319th Special Operations Squadron
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[edit] Unit History
The 319th Special Operations Squadron was first formed on August 9, 1944 as the 319th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando) and served in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II. It provided airlift support and flew aerial resupply missions in support of various commando units such as Merrill's Marauders and the Chindits and conducted airborne drops and glider operations for Allied troops in Burma, central China, and French Indochina in the last year of World War II. Over the next quarter century it was deactivated, reactivated, and redesignated on a number of occasions until it was inactivated (as the 319th Special Operations Squadron)on January 15, 1972 as part of the post-Vietnam War demobilization.
[edit] Current Status
Finally on October 1, 2005 it was reactivated again as part of an overall enlargement of the United States Special Operations Command. Its mission is to provide intra-theater support for special operations forces and it is currently equipped with the U-28A, a modified version of the Pilatus PC-12. The U-28A was selected for its versatile performance and ability to operate from short and unimproved runway surfaces.
