World War II Activated in late 1942 under
I Troop Carrier Command as a
Douglas C-47 Skytrain troop carrier squadron. Deployed to the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), being assigned to
Seventh Air Force in New Guinea. The ground echelon left
Baer Field on 17 June 1943 and arrived at the
Port Moresby Airfield Complex on 31 July. The 57th moved on 2 August 1943 to the
Dobodura Airfield Complex, New Guinea and two days later flew the first mission to
Salamaua. Soon after arriving in New Guinea the squadron received the name "Biscuit Bomber" (The name Biscuit Bomber comes from the dropping of food and ammunition to forward locations during WWII). Transported troops, supplies, and equipment to forward bases on New Guinea,
New Britain, the
Solomon Islands, and the
Admiralty Islands. On 2 September, nine of the 57th's planes dropped 90,000 pounds of ammunition, food and equipment to allied troops in the area. Until 23 December 1943, the unit made flights to several locations in New Guinea, as well as Port Moresby and Australia. After 16 October, the air echelon operated from Port Moresby, with the rest of the squadron moving there on 20 December 1943. Flew armed
Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress's from February to May 1944 for the more hazardous missions that involved landing on fields that were under enemy attack. Took part in the first airborne operation in the Southwest Pacific, seizing enemy bases and cutting supply lines at
Nadzab, New Guinea, on 5 September 1943. They made the first trip to
Morotai Island on 5 October, carrying supplies forward and returning with litter patients Moved to the Philippines in February 1945, and during the next few months most of its missions were supply flights to ground forces on Luzon and neighboring islands. An additional mission took them to
Leyte, Philippine Islands on 31 October to haul supplies to the beachhead and return wounded to hospitals. In January 1945 the unit began the transition to
Curtiss C-46 Commando aircraft. It also moved to
McGuire Field, Philippines, on 18 February; then to
Porac Airfield,
Luzon on 19 May. C-46s flew from
Clark Field, 15 miles from the squadron's camp. Transported cargo to forces in the
Ryukyus, June–July 1945. After the war, the 57th was used to help transport the
11th Airborne Division to
Okinawa. Also ferried liberated prisoners from Okinawa to Luzon. Moved to
Tachikawa Air Base near Tokyo Japan in September 1945, flying supply missions and courier flights. Operations continued in Japan until 21 January 1946, when the last of the personnel and equipment transferred to other organizations. The 57th Troop Carrier Squadron inactivated on 25 March 1946.
Reserve operations and Korean War mobilization Trained in the Reserve from August 1947 at
Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Pennsylvania, as part of the
375th Troop Carrier Group. The reservists trained in the C-46 Commando operations until the unit was called to active duty on 15 October 1950, due to the
Korean War. After a period of intensive training, the group supplied airlift for troop movements throughout the United States. Immediately, the unit moved to Greenville Air Force Base (later
Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina, and began flying
Fairchild C-82 Packet aircraft on operational troop carrier missions in November 1950. Between 20 February and 11 April 1952, the unit operated on temporary duty from
Brownwood Regional Airport, Texas, in support of Army maneuvers. On 14 July 1952, the 57th inactivated at Donaldson and activated the same day in the reserve at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the personnel and equipment of the
459th Troop Carrier Squadron, which was inactivated at Pittsburgh. The squadron did little training and inactivated on 1 April 1954.
Airlift Training Background When
Military Air Transport Service (MATS) was formed in June 1948, its main transport training base was located at
Great Falls Air Force Base, Montana, a former
Air Transport Command base. On 1 June, it organized the 7th Air Transport Squadron there. On 1 October 1948, MATS changed the designations of its table of distribution units to meet Air Force requirements that they be numbered with four digits, and the training squadron became the 1272d Transition Training Unit, then the 1272d Air Transport Squadron (Medium Transition Training Unit) as it focused on training crews on
Douglas C-54 Skymasters. The unit was again renumbered in 1949 as the 1741st Air Transport Squadron (Medium Transition Training Unit). The 1741st remained MATS' training unit for medium airlift
aircrew under the
1701st Air Transport Wing until moving to
Palm Beach Air Force Base, Florida in April 1953, where it was reassigned to the
1707th Air Transport Wing. It moved to
Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma with the 1707th Wing in March 1959, where it earned an
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 1961. In 1965 MATS decided to convert its Major Command controlled (MAJCON or "four digit") units to Air Force controlled (AFCON) units, which could continue their histories, but was unwilling to let the honors and histories of its MAJCON units die when they were discontinued. Accordingly, when the 1741st was discontinued and replaced by the 57th in January 1966, its history and honors (but not its lineage) were bestowed on the 57th to recognize that the change in numbers was only to implement the MAJCON to AFCON conversion.
Crew training unit The 57th was redesignated the
57th Military Airlift Squadron and replaced the 1741st on 8 January 1966 as a
Lockheed C-141 Starlifter training squadron. The 57th trained pilots, navigators, flight engineers and loadmaster) to fly the C-141 turbo-jet transport. They frequently carried cargo and passengers to destinations within the United States on the training flights. The unit also transported cargo and passengers overseas to Japan, West Germany,
Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Alaska, usually on weekend missions. In later years, additional destinations included Egypt, South Korea, Italy, the Philippines, Spain and Africa. On 21 April 1969, the squadron relocated to
Altus Air Force Base Oklahoma. From there, the squadron took part in numerous humanitarian and operational missions. The squadron regularly flew to
Southeast Asia in support of U.S. forces there. Crews and aircraft flew in the Israeli airlift, October–November 1973. In 1975, the 57th flew its first mission to
South America. Occasionally the 57th supported the U.S. Army with airdrop missions of paratroopers and supplies. In December 1979, the unit received the Air Force's first C-141B, and it was given the name "the City of Altus." In addition to the stretched fuselage, the aircraft was modified for
air refueling capabilities. The squadron also supported the Commander in Chief, Military Airlift Command and his staff in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Airlift missions to
Beirut, Lebanon began in August 1983, in support of peacekeeping forces there. During
Desert Shield,
Desert Storm, 32 aircrews from the squadron flew more than 4,300 hours on 640 sorties. Additionally, the squadron flew more than 200 sorties and transported more than 3,100 tons of food and supplies in support of the Somalia relief efforts during
Operation Restore Hope. On 1 July 1993, the squadron came under the
Air Education and Training Command, which assumed the crew training mission from the operational commands. The squadron was the sole source for initial qualifications and advanced training in C-141 strategic airlift aircraft. It was selectively manned to train C-141 aircrew members in airland, aerial delivery and
air refueling. The 57th flew approximately 2,000 sorties and 8,500 hours annually to provide specialized flight training to over 900 students. In addition, the squadron maintained worldwide qualification and participates in most national, USTRANSCOM directed airlift operations until 2001. The squadron was drawn down beginning on 28 July 2001 as initial qualification and upgrade training on the C-141 was transferred to
Air Force Reserve Command, and was inactivated on 30 September 2001 ==Lineage==