41st Airlift Squadron

41st Airlift Squadron
41st Airlift Squadron
	A squadron C-130J Super Hercules flies past Denali
Active	1942–1949; 1952–1971; 1971–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Airlift
Part of	Air Mobility Command
Garrison/HQ	Little Rock Air Force Base
Nickname(s)	Blackcats
Engagements	Southwest Pacific Theater; Operation Just Cause; Desert Storm; War on Terrorism
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation; Presidential Unit Citation; Air Force Meritorious Unit Award; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; Philippine Presidential Unit Citation; Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Alfred G. Hansen
Insignia
41st Airlift Squadron emblem (17 August 2007)

The 41st Airlift Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. It operates Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.^[1]

The 41st AS became Air Mobility Command's first active-duty C-130J combat unit during 2007.^[3]

History

World War II

The squadron was constituted as 41 Transport Squadron on 2 Feb 1942. Activated on 18 Feb 1942 at Duncan Field, Texas. Redesignated as: 41 Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 July 1942.^[2] The 41st participated in airborne drops on Nadzab, Noemfoor, Tagaytay, Corregidor, and Aparri, as well as aerial transportation in South, Southwest, and Western Pacific, during World War II.^[2]

While stationed at the Hollandia Airfield Complex, the squadron rebuilt a captured Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar fighter.^[4]

Occupation of Japan and Berlin Airlift

Redesignated 41 Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy, on 30 June 1948 and participated in the Berlin Airlift in 1948.^[2] The 41st was inactivated on 14 Sep 1949.^[2]

Airlift and operations from Okinawa

Redesignated as 41 Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium, on 3 July 1952 and activated on 14 July 1952. The squadron transported troops to join the United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) in the former Belgian Congo in 1960. In November 1965 the squadron was moved from Lockbourne AFB, Ohio, to Naha Air Base, in Okinawa, Japan. It was redesignated as the 41 Troop Carrier Squadron on 8 Dec 1965. It airlifted personnel and equipment to Southeast Asia from Ryukyu Islands from, 1965–1971. The 41 Troop Carrier Squadron was renamed 41 Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 August 1967. Airlifted personnel and equipment in and around Korea during the USS Pueblo (AGER-2) crisis in January 1968.^[2]

The squadron was inactivated in Okinawa on 28 February 1971.

European deployments and expeditionary operations

The squadron was reactivated on 31 August 1971 at Pope AFB, NC. It has supported U.S. Army training and performed rotational duty throughout Europe, since 1971. The 41st airlifted personnel, special forces and supplies during operations in Grenada in 1983, Panama from December 1989 – January 1990, and in Southwest Asia from, 11 August 1990 – 21 March 1991.^[2] Redesignated as the 41st Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1992.^[2]

Twenty-first century

The 'Blackcats' received their first C-130J on 13 March 2007, this marked the start of the squadron's replacement of their elderly C-130H Hercules transporters.^[5]

On 26 July 2019, the 41st Airlift Squadron was awarded the 2018 General Joseph Smith Trophy for being the most outstanding airlift squadron in Air Mobility Command for 2018. The squadron led the largest wing exercises in a decade, delivered the most prevalent overseas airdrop in five years, and had the Air Force's lowest C-130J mishap rate for eight years.^[6]

Lineage

Constituted as the 41st Transport Squadron on 2 February 1942

Activated on 18 February 1942

Redesignated 41st Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 July 1942

Redesignated 41st Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy on 30 June 1948

Inactivated on 14 September 1949

Redesignated 41st Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 3 July 1952

Activated on 14 July 1952

Redesignated 41st Troop Carrier Squadron on 8 December 1965

Redesignated 41st Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 August 1967

Inactivated on 28 February 1971

Activated on 31 August 1971

Redesignated 41st Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1992^[2]

Assignments

San Antonio Air Depot, 18 February 1942
317th Transport Group (later 317th Troop Carrier Group), 22 February 1942 – 14 September 1949
317th Troop Carrier Group, 14 July 1952
317th Troop Carrier Wing, 12 March 1957
322d Air Division, 25 September 1958
317th Troop Carrier Wing, 15 April 1963 (attached to Detachment 1, 322d Air Division 6 September–21 December 1964)
315th Air Division, 21 November 1965 (attached to 6315 Operations Group)
374th Tactical Airlift Wing, 8 August 1966 – 28 February 1971
317th Tactical Airlift Wing, 31 August 1971

Attached to 513th Tactical Airlift Wing, 6 November 1971 – 12 January 1972, 11 March–16 May 1974, 11 November 1974 – 15 January 1975

Attached to 322d Tactical Airlift Wing, 4 June–16 August 1972, 5 February–14 April 1973, 9 August–15 October 1973

