1600th Air Transport Group

The 1600th Air Transport Group was a United States Air Force military transport unit assigned to the Atlantic Division of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). Based at Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts, it operated strategic airlift routes linking the United States with Europe during the early Cold War. The group was initially designated the 520th Air Transport Group and was organized on 1 June 1948, when MATS replaced the Air Transport Command. It inherited personnel and equipment associated with the 1st Air Transport Group (Provisional), including Douglas C-54 Skymaster transports, and served as the operational element of the 520th Air Transport Wing, later redesignated the 1600th Air Transport Wing. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the group became one of the Atlantic Division's principal providers of long-distance military airlift. Its responsibilities included transporting personnel, cargo, and passengers across the Atlantic. The unit operated several types of large transport aircraft as its fleet evolved, including the Douglas C-54 Skymaster, Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, and Douglas C-124 Globemaster II. Naval aircraft also supported passenger operations, with Navy Douglas R6D-1 Liftmasters associated with the group's transport activity. The group additionally supported VIP movement for Atlantic Division headquarters at Westover. Its organization changed as MATS modernized its force structure. In 1948, the 16th Air Transport Squadron was reassigned directly to the Atlantic Division; it later moved to the Continental Division and became an antecedent of the 89th Airlift Wing. In July 1952, MATS replaced a number of command-controlled, four-digit air transport squadrons with United States Air Force-controlled transport and ferry squadrons. Several squadrons associated with the 1600th were redesignated or reorganized during this transition, with heavy transport units increasingly operating the C-124 Globemaster II. From July 1953, the group was placed under the direct control of the Atlantic Division after the associated wing was reduced primarily to support functions. This arrangement reflected wider plans to transfer Westover Air Force Base from MATS to Strategic Air Command. The 1600th Air Transport Group was ultimately discontinued during the 1955 relocation of Atlantic Division headquarters and airlift operations to McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, while Strategic Air Command assumed control of Westover. The reference material gives 19 June 1955 in its narrative and 25 June 1955 in the lineage record for the end of the unit; this discrepancy remains unresolved here.

The 1600th Air Transport Group emerged from the reorganization of United States military air transport in 1948. Before its creation, the 1st Air Transport Group (Provisional) had operated at Westover as the operational component of the 2d Air Transport Wing (Provisional) under the experimental wing-base structure associated with the Hobson Plan. When the Military Air Transport Service replaced the Air Transport Command, the personnel and equipment of that provisional organization were used to establish the 520th Air Transport Group. The new group was organized at Westover Air Force Base on 1 June 1948 and initially operated under the 520th Air Transport Wing. On 1 October of the same year, it received the designation 1600th Air Transport Group, corresponding to the later redesignation of its parent wing as the 1600th Air Transport Wing. Its early equipment included Douglas C-54 Skymasters, which supported the group's core long-range transport mission. The group became a major Atlantic Division airlift organization during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its regular mission connected the United States and Europe and covered the movement of personnel, cargo, passengers, and senior officials. The aircraft assigned to or associated with the organization changed over time. Boeing C-97 Stratofreighters supplemented the fleet in the early 1950s, while Douglas C-124 Globemaster II heavy transports became increasingly important from 1952. Navy Squadron VR-6 operated Douglas R6D-1 Liftmasters in support of passenger transportation, and the group also provided VIP transport for Atlantic Division headquarters. The unit's subordinate structure changed repeatedly. The 16th Air Transport Squadron was under the group for only a short period in 1948 before being assigned directly to the Atlantic Division. It later transferred to the Continental Division, moved to Gravelly Point, Virginia, and became an antecedent of the 89th Airlift Wing. Other C-54 squadrons were redesignated as numbered transport squadrons in 1949 and 1950. A medium transport squadron equipped with the Boeing C-97 joined the organization in 1951. A major organizational change occurred in July 1952, when MATS replaced many of its four-digit, command-controlled table-of-distribution air transport squadrons with table-of-organization units controlled by United States Air Force headquarters. These successor units assumed the missions, equipment, and personnel of the squadrons they replaced. Within the 1600th's structure, several squadrons were redesignated as heavy or medium transport units, and C-124 operations expanded. The organization therefore combined inherited wartime lineage arrangements with the peacetime transport structure developed by MATS. In July 1953, the 1600th Air Transport Group moved from wing-level control to direct assignment to the Atlantic Division. The change occurred as the 1600th Air Transport Wing was reduced to a support-oriented organization and as the Air Force prepared to transfer Westover from MATS to Strategic Air Command. The group continued operating from Westover while Atlantic Division airlift functions were being reorganized. The 1600th Air Transport Group was discontinued in June 1955 when Atlantic Division headquarters and its airlift operations moved to McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, and Strategic Air Command assumed control of Westover. The source material records 19 June 1955 in the article's narrative but 25 June 1955 in the lineage section. Because both dates appear in the supplied reference, the exact discontinuation date should be verified against official Air Force records.

• 1955

  Discontinued

  [1]1600th Air Transport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was discontinued during the relocation of Atlantic Division headquarters and airlift operations to McGuire Air Force Base. The supplied source gives both 19 June and 25 June as possible end dates.

• 1953

  Transferred to direct Atlantic Division control

  [1]1600th Air Transport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group came under the direct control of the Atlantic Division as its parent wing was reduced to support functions in preparation for the planned transfer of Westover to Strategic Air Command.

• 1952

  MATS reorganized transport squadrons

  [1]1600th Air Transport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  MATS replaced many four-digit command-controlled transport squadrons with Air Force-controlled units, leading to multiple redesignations and changes in the group's subordinate structure.

• 1948

  Established as the 520th Air Transport Group

  [1]1600th Air Transport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The unit was designated on 14 May and organized at Westover Air Force Base on 1 June as part of the transition from Air Transport Command to Military Air Transport Service.

• 1948

  Redesignated as the 1600th Air Transport Group

  [1]1600th Air Transport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  On 1 October, the 520th designation was replaced by the 1600th designation as part of the corresponding wing reorganization.

A Cold War-era United States military airlift organization focused on strategic transportation between North America and Europe.

• Military transportation · 1948

  Strategic airlift

  The group's principal function was long-distance military airlift between the United States and Europe. Operations moved service members, cargo, and passengers across the Atlantic in support of United States military requirements during the early Cold War.

• Military transportation · 1952

  Heavy transport operations

  From 1952, the group increasingly used Douglas C-124 Globemaster II aircraft for heavy transport work. These aircraft expanded the unit's ability to carry large loads and support sustained strategic movement.

• Military transportation · 1949

  Passenger and VIP transport

  In addition to cargo and personnel movement, the organization supported passenger services and VIP transportation for Atlantic Division headquarters. Navy R6D-1 Liftmasters were associated with its passenger transport activity.

1. 11600th Air Transport Groupen.wikipedia.org