1st Troop Carrier Group (Provisional)
1st TCG was organized at Ashiya AB, Japan on 26 August 1950 under operational control of FEAF through the 1st Troop Carrier Task Force (Provisional). The 1st TCG and its provisional squadrons were based at Tachikawa and supported by the 374th TCW. Personnel from units of Thirteenth and Twentieth Air Forces and the Far East Materiel Command manned the 1st TCG. Using C-46s and briefly C-47s, the group began airlifting freight and passengers between Japan and Korea on September 2, 1950. The group transported a U.S. Marine unit to Pyongyang on November 25 and 26 then flew emergency air evacuations from Sinanju and other forward bases as the Chinese advanced. Leaving Kimpo AB on January 4, the group inactivated effective January 25, with many of its personnel transferring to the 86th TCS of the 437th TCG. In its five months of operation, the group carried over 28,000 passengers, 7,000 air evacuees, and almost 12,000 tons of cargo.

Combat Components

46th Troop Carrier Squadron (P): August 26-October 6, 1950.
47th Troop Carrier Squadron (P): August 26, 1950-January 25, 1951.
48th Troop Carrier Squadron (P): August 26, 1950-January 10, 1951.

Stations

Tachikawa AB, Japan, August 26, 1950-January 25, 1951.

Commanders

Col. Cecil H. Childre, August 1950; Lt. Col. Edward H. Nigro, October 21, 1950-January 1951.

Campaign Streamers

UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention.

Decorations

None.

61st Troop Carrier Group, Heavy
From the last week of July until early December 1950, the 61st TCG, equipped with C-54 Skymasters, flew the northern route from McChord AFB, Washington, to Japan, providing airlift of personnel and supplies for UN forces. Flying a total of 253 Pacific trips, it airlifted 368 tons of cargo and transported 5,117 passengers until alerted for movement to Japan. On December 13, three days after the 61st TCG arrived at Ashiya, the squadrons flew their first combat missions, carrying ammunition, supplies and equipment to besieged UN forces fighting their way out of the Hungnam perimeter and returning wounded personnel and evacuees to South Korea and Japan. The 61st TCG often operated from airstrips that were too primitive for larger transports. In November 1952, the U.S. Air Force began to phase C-54s out of the Korean airlift. The 61st had accounted for movement of over 67, 257 air evacuees, 615,195 passengers and 152,500 tons of cargo before returning to the United States on 18 November.

Combat Components

4th Troop Carrier Squadron: attached December 17, 1950-July 25, 1951.
14th Troop Carrier Squadron: -c. December 5 and March 26-c. November 15, 1952.
15th Troop Carrier Squadron: duration.
53rd Troop Carrier Squadron: duration except detached March 26-September 14, 1952.

Stations

McChord AFB, WA, - December 5, 1950; Ashiya AB, Japan, December 10, 1950; Tachikawa AB, Japan, March 26-November 1952.

Commanders

Col. Frank Norwood, -February 14, 1952; Lt. Col. Hal E. Ercanbrack, Jr., February 14, 1952-.

Campaign Streamers

CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea, Summer-Fall 1952.

Decorations

Distinguished Unit Citation for period December 13, 1950-April 21, 1951.
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period July 1, 1951-November 15, 1952.

314th Troop Carrier Group, Medium
Detached from its parent wing, the 314th TCG with its newly modified C-119 Flying Boxcars, moved from Sewart AFB, Tennesse to arrive at Ashiya AB, Japan in late August 1950. From September through November 1950, it dropped ammunition and rations to UN frontline troops as they engaged the North Korean forces. It airlifted the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team to Kimpo AB. On October 20, the 314th TCG furnished the bulk of the aircraft in the airborne phase of the UN assault north of Pyongyang. It received a Distinguished Unit Citation for actions from November 28 through December 10, 1950. During this period the Chinese Communist Army encircled regiments of the 1st U.S. Marine and USA 7th Infantry Divisions near the Changjin Reservoir. The 314th TCG airdropped urgently needed ammunition, gasoline and rations, as well as an eight-span M-2 treadway bridge, allowing the besieged UN forces to extricate themselves along with their equipment. The group maintained an almost constant shuttle to front line troops in Korea, delivering supplies, ammunition, and fuel and, at times, moving and air-dropping troops. It continued to transport personnel and supplies from Japan to Korea for the rest of the war and evacuated UN prisoners of war when they were freed.

Combat Components

37th Troop Carrier Squadron: attached August 21, 1950-May 8, 1952.
50th Troop Carrier Squadron: duration.
53rd Troop Carrier Squadron: attached April 14-c. June 1952.
61st Troop Carrier Squadron: duration.
62nd Troop Carrier Squadron: duration.

