513th Air Control Group

513th Air Control Group

Emblem of the 513th Air Control Group
Active 1944–Current (numerous brief periods of inactivation)
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Commanders
Current
commander
Col. Jeffrey McGalliard

The 513th Air Control Group (513 ACG) is United States Air Force Reserve unit assigned to Tinker AFB, Oklahoma.

It's World War II predecessor, the 3d Combat Cargo Group was a United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It served primarily in the China Burma India Theater and Pacific Ocean Theater of World War II. In 1948, the group was redesignated as the 513th Troop Carrier Group.

Contents

Overview

In March 1996, the Air Force activated the 513th Air Control Group, an AWACS Reserve Associate Program unit, which performs duties on active-duty aircraft. It comes under the operational command of the 552d Air Control Wing.

The 513 ACG's mission is to provide theater and Air Force commanders with trained aircrews and maintenance personnel and systems for airborne surveillance, warning and control of U.S. and allied military aviation assets.

The 513th's subordinate units include the 970th Airborne Air Control Squadron (AACS), which includes the 513th Operations Support Flight (OSF), the 513th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS), and the 513th Maintenance Squadron (MXS).

History

Lineage

Activated on 5 June 1944
Redesignated 513th Troop Carrier Group on 19 September 1945
Inactivated on 15 April 1946
Inactivated on 16 October 1949
Activated on 8 November 1955
Inactivated on 8 October 1957
Activated on 8 October 1957
Redesignated 513th Troop Carrier Wing, Assault on 1 July 1958
Inactivated on 1 December 1958
Organized on 15 April 1966
Redesignated: 513th Tactical Airlift Wing on 1 July 1967
Redesignated: 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing on 18 June 1987
Inactivated on 1 February 1992
Activated in the Reserve on 15 March 1996.

Assignments

  • Army Air Forces, India-Burma Sector, China-Burma-India Theater, 5 June 1944
Attached to: Third Tactical Air Force, 5 June 1944-unkn
Attached to: Tenth Air Force, c. 20 August-21 September 1944
Attached to: Air Cargo Headquarters, Tenth Air Force, 1 November 1944 – 30 April 1945
Attached to: North Burma Air Task Force, Tenth Air Force, 1 May – 11 June 1945
  • Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, 12 June 1945
Attached to: India-China Division, Air Transport Command, 12 June 1945–
Remained attached to India-China Division, Air Transport Command
  • Unknown (probably Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater), 1 August-c. 1 November 1945
Remained attached to India-China Division, Air Transport Command, to 1 November 1945
  • Tenth Air Force, c. 1 November 1945
  • Army Air Forces, China Theater, c. 12 November 1945 – 15 April 1946
  • 1 Airlift Task Force, 19 November 1948
Attached to: 61st Troop Carrier Wing, 19–25 November 1948
Attached to: Airlift Wing [Provisional], 26 November 1948 – 19 January 1949
Attached to: 7497 Airlift Wing, 20 January – 9 July 1949
Attached to: 61st Troop Carrier Wing, 10 July 1949–
Remained attached to 61st Troop Carrier Wing to 16 October 1949
Attached to 314th Troop Carrier Wing, 8 November 1955–
Remained attached to 314th Troop Carrier Wing to 8 October 1957
Attached to 322d Air Division, 15 April 1966–
Remained under 322d Air Division
Remained under 322d Air Division
  • Third Air Force, 1 November 1968 – 1 February 1992
Remained under 322d Air Division to 24 December 1968

Components

Aircraft flown

Stations

Operational history

Constituted and activated in India in 1944. Supported ground forces during the battle for northern Burma and the subsequent Allied drive southward. Flew Allied troops and materiel to the front, transporting gasoline, oil, vehicles, engineering and signal equipment, and other items that the group either landed or dropped in Burma. Also evacuated wounded personnel to India. Moved to Burma in June 1945. After the liberation of Burma, the group hauled critical supplies such as gasoline to China. From late 1945, it continued airlift missions as needed in China until April 1946 when inactivated.

Redesignated 513th Troop Carrier Group (Special). Activated in Germany on 19 November 1948. Assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe. Using C-54's, transported food, coal, and other supplies during the Berlin airlift, Operation Vittles. Inactivated in Germany in October 1949.

Activated in the US on 8 November 1955. Assigned to Tactical Air Command and equipped with C-123 aircraft. From November 1955 to November 1958, participated in numerous tactical exercises and operations, including troop drops and airlift in support of construction of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line stations in the American Arctic.

From April 1966 to January 1976, provided intra-theater airlift in support of US Air Forces in Europe, European Command, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization operations and exercises, using C-130s and crews rotating to Europe from Tactical Air Command and Military Airlift Command wings based in the United States and C-124s and crews from Air Force Reserve groups. Maintained and operated EC-135s as an airborne command post and acted as host organization for American units at RAF Mildenhall to February 1992. In addition, the group collected samples from the atmosphere for the purpose of detecting and identifying nuclear explosions.

Beginning March 1996, trained to fulfill an air control mission through the use of airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft. Took part in worldwide contingency operations and counter-drug missions.

See also

United States Air Force portal
Military of the United States portal

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  • Martin, John G. Through Hell's Gate to Shanghai: History of the 10th Combat Cargo Squadron, 3rd Combat Cargo Group, CBI Theater, 1944–1946. Athens, Ohio: Lawhead Press, 1983.
  • 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.

External links