support for Operation Power Pack before inactivating in 1966.
In 1970, it was reactivated as the 732nd Military Airlift Squadron, operating with the regular Air Force 438th Military Airlift Wing. It has participated in Operation Just Cause and deployed elements Operation Desert Storm. It has flown strategic airlift missions and participated in humanitarian operations.
Mission The 732nd Airlift Squadron is an associate Air Force Reserve Command unit that flies aircraft assigned to the active-duty 305th Air Mobility Wing, sharing the responsibility of flying the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. If mobilized the squadron becomes a part of Air Mobility Command.
History World War II Initial organization and training The squadron was activated at MacDill Field, Florida, on 15 June 1942 as the 332nd Bombardment Squadron, one of the original squadrons of the 94th Bombardment Group. The AAF had decided to concentrate training of heavy bomber units under Second Air Force,White, pp. 11-13, 27 and the squadron moved to Pendleton Field, Oregon, one of that command's bases, two weeks later to begin training with the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 162-163
The squadron cadre received its initial training at Pendleton. It moved to different bases for Phase I (individual training) and Phase II (crew training), completing Phase III (unit training) at Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado.White, pp. 27-28 The air echelon of the squadron began ferrying their aircraft to the European Theater of Operations around the first of April 1943. The ground echelon left Pueblo on 18 April for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and the New York Port of Embarkation on 18 April. They sailed aboard the on 5 May, arriving in Scotland on 13 May.Freeman, p. 245
Combat in the European Theater
The squadron began assembling at RAF Earls Colne in mid May, but Eighth Air Force decided to transfer its new Martin B-26 Marauder units from VIII Bomber Command to VIII Air Support Command and concentrate them on bases closer to the European continent. As a result, the 323d Bombardment Group moved to Earls Colne on 14 June, forcing the 94th Group and its squadrons to relocate to RAF Bury St. Edmunds, which would be its combat station for the rest of the war.Freeman, p. 50 It flew its first combat mission (and what would be its only mission from Earls Colne) on 13 June against the airfield at Saint-Omer, France. Until the end of the war, the squadron participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. It attacked port facilities at Saint Nazaire, shipyards at Kiel, an aircraft plant at Kassel, oil facilities at Merseburg and ball bearing facilities at Eberhausen.
During an attack on the Messerschmitt factory at Regensberg on 17 August 1943, the squadron was without escort after its escorting Republic P-47 Thunderbolts reached the limit of their range. It withstood repeated attacks, first by enemy Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 interceptors, then by Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Junkers Ju 88 night fighters, to strike its target, earning its first Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC). This was a "shuttle" mission, with the squadron recovering on bases in north Africa, rather than returning to England.Freeman, p. 68
On 11 January 1944, it attacked a Messerschmitt aircraft parts manufacturing plant at Brunswick/Waggum Airfield. Weather conditions deteriorated during the flight to the target, preventing part of the escorting fighters from reaching the bombers and resulting in the squadron's bombers being recalled. However, the wing leader was unable to authenticate the recall message and continued to the target. In contrast, fair weather to the east of the target permitted the Luftwaffe to concentrate its fighter defenses into one of its largest defensive formations since October 1943. Despite heavy flak in the target area, the squadron bombed accurately and earned its second DUC for this action.Freeman, pp. 104-105 The squadron participated in Big Week, the concentrated campaign against the German aircraft manufacturing industry from 20 to 25 February 1944. It bombed transportation, communication and petroleum industrial targets during Operation Lumberjack the final push across the Rhine and into Germany.
The squadron was occasionally diverted from its strategic mission to perform air support and interdiction missions. In the preparation for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, it flew Operation Crossbow attacks on V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket launch sites. On D-Day, it attacked enemy positions near the beachhead. It attacked enemy troops and artillery batteries during Operation Cobra, the breakout at Saint Lo in July 1944, and at Brest, France the following month. It attacked marshalling yards, airfields and strong points near the battlefield during the Battle of the Bulge in late December 1944 through early January 1945.