Stations

Ashiya AB, Japan, September 7, 1950-.

Commanders

Col. Richard W. Henderson, -August 27, 1951; Col. William H. DeLacey, August 27, 1951; Col. David E. Daniel, September 28, 1951; Lt. Col. Harold L. Sommers, May 1, 1952-.

Campaign Streamers

UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive 1951; Second Korean Winter; Korea, Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953.

Decorations

Distinguished Unit Citation for actions November 28-December 10, 1950.
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period July 1, 1951-July 27, 1953.

315th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium
The 315th TCW activated on June 10, 1952 at Brady AB, Japan, replacing the 437th TCW, which returned to Reserve status. Over the next year, the C-46-equipped 315th TCW transported between Japan and Korea almost 55,500,000 pounds of cargo, along with over 656,000 passengers, paratroopers, and medical evacuees. It also air-dropped gasoline bombs, ammunition, propaganda leaflets, spare engines, flares, rations, fresh vegetables, and other items. It moreover sprayed South Korean cities and installations to fight insect-borne diseases. In all, the 315th TCW flew over one million hours in combat support missions during the Korean War.

Combat Components

315th Troop Carrier Group: June 10, 1952-.

Stations

Brady AB, Japan, June 10, 1952-.

Commanders

Col. Kenneth W. Northammer, June 10, 1952; Col. Robert O. Good, July 26, 1953-.

Service Streamers

Korean Theater.

Decorations

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period [June 10, 1952]- July 27, 1953.

315th Troop Carrier Group, Medium
The 315th TCG inherited C-46 Commando aircraft from the 437th TCG. Following activation on June 10, 1952, it flew troop and cargo airlift and airdrop, leaflet drops, spray missions, air evacuation, search and rescue, and other aerial missions between Japan and Korea. It transported U.S. Army units during exercises in Japan in 1952 and 1953 and airlifted the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team and other XVI Corps units to Korea in a series of major combat support operations in June and July 1953. Beginning in March 1953, when C-119s in the theater were grounded by propeller malfunctions, the C-46s of the 315th TCG moved all personnel between Korea and southern Japan until the end of the war.

Combat Components

19th Troop Carrier Squadron: June 10, 1952-.
34th Troop Carrier Squadron: June 10, 1952-.
43rd Troop Carrier Squadron: June 10, 1952-.
344th Troop Carrier Squadron: June 10-December 14, 1952.

Stations

Brady AB, Japan, June 10, 1952-.

Commanders

Lt. Col. Jack L. Crawford, Jr., June 10, 1952; Lt. Col. Gene I. Martin, December 5, 1952-.

Campaign Streamers

Korea, Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953.

Decorations

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period [June 10, 1952]- July 27, 1953.

374th Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy
In June 1950, the 374th TCW was the only air transport wing assigned to Fifth Air Force. By early September 1950, it was attached to the 1st Troop Carrier Task Force (Provisional), then on September 10 to the FEAF Combat Cargo Command (Provisional). It was reassigned to the 315th Air Division (Combat Cargo) from January 1951 through the end of the war. The Wing's assigned and attached components flew a variety of aircraft, including C-54s, C-46s, C-47s, C-119s, and C-124s, performing combat airlift, airdrops, and aeromedical evacuation in Korea throughout the war.

Combat Components

1st Troop Carrier Group, Provisional: attached August 26, 1950-January 10, 1951.
374th Troop Carrier Group: duration.
21st Troop Carrier Squadron: attached June 29, 1951-March 28, 1952.
47th Troop Carrier Squadron, Provisional: attached January 10-26, 1951.
6142nd Air Transport Unit: attached August 1-October 1, 1950.
6143rd Air Transport Unit: attached July 26-October 1, 1950.
6144th Air Transport Unit: attached July 26-October 1, 1950.

Stations

Tachikawa AB, Japan, duration.

Commanders

Col. Troy W. Crawford, -September 1951; Col. Charles W. Howe, September 1951; Col. James W. Chapman, Jr., August 9, 1952-.

Campaign Streamers

UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea, Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953.

Decorations

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period July 1, 1951-July 27, 1953.

