436th Operations Group
The 436th Operations Group is the flying component of the United States Air Force's 436th Airlift Wing, operating strategic airlift and related support missions from Dover Air Force Base.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 436th Operations Group is an active United States Air Force operational organization based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. It forms the flying component of the 436th Airlift Wing, which is assigned to Eighteenth Air Force within Air Mobility Command. The group is responsible for global airlift activities involving heavy cargo, personnel, medical evacuation, humanitarian assistance, diplomatic movement, and support to contingency and emergency plans of the Department of Defense. The present-day group traces its lineage to the 436th Troop Carrier Group, established on 23 March 1943 and activated on 1 April of that year. During the Second World War, its C-47 Skytrain crews trained for operations in Europe and became part of Ninth Air Force's airborne and transport effort. The unit participated in five major airborne operations between June 1944 and May 1945. Its Normandy missions on 6 and 7 June 1944 included dropping paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division, releasing gliders carrying 82nd Airborne Division reinforcements and supplies, and conducting resupply and casualty-evacuation flights. The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for this contribution to Operation Neptune, the airborne phase of the Normandy invasion. The group subsequently supported Operation Dragoon in southern France, Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, the resupply of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and Operation Varsity, the airborne crossing of the Rhine at Wesel in March 1945. In addition to airborne missions, its aircraft carried fuel, ammunition, medical supplies, rations, clothing, and other necessities. After Germany's surrender, the unit continued evacuating wounded personnel and prisoners of war before returning to the United States and being inactivated in November 1945. The lineage was later carried through reserve and postwar forms. The group served in the Air Force Reserve from 1947, was redesignated the 436th Troop Carrier Group, Medium, in 1949, and was briefly ordered to active service during the Korean War in 1951. It was reactivated in the Reserve in 1955 and inactivated in 1958 when the parent organization adopted a different organizational structure. The lineage was redesignated the 436th Military Airlift Group in 1985, although it remained inactive under that designation. The current 436th Operations Group was activated on 1 December 1991 as part of the Air Force's Objective Organization Plan. Under this structure, the 436th Airlift Wing's operational flying squadrons were placed in the group. Its components include the 3d Airlift Squadron, the 9th Airlift Squadron, and the 436th Operations Support Squadron. The 3d Airlift Squadron operates Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, while the 9th Airlift Squadron operates Lockheed C-5 Galaxy aircraft. Reference material identifies the group as training and operating with assigned C-5s and C-17s, giving it a role in both outsized strategic airlift and tactical airlift support. Since its modern activation, the group has conducted worldwide airlift missions, including the movement of high-priority cargo and mail, personnel transport, aeromedical evacuation, humanitarian flights, diplomatic missions, and support for military contingencies. It has also been associated with special airlift and airdrop capabilities and with mortuary airlift missions connected to United States operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its significance is operational rather than commercial: it is a military formation whose identity is defined by lineage, readiness, aircraft capability, and service within the 436th Airlift Wing.
History
The lineage of the 436th Operations Group begins with the 436th Troop Carrier Group, established in March 1943 and activated on 1 April at the height of United States preparations for the European theater. The unit trained with C-47 Skytrain transports and moved to England between January and May 1944 for operations with Ninth Air Force. The group's first major combat employment came during the Normandy invasion. On 6 June 1944, its aircraft dropped paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division inland from the Utah beachhead. That evening and on the following day, the group released gliders carrying reinforcements and supplies associated with the 82nd Airborne Division and conducted additional resupply operations. Once suitable landing strips became available, its aircraft transported supplies into Normandy and evacuated casualties on return flights. The unit also recovered serviceable gliders along the coast. For its Normandy contribution, it received a Distinguished Unit Citation. In July 1944, a detachment of 49 aircraft and crews moved to Italy for Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France. On 15 August, the detachment released gliders carrying members of the First Airborne Task Force. It later flew resupply missions to France and Allied forces in Italy before returning to England near the end of August. In September, the group supported Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands by dropping 101st Airborne Division personnel and releasing gliders carrying troops and equipment. During the Battle of the Bulge, the group flew resupply missions to Bastogne in late December 1944. On 24 March 1945, it towed gliders to Wesel for Operation Varsity, the airborne phase of the Allied assault across the Rhine. It then transported fuel to forward areas and evacuated patients on 30 and 31 March. Between major airborne operations, the group performed regular transport missions involving gasoline, ammunition, medical material, food, clothing, and wounded personnel. After V-E Day, the unit continued medical evacuation and prisoner-of-war transport. It also conducted training missions with French paratroopers. The group was redeployed to the United States and inactivated on 15 November 1945. The organization was reactivated in the Air Force Reserve on 15 March 1947. It served under several postwar formations and was redesignated the 436th Troop Carrier Group, Medium, in 1949. The group entered active service during the Korean War in April 1951 but was inactivated almost immediately, with its personnel used to reinforce other Air Force units. It returned to reserve training in 1955, operating aircraft that included the C-45 Expeditor and C-119 Flying Boxcar, and was inactivated in 1958 when its parent wing adopted the Air Force Tri-Deputate structure. The lineage was redesignated the 436th Military Airlift Group in 1985 but remained inactive. The modern group was activated on 1 December 1991 when the 436th Airlift Wing adopted the Objective Organization Plan. The 3d and 9th Airlift Squadrons and the 436th Operations Support Squadron became its principal components. The group has since operated C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in worldwide strategic and tactical airlift roles. Its missions have included the movement of troops and outsized cargo, aeromedical evacuation, humanitarian and diplomatic transportation, airdrop support, and mortuary airlift linked to United States military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group's continuing role is to provide a ready airlift element within the 436th Airlift Wing for global logistics, contingency response, and Department of Defense objectives.