Attached to 435th Tactical Airlift Wing, 4 October–15 December 1975, 13 July–10 September 1976, 5 March–25 April 1977, 2 May–22 July 1978

Attached to 313th Tactical Airlift Wing, 5 December 1979 – 12 February 1980, 3 April–14 June 1981, 3 August–14 October 1982, 4 December 1983 – 15 February 1984, 10 February–10 April 1985, 25 May–13 August 1986, 1 August–14 October 1987, 3 December 1989 – 15 February 1992

Attached to Airlift Division, Provisional, 1610th, 1 November 1990; Tactical Airlift Wing, Provisional, 1660th, 17 December 1990; Tactical Airlift Group, Provisional, 1675th, 15 January–21 March 1991

317th Operations Group, 1 January 1992
23d Operations Group, 16 July 1993
43d Operations Group, 1 April 1997
463d Airlift Group, 5 April 2007
19th Operations Group, 1 October 2008 – present^[2]

Stations

Duncan Field, Texas, 18 February 1942
Bowman Field, Kentucky, 20 June 1942
Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base, North Carolina, 3–12 December 1942
Garbutt Field, Australia, 23 January 1943
Port Moresby Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 5 October 1953
Finschhafen Airfield, New Guinea, 24 April 1944
Hollandia Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 13 May 1944
Leyte, Philippines, 17 November 1944
Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, 6 March 1945
Okinawa, August 1945
Kimpo Air Base, South Korea, October 1945
Seoul Air Base, South Korea, 7 January 1946
Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, 19 January 1946
Nagoya Air Base, Japan, 30 April 1947
Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, September 1947– 22 September 1948
Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany, 30 September 1948
RAF Celle, Germany, 19 December 1948 – 14 September 1949
Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, 14 July 1952
Neubiberg Air Base, Germany, 21 March 1953
Évreux-Fauville Air Base, France, 15 March 1957 – 20 June 1964
Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, 20 June 1964 – 21 November 1965 (deployed to Évreux-Fauville Air Base, France 6 September-21 December 1964)
Naha Air Base, Okinawa, 21 November 1965 – 28 February 1971
Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, 31 August 1971

Deployed to RAF Mildenhall, England, 6 November 1971 – 12 January 1972, 11 March-16 May 1974, 11 November 1974 – 15 January 1975, 13 July-10 September 1976, 5 March-25 April 1977, 2 May-22 July 1978, 5 December 1979 – 12 February 1980, 3 April-14 June 1981, 3 August-14 October 1982, 4 December 1983 – 15 February 1984, 10 February-10 April 1985, 25 May-13 August 1986, 1 August-14 October 1987, 3 December 1989 – 15 February 1990, 2 December 1991 – 15 February 1992

Deployed to Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, 4 June-16 August 1972, 5 February-14 April 1973, 9 August-15 October 1973, 4 October-15 December 1975

Deployed to RAF Sculthorpe, England, 2 October-15 December 1988

Deployed to Thumrait Air Base, Oman, 11 August 1990 – 12 January 1991

Deployed to King Fahd Air Base, Saudi Arabia, 13 January-21 March 1991

Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, 5 April 2007 – present^[2]

Aircraft

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1942–1946)
Curtiss C-46 Commando (1946–1948)
Douglas C-54 Skymaster (1948–1949)
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (1952–1958)
Lockheed C-130 Hercules (1957–1971, 1971–2007)^[2]
Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules (2007–present)

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b No byline (9 April 2007). "New combat squadron stands up at Little Rock". 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Dollman, TSG David (18 October 2016). "Factsheet 41 Airlift Squadron (USAFE)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
^ "USAF gets active-duty C-130J". Retrieved 17 March 2020.
^ Pluth, Dave. "The Captured Oscars of Hollandia". j-aircraft.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
^ "AMC's first C-130J delivered to LRAFB". Retrieved 17 March 2020.
^ "41st AS: Most outstanding Airlift Squadron in AMC". Retrieved 1 March 2020.

Bibliography

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.

[NewSquadron-1] No byline (9 April 2007). "New combat squadron stands up at Little Rock". 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2018.

[41ASfacts-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Dollman, TSG David (18 October 2016). "Factsheet 41 Airlift Squadron (USAFE)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 6 January 2018.

[3] "USAF gets active-duty C-130J". Retrieved 17 March 2020.

[4] Pluth, Dave. "The Captured Oscars of Hollandia". j-aircraft.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.

[5] "AMC's first C-130J delivered to LRAFB". Retrieved 17 March 2020.

[6] "41st AS: Most outstanding Airlift Squadron in AMC". Retrieved 1 March 2020.

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