708th Airlift Squadron

World War II The 308th Troop Carrier Squadron was activated at Baer Field, Indiana as an Operational Training Unit (OTU) in March 1943 and equipped with Douglas C-47 Skytrains and Douglas C-53 Skytroopers. It served in this role until July 1943. The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to "satellite groups". The OTU program was patterned after the unit training system of the Royal Air Force. It then assumed responsibility for their training and oversaw their expansion with graduates of Army Air Forces Training Command schools to become effective combat units. Phase I training concentrated on individual training in crewmember specialties. Phase II training emphasized the coordination for the crew to act as a team. The final phase concentrated on operation as a unit. However, most units had been activated. Training “fillers” for existing units became more important than unit training. The 308th then served as a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for glider crews until April 1944. RTUs were oversized units to train individual pilots or aircrews. However, the United States Army Air Forces found that standard military units lke the 308th, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. Accordingly, the 308th was disbanded and its mission, personnel, and equipment were absorbed by the 805th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Troop Carrier). Reserve associate operations The 708th Military Airlift Squadron was activated at Travis Air Force Base, California in 1972 as an Air Force Reserve associate squadron. The squadron did not have aircraft assigned, but flew Lockheed C-141 Starlifter aircraft assigned to the regular United States Air Force 60th Military Airlift Wing (later 60th Airlift Wing). The squadron was inactivated in 1996 as part of phaseout of C-141s. ==Lineage==