Reserve training and Korean War callup The squadron was activated in the reserves at
Memphis Municipal Airport, Tennessee in June 1949 when
Continental Air Command implemented the
wing base organization, in which combat groups and all supporting units on a base were assigned to a single
wing, for its
reserve units. At Memphis, it was assigned to the
516th Troop Carrier Group, which absorbed most of the reservists from the inactivating
95th Bombardment Group. The squadron trained under the supervision of the 2584th Air Force Reserve Training Center until April 1951. The 346th was called to active duty that month, and, along with other reserve troop carrier organizations mobilized for
Tactical Air Command during the
Korean War, formed the new
Eighteenth Air Force. It participated in tactical
exercises and worldwide
airlift. The exercises included a cold weather exercise (Snowfall) and a desert exercise (Longhorn). It converted from
Curtiss C-46 Commando to
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar aircraft in 1952. The 346th was inactivated and replaced by the
773d Troop Carrier Squadron in January 1953.
Helicopter assault operations The squadron was reactivated in 1955 and assigned to the 516th Troop Carrier Group at
Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee as the
346th Troop Carrier Squadron, Assault, Rotary Wing in part to test the
United States Air Force's ability to provide helicopter airlift to the
Army. The 346th was initially equipped with
Sikorsky H-19 helicopters, but soon replaced them with
Piasecki H-21s. Its operations included participation in Operation Backlash II, which was a survey mission to fix the location of radar sites and support the construction of the
Mid-Canada Line. The group also tested the evacuation of key high ranking personnel from
Washington DC in the event of a nuclear attack.
C-123 operations Three months later, the squadron was reactivated at Sewart as a
Fairchild C-123 Provider unit. The squadron trained to airlift troops, equipment and supplies into combat zones, to resupply forces, and evacuate casualties. In 1958, the squadron and most of the C-123s at Sewart were transferred to
Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina and the squadron's parent
513th Troop Carrier Wing was inactivated. While at Pope the squadron was attached to the
464th Troop Carrier Wing. The C-123 was programmed to be removed from service in 1961, but events overtook this decision. On 22 November 1961 the United States offered to provide increased airlift support to the government of the Republic of Viet Nam (South Vietnam). By January 1962, sixteen of the squadron's aircraft had deployed to the Pacific area. Initially, four aircraft were stationed "in country" at
Tan Son Nhut Airport outside
Saigon. Four more were at
Clark Air Base in the Philippines while the remaining aircraft were en route to Clark, where they would be able to rotate "in country." Among their duties, the instructor pilots of the 346th checked out pilots of
Air America, which was beginning to operate C-123s as well. The Ranch Hand aircraft were later transferred to Detachment 1,
315th Troop Carrier Group, Commando. The remaining deployed aircraft flew as
Operation Mule Train, which was intended to provide the
Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN) with an assault capability with either airdrop or insertion. However, once in place, the unit also filled the need for logistic support to remote sites throughout the country. Mule Train crews often had to operate independently with little air traffic control under marginal weather conditions, flying in and out of small fields located in mountainous areas. In June the squadron was augmented by the
777th Troop Carrier Squadron. The Air Force placed great confidence in young Mule Train aircraft commanders, many of them first lieutenants. They were given authority to conduct operations with little oversight. Two Mule Train aircraft were maintained at
Da Nang Air Base (at first referred to by its French name of Tourane Airport) to support northern outposts where it became a
Lockheed C-130 Hercules squadron. Its aircraft at Pope were transferred to the newly activated 309th Troop Carrier Squadron, Commando, which moved to Viet Nam three months later. At Dyess, the squadron performed tactical airlift worldwide, deploying to the Far East, Europe and the
Panama Canal Zone. The squadron participated in a constant stream of exercises and operations.
Vietnam The 346th had just started a 3-month rotation to Mildenhall RAF in support of NATO when the Tet Offensive occurred in South Vietnam. By the end of February, decisions had been made to increase U.S. forces in South Vietnam in response to the Offensive. On about 5 March 1968, the squadron was informed that the rotation at Mildenhall was being terminated and that the squadron was being moved to
Clark Air Base in the Philippines. From there they would commence combat operations within South Vietnam. The move to Clark was accomplished quickly. The squadron returned to Dyess AFB in late May into June 1968. Reportedly, there was an administrative desire to minimize the U.S. troop count in South Vietnam. The
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) C-130 wings were headquartered at
Clark Air Base,
Ching Chuan Kang Air Base (CCK) in Taiwan,
Naha Air Base on Okinawa, and
Tachikawa Air Base near Tokyo. When C-130 crews were in South Vietnam, they were on temporary duty (TDY) and thus were not formally assigned there. The arrangement was to spend two or three weeks in-country and then about a week out, then repeat the cycle. They were "shuttled" in and out of the country, not adding to the in-country troop count. The 346th then rotated again from Dyess AFB to Tachikawa AB in December 1968 through January 1969 and operated in South Vietnam. In late January, that rotation was cut short so that the squadron could prepare for a unit move from Dyess AFB to CCK AB for extended operations in South Vietnam. The squadron was thus transferred out of
Tactical Air Command (TAC) and into Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The squadron move to CCK occurred in May 1969. Generally, the aircrew work-rest cycle for deployed C-130 crews in 1968 through 1970 was 12 hours on and 14 hours off for five cycles. The crew reported for duty in the evening, worked 12 hours, rested 14 hours, then reported for duty two hours later than the previous evening. By the 5th cycle, the crew had delayed its report time 10 hours and was now reporting in the morning. The crew worked 12 hours that day, ate, slept for 12 hours, and then reported for work again that evening. At the end of that night, the crew had been awake for 24 hours. As a result of this work-rest schedule the crews were never properly rested
Inactivation The 346th was inactivated in 1971 when the 314th wing returned to the US. The squadron's mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the
21st Tactical Airlift Squadron, which moved on paper to CCK from
Naha Air Base, Okinawa. ==Lineage==