374th Troop Carrier Group, Heavy
When the Korean War began in June 1950, the 374th TCG controlled the 6th and 22nd Squadrons based in Japan and equipped with C-54s and the 21st Squadron based in the Philippines and equipped with C-47s and C-54s. Within twelve hours of the North Korean attack, the group began transporting cargo to Korea and evacuating personnel on return trips. The 374th TCG moved personnel, equipment, ammunitions, gasoline, rockets, rations, water, medical items, barbed wire, guns, and other materials from Japan to Suwon and Pusan , South Korea, to supply the U.S. Army. The 21st TCS moved to Japan on June 29 to come under control of FEAF Combat Cargo Command. Between mid-September and mid-December 1950, the group operated mostly from Ashiya AB, Japan, then from October 23 to November 12, it operated from bases in Korea, landing war essentials and other cargo at various small forward airstrips near UN fighting forces. A C-47-equipped squadron of the Royal Thailand Air Force operated with the 374th TCG during this period. After moving back to Tachikawa AB, Japan in mid-December, the group continued to airlift supplies and personnel in support of UN action in Korea. The 6th and 22nd TCSs transitioned from C-54s to C-124s in mid-1952. In Operation LITTLE SWITCH, the 374th transported the first group of repatriated prisoners of war from Korea to Japan in April 1953, and after the ceasefire in Operation BIG SWITCH it airlifted UN personnel who had been the enemy's prisoners.

Combat Components

4th Troop Carrier Squadron: attached December 2-17, 1950 and July 25-November 16, 1951.
6th Troop Carrier Squadron: duration.
14th Troop Carrier Squadron: attached November 16, 1951-March 26, 1952; and November 15-30, 1952.
21st Troop Carrier Squadron: duration except detached c. September 10, 1950-June 25, 1951 and June 29, 1951-November 30, 1952.
22nd Troop Carrier Squadron: duration.
344th Troop Carrier Squadron: attached December 14, 1952-.

Stations

Tachikawa AB, Japan, duration except deployed at Ashiya AB, Japan, c. September 15-December 17, 1950.

Commanders

Lt. Col. Benjamin M. Tarver, Jr., -July 22, 1950; Col. Herbert A. Bott, July 22, 1950; Col. Charles W. Howe, July 1951; Col. Edward H. Nigro, September 1951; Lt. Col. James F. Hogan, April 20, 1952; Col. Edward H. Nigro, August 26, 1952; Lt. Col. Frederick C. Johnson, November 11, 1952; Lt. Col. Harold P. Dixon, December 19, 1952; Lt. Col. Frederick C. Johnson, c. January 1953; Col. Francis W. Williams, April 24, 1953-.

Campaign Streamers

UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea, Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953.

Decorations

Distinguished Unit Citation for actions June 27-September 15, 1950.
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period July 1, 1951-July 27, 1953.

403rd Troop Carrier Wing, Medium
The personnel of the Reserve 403rd Troop Carrier Wing moved from Oregon to Japan in April 1952. At Ashiya AB, in addition to its 403rd TCG, the wing gained operational control of the 314th TCG with its three assigned squadrons as well as two separate squadrons. The 314th TCG flew C-119 Flying Boxcars, and the attached squadrons flew C/VC-47s and C-54s. The 403rd TRW supported the Far East Command and UN forces. It inactivated on January 1, 1953, returning to Reserve status.

Combat Components

314th Troop Carrier Group: attached April 14-December 31, 1952.
403rd Troop Carrier Group: -January 1, 1953.
21st Troop Carrier Squadron: attached April 14-c. September 12, 1952 and further attached to the 314th Troop Carrier Group, April 14-c. June 1952.
6461st Troop Carrier Squadron: attached December 1-31, 1952.

Stations

Ashiya AB, Japan, April 14, 1952-January 1, 1953.

Commanders

Col. Philip H. Best, April 14, 1952; Col. Maurice F. Casey, Jr., May 15, 1952-January 1, 1953.

Service Streamers

Korean Theater.

Decorations

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period [April 14, 1952]-[ January 1,] 1953.

403rd Troop Carrier Group, Medium
The 403rd TCG moved to Ashiya AB, Japan, in April 1952 without aircraft and for the next month trained to fly newly acquired C-119s. From then until the end of 1952, it dropped paratroops and supplies, transported personnel and equipment, and evacuated casualties in support of the Far East Command and UN forces. The group flew over 6,300 flights; dropped almost 10,000 personnel, over 18,000 tons of cargo, and 380 tons of supplies; and airlifted almost 14,000 medical patients. It returned to Reserve status on January 1, 1953.

Combat Components

63rd Troop Carrier Squadron: -January 1, 1953.
64th Troop Carrier Squadron: -January 1, 1953.
65th Troop Carrier Squadron: -January 1, 1953.

Stations

Ashiya AB, Japan, April 14, 1952-January 1, 1953.

Commanders

Lt. Col. Henry C. Althaus, -April 22, 1952; Maj. Wallace C. Forsythe, April 22, 1952; Lt. Col. Ernest W. Burton, August 1952-January 1, 1953.

Campaign Streamers

Korea, Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter.

Decorations

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period [April 14, 1952]-[ January 1,] 1953.