- 1991
Modern 436th Operations Group activated
[1]The current group was activated on 1 December as the operational flying component of the 436th Airlift Wing.
- 1958
Reserve organization inactivated
[1]The group was inactivated after the parent organization adopted the Air Force Tri-Deputate structure.
- 1951
Korean War active-service period
[1]The reserve group was ordered to active service during the Korean War and then inactivated, with personnel assigned as fillers elsewhere.
- 1945
Operation Varsity and Rhine crossing
[1]The group towed gliders to Wesel for the airborne assault across the Rhine and subsequently transported fuel and evacuated patients.
- 1945
Postwar inactivation
[1]After continuing prisoner-of-war and medical evacuation missions, the World War II organization was inactivated on 15 November.
- 1944
Normandy airborne operations
[1]The group supported the Normandy invasion by dropping paratroopers, releasing gliders, resupplying Allied forces, and evacuating casualties.
- 1944
Operation Dragoon and Operation Market Garden
[1]The group supported airborne operations in southern France and the Netherlands, including glider delivery and resupply.
- 1943
436th Troop Carrier Group established and activated
[1]The lineage began with establishment on 23 March and activation on 1 April as a C-47 troop-carrier organization.
Products and positioning
A military airlift organization positioned as a globally deployable logistics and transport capability for the United States Air Force, supporting strategic mobility, airborne operations, humanitarian response, and national defense objectives.
Strategic airlift aircraft · 1991
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
The 9th Airlift Squadron operates C-5 Galaxy aircraft for long-range transport of outsized cargo, troops, and supplies. The aircraft provides the group's heavy strategic airlift capability and supports worldwide Department of Defense mobility requirements.
Strategic and tactical airlift aircraft · 2007
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
The 3d Airlift Squadron operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for strategic and tactical transport, including movement of personnel and cargo, support to austere locations, and airborne or airdrop-related missions.
World War II transport aircraft · 1943
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
The C-47 Skytrain was the principal aircraft of the group's World War II predecessor. It was used for paratroop drops, glider towing, resupply, casualty evacuation, and general transport throughout the European campaign.
Reserve transport aircraft · 1957
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
The C-119 was among the transport aircraft associated with the group's reserve training period in the 1950s before the organization was inactivated in 1958.
Marketing campaigns
- 1945Operation Varsity
Germany · Rhine River
The group towed gliders to Wesel on 24 March for the airborne assault supporting the Allied crossing of the Rhine.
Outcome. Follow-on transport included fuel delivery to forward units and patient evacuation.
- 1944Operation Neptune
Normandy · Western Europe
The group's C-47s dropped 101st Airborne Division paratroopers, released gliders with 82nd Airborne Division reinforcements and supplies, conducted resupply flights, and evacuated casualties during and after D-Day.
Outcome. The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its Normandy missions.
- 1944Operation Dragoon
Southern France · Italy
A detachment of 49 aircraft and crews deployed to Italy and released gliders carrying First Airborne Task Force personnel during the invasion of southern France.
Outcome. The detachment returned to England after supporting the invasion and later resupply missions.
- 1944Operation Market Garden
Netherlands
The group dropped paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division and released gliders carrying reinforcements and equipment during the Allied airborne operation in the Netherlands.
Outcome. The group continued its broader European transport and resupply role after the operation.
- 1944Operation Repulse
Belgium
The group conducted resupply missions to Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.
Outcome. The missions helped sustain Allied forces encircled or pressured during the winter offensive.
Brand decisions
2007
C-17 Globemaster III introduced to the groupProduct launchBackground
The group historically operated C-5 aircraft and later added C-17 aircraft to its airlift fleet.
Action taken
The 3d Airlift Squadron began operating C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, according to the unit's aircraft history.
Aftermath
The group gained an additional strategic and tactical airlift capability alongside its C-5 Galaxy operations.
1991
Adoption of the Objective Organization structureStrategyBackground
The 436th Airlift Wing reorganized its operational flying squadrons under an operations group as part of the Air Force's Objective Organization Plan.
Action taken
The modern 436th Operations Group was activated on 1 December 1991 with flying and operations-support squadrons assigned to it.
Aftermath
The group became the wing's operational flying component and continued worldwide airlift missions.
Recent events
- 1991
436th Operations Group activated under the Air Force Objective Organization Plan[1]
Other
The modern 436th Operations Group was activated on 1 December 1991, consolidating the operational flying squadrons of the 436th Airlift Wing under the new group structure.
The group supports global airlift and contingency operations[1]
Other
The group conducts worldwide transport of troops, equipment, supplies, mail, medical evacuees, and other high-priority cargo, including support for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Sources2 sources
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