942d Military Airlift Group

The 942d Military Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 452d Military Airlift Wing, based at Norton AFB, California. It was inactivated on 1 January 1972.

History

Following the mobilizations in 1961 and 1962 for the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Continental Air Command (ConAC) realized that it was unwieldy to mobilize an entire wing unless absolutely necessary. Their original Table of Organization for each Wing was a wing headquarters, a troop carrier group, an Air Base Group, a maintenance and supply group, and a medical group. In 1957, the troop carrier group and maintenance and supply groups were inactivated, with their squadrons reassigned directly to the wing headquarters - despite the fact that many wings had squadrons spread out over several bases due to the Detached Squadron Concept dispersing Reserve units over centers of population.

To resolve this, in late 1962 and early 1963, ConAC reorganized the structure of its reserve Troop Carrier Wings by establishing fully deployable Troop Carrier Groups and inserting them into the chain of command between the Wing and its squadrons at every base that held a ConAC troop carrier squadron. At each base, the group was composed of a material squadron, a troop carrier squadron, a tactical hospital or dispensary, and a combat support squadron. Each troop carrier wing consisted of 3 or 4 of these groups. By doing so, ConAC could facilitate the mobilization of either aircraft and aircrews alone, aircraft and minimum support personnel (one troop carrier group), or the entire troop carrier wing. This also gave ConAC the flexibility to expand each Wing by attaching additional squadrons, if necessary from other Reserve wings to the deployable groups for deployments.

As a result, the 942d Troop Carrier Group was established with a mission to organize, recruit and train Air Force Reserve personnel in the tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials by airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped with C-119 Flying Boxcars for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.

The 942dd TCG was one of four C-119 groups assigned to the 452d TCW in 1963, the others being the 943d Troop Carrier Group at March AFB, California; the 944th Troop Carrier Group, also at March AFB, and the 945th Troop Carrier Group at Hill AFB, Utah.

The group flew overseas missions, particularly to the Far East and Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1971, the group began phasing out the C-124 and was inactivated on 1 January 1972. The group's 738th MAS was moved to McChord AFB, Washington, and re-equipped with C-141 Starlifters.

Lineage

• Established as the 942d Troop Carrier Group, Medium and activated on 28 December 1962 (not organized)

Organized in the Reserve on 17 January 1963

Redesignated 942d Air Transport Group, Heavy on 1 December 1965

Redesignated 942d Military Airlift Group on 1 January 1966

Inactivated on 1 January 1972

Assignments

• Continental Air Command, 28 December 1962
• 452d Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift) Wing, 17 January 1963 – 1 January 1972

Components

• 728th Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift) Squadron, 17 January 1963 – 1 January 1972

Stations

• March AFB, California, 17 January 1963 – 25 March 1968
• Norton AFB, California, 25 March 1968 – 1 January 1972

Aircraft

• C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1963–1965
• C-124 Globemaster II, 1965–1971

References

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

• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
• Cantwell, Gerald (1987), Citizen Airmen, A History of the Air Force Reserve, 1946-1994. Washington, D.C.: Air Force History and Museums Program: GPO, 1997 ISBN 0-16049-269-6
• AFHRA search 942d Military Airlift Group