437th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium
The 437th TCW, the first Reserve wing called to active duty in the Korean War, moved from the United States to Japan in three echelons in late October and early November 1950. It absorbed most of the personnel and equipment of the provisional 1st TCG in January 1951. In addition to its combat support missions, the wing assumed responsibility for most scheduled courier flights in Japan and Korea. During seven months of Korean service, the 437th TCW carried almost 66,000 tons of cargo, 6,500 patients, and 240,000 passengers. Inactivated on June 10, 1952, it returned to Reserve status.

Combat Components

437th Troop Carrier Group: -June 10, 1952.

Stations

Brady Field, Japan, November 8, 1950-June 10, 1952.

Commanders

Brig.Gen. John P. Henebry, -January 26, 1951; Col. John W. Lacey, January 26, 1951; Col. John R. Roche, February 26, 1951; Col. Kenneth W. Northamer, May-June 10, 1952.

Campaign Streamers

CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea, Summer-Fall 1952.

Decorations

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period July 1, 1951-[June 10, 1952].

437th Troop Carrier Group, Medium
The 437th TCG's C-46 aircraft began arriving in Japan in early November1950. Almost immediately the group, in three intensive days, helped to deliver combat materiel to UN ground forces at Pyongyang while evacuating personnel and equipment from forward bases in North Korea. During December, the C-46s continued to deliver combat materiel to the frontline and evacuate ground forces from Sinanju, Pyongyang, and Yonpo, North Korea and from Seoul and Suwon, South Korea. In a five-day period in December, it airlifted almost 2,500 patients from Korea to Japan. When the UN forces regained the initiative in early 1951, the 437th TCG began flying airdrop missions to supply Eighth Army frontline troops. In March, it air-dropped the 187th Regimental Combat Team and two Ranger companies, along with over fifteen tons of ammunition, food, and signal equipment at Munsan-ni. From June to October 1951 and again in the spring of 1952, the 437th TCG flew insecticide spraying missions to hold down disease in South Korea.

Combat Components

83rd Troop Carrier Squadron: -June 10, 1952.
84th Troop Carrier Squadron: -June 10, 1952.
85th Troop Carrier Squadron: -June 10, 1952.
86th Troop Carrier Squadron: January 26, 1951-June 10, 1952.

Stations

Brady AB, Japan, November 8, 1950-June 10, 1952.

Commanders

Col. John R. Roche, -January 1951; Lt. Col. Edward H. Nigro, January 1951; Lt. Col. George W. Sutcliffe, March 5, 1951; Lt. Col. Jack L. Crawford, Jr., September 5, 1951-June 10, 1952.

Campaign Streamers

CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea, Summer-Fall 1952.

Decorations

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period July 1, 1951-[June 10, 1952].

483rd Troop Carrier Wing, Medium
Activated on January 1, 1953 to replace the 403rd TCW, 483rd TCW controlled the 314th TCG as well as its own 483rd TCG. It assumed responsibility for C-119 troop carrier and air transport operations in a large area of the Far East. Using virtually every pilot and aircraft of both groups, it moved approximately 4,000 paratroopers and their equipment from southern Japan to Korea in June-early July 1953.

Combat Components

314th Troop Carrier Group: attached January 1, 1953-.
483rd Troop Carrier Group: January 1, 1953-.
6461st Troop Carrier Squadron: January 1, 1953-.

Stations

Ashiya AB, Japan, January 1, 1953-.

Commanders

Col. Maurice F. Casey, Jr., January 1, 1953-.

Campaign Streamers

Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953.

Decorations

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for period May 6, 1953-September 10, 1954 partly for transporting supplies to UN forces in Korea to the end of the conflict.
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period [January 1,]- July 27, 1953.

483rd Troop Carrier Group, Medium
The 483rd TCG transported personnel and supplies by C-119 s from Japan to Korea. During the final months of the conflict, it alternated with the 314th TCG to airdrop supplies to a detachment of the 502nd Tactical Control Group, located on a five thousand-foot mountain near Chongmong-ni. In late June 1953, the 483rd TCG airlifted reinforcements and cargo to areas behind the western half of the UN line.

Combat Components

815th Troop Carrier Squadron: January 1, 1953-.
816th Troop Carrier Squadron: January 1, 1953-.
817th Troop Carrier Squadron: January 1, 1953-.

Stations

Ashiya AB, Japan, January 1, 1953-.

Commanders

Lt. Col. Ernest W. Burton, January 1, 1953; Col. George M. Foster, March 1, 1953-.

Campaign Streamers

Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953.

Decorations

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for period May 6, 1953-September 10, 1954, partly for transporting supplies to UN forces in Korea until the end of the conflict.
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for period [January 1]- July 27, 1953.