The squadron flew its last mission on 21 April 1945. Following V-E Day it dropped leaflets to displaced persons and German civilians on what were called "Nickling" flights The squadron was scheduled to be part of the occupation forces, but those plans were cancelled in September 1945. Starting in November, its planes were transferred to other units or flown back to the United States. Its remaining personnel sailed on the SS Lake Champlain on 12 December 1945. Upon reaching the Port of Embarkation, the squadron was inactivated.
Reserve operations Initial organization and mobilization for the Korean War The squadron was again activated under Air Defense Command (ADC) at Marietta Army Air Field, Georgia in May 1947 as a air reserve unit and was again assigned to the 94th Bombardment Group. At Marietta, it trained under the supervision of the 420th AAF Base Unit (Reserve Training) (later the 2589th AF Reserve Flying Training Center). In 1948 Continental Air Command (ConAC) assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC.
In June 1949, the squadron was redesignated as a light bomber unit. Reserve wings were authorized four operational squadrons, rather than the three of active duty wings. However, the squadrons were manned at 25% of normal strength.Cantwell, p. 74 The squadron began to equip with the Douglas B-26 Invader, in addition to various trainer aircraft.Ravenstein, pp. 132-133 All reserve combat units were mobilized for the Korean War.Cantwell, p. 87 The 332nd was called to active duty on 10 March 1951. Its personnel and equipment were used to bring other units up to strength, and the squadron was inactivated ten days later.Cantwell, pp. 97, 137
Reconnaissance operations The squadron was reactivated at Dobbins Air Force Base in June 1952 as the 332nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and equipped with RB-26 Invader photographic reconnaissance aircraft when the 94th Bombardment Wing replaced the 902d Reserve Training Wing at Dobbins.Mueller, p. 109 The reserve mobilization for the Korean War had left the reserve without aircraft, and the squadron only began receiving aircraft in July.Cantwell, p. 139 In addition to its primary aircraft and obsolescent North American P-51 Mustangs, the squadron also operated a variety of trainers and transports.
In the mid-1950s, the Air Force determined that all reserve units should be designed to augment the regular forces in the event of a national emergency. However, there were six reserve flying training wings, including the 8711th Pilot Training Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois,Mueller, p. 518 that had no mobilization mission. On 18 May 1955, the 8711th and other reserve training wings were discontinued and replaced by tactical wings.Cantwell, p. 146 The squadron moved to Scott, where it once again became the 331st Bombardment Squadron and replaced its reconnaissance model B-26s with tactical bomber versions.
Troop carrier operations
The Joint Chiefs of Staff were pressuring the Air Force to provide more wartime airlift. At the same time, about 150 Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars became available from the active force. Consequently, in November 1956 the Air Force directed ConAC to convert three reserve fighter bomber wings to the troop carrier mission by September 1957. In addition, within the Air Staff was a recommendation that the reserve fighter mission given to the Air National Guard and replaced by the troop carrier mission.Cantwell, p. 168 As a result, the 94th Wing moved to Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Massachusetts, where it replaced the 89th Fighter-Bomber Wing and became a troop carrier organization.
However, during the first half of 1955, the Air Force had begun detaching reserve squadrons from their parent wing locations to separate sites, referred to as the Detached Squadron Concept. The concept offered several advantages: communities were more likely to accept the smaller squadrons than the large wings and the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate recruiting and manning. ConAC’s plan called for placing reserve units at fifty-nine installations located throughout the United States.Cantwell, p. 156 As part of this plan, the 81st Troop Carrier Squadron had been activated at Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire as part of the 436th Troop Carrier Wing, whose headquarters were at Naval Air Station New York.Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 285 The squadron, now designated the 732nd Troop Carrier Squadron, did not move to Hanscom with the 94th Wing, but instead assumed the mission, personnel and aircraft of the 81st, which was simultaneously inactivated. Airlift missions were flown regularly, not only in the United states, but from 1959, to overseas destinations. The squadron participated in Operation Swift Lift, transporting high priority cargo for the Air Force.Cantwell, pp. 149-50 At Grenier, the 732nd initially trained with the 2235th Air Reserve Flying Center, but in March 1959, the center was inactivated, when in place of active duty support for reserve units, ConAC adopted the Air Reserve Technician Program, in which a cadre of the squadron consisted of full time personnel who were simultaneously civilian employees of the Air Force and held rank as members of the reserves.Cantwell, p. 163