935th Tactical Airlift Group

The 935th Tactical Airlift Group was a United States Air Force Reserve organization responsible for training and supporting reservists in tactical airlift operations. It was formed at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri, on 17 January 1963 as the 935th Troop Carrier Group, Heavy. The group was created during a broader reorganization of the Air Force Reserve’s troop carrier structure following weaknesses exposed by the partial mobilization associated with the 1961 Berlin Crisis. Before the reorganization, reserve flying units were often distributed under the Detached Squadron Concept. This arrangement placed individual troop carrier squadrons at a range of Air Force, Navy, and civilian airfields while keeping their support organizations at wing headquarters. Although the model could improve recruiting and community acceptance, it made it difficult to mobilize a flying squadron together with the maintenance, administrative, medical, and logistical elements it needed. Continental Air Command therefore established groups around individual reserve flying squadrons so that support personnel and facilities could be mobilized in more flexible combinations. The new 935th Group served as the headquarters organization for the 303d Troop Carrier Squadron, which had been based at Richards-Gebaur since 1955. Its initial supporting elements included a combat support squadron, a materiel squadron, and a tactical infirmary. The group was assigned to the 442d Troop Carrier Wing, later redesignated through several successive titles as the 442d Air Transport Wing, 442d Military Airlift Wing, and 442d Tactical Airlift Wing. If mobilized, the group would come under Tactical Air Command, which also oversaw its training. Its mission centered on the organization, recruitment, and training of Air Force reservists for tactical airlift. This included transporting airborne forces, equipment, and supplies, as well as delivering personnel and materiel by airdrop or landing. The group initially operated the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, a heavy transport aircraft used for long-range cargo and personnel missions. During the Vietnam War era, the unit conducted overseas missions, particularly to the Far East and Southeast Asia, although the available reference material does not provide a complete mission-by-mission record. The group’s aircraft and designation reflected the evolution of United States military airlift during the 1960s and early 1970s. It was redesignated the 935th Air Transport Group, Heavy, on 1 December 1965, the 935th Military Airlift Group on 1 January 1966, and the 935th Tactical Airlift Group on 29 June 1971. Beginning in 1971, it phased out the C-124 and completed its transition to the Lockheed C-130 Hercules in 1972. The C-130 gave the unit a more modern tactical airlift capability suited to landing or dropping troops and supplies in operational environments. The 935th Tactical Airlift Group was inactivated on 1 November 1974 at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base. At the same time, the 303d Tactical Airlift Squadron was assigned directly to the 442d Tactical Airlift Wing. The group therefore remains an inactive Air Force Reserve unit rather than a continuing operational organization.

The 935th Tactical Airlift Group arose from a structural change in the United States Air Force Reserve’s troop carrier force. By 1959, the reserve flying force included 45 troop carrier squadrons assigned to 15 troop carrier wings. Many squadrons were separated geographically from their parent wing headquarters under the Detached Squadron Concept. The arrangement placed units in smaller communities and could support local recruiting, but it left the principal support organizations concentrated at wing headquarters. This created problems when individual squadrons had to be mobilized without their full support structure, a weakness made apparent during the partial reserve mobilization connected with the Berlin Crisis of 1961. To address this problem, Continental Air Command decided at the beginning of 1962 to establish groups containing the support elements associated with each reserve troop carrier squadron. The 935th Troop Carrier Group, Heavy, was established on 28 December 1962 but was not organized on that date. It was organized in the reserve at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri, on 17 January 1963. The group headquarters supported the 303d Troop Carrier Squadron, which had been located at Richards-Gebaur since April 1955. The organization also included a combat support squadron, a materiel squadron, and a tactical infirmary. The group was assigned to the 442d Troop Carrier Wing and was one of three C-124 groups associated with that wing in 1963. The other two were the 936th Troop Carrier Group at Richards-Gebaur and the 937th Troop Carrier Group at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. For mobilization purposes, Tactical Air Command was the gaining command and was responsible for the group’s training. The group’s mission was to organize, recruit, and train reservists to move airborne forces, equipment, and supplies by air, including delivery through airdrop or landing. The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II was the group’s principal aircraft during its first years. The heavy transport supported long-range cargo and personnel missions, and the unit flew overseas operations during the Vietnam War period, especially in the Far East and Southeast Asia. The sources identify the group’s regional overseas activity but do not provide a complete list of individual operations, destinations, or deployments. The organization experienced several redesignations as Air Force airlift terminology and command structures changed. It became the 935th Air Transport Group, Heavy, on 1 December 1965, then the 935th Military Airlift Group on 1 January 1966. On 29 June 1971, it received the 935th Tactical Airlift Group designation. The same period brought an aircraft transition: the group began replacing its C-124s in 1971 and had completed the move to Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft by 1972. The C-130 was a more flexible tactical transport for short-field operations, airland missions, and airdrop work. The group remained at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base throughout its organized existence and continued under the 442d Wing as that wing moved through the designations 442d Troop Carrier Wing, 442d Air Transport Wing, 442d Military Airlift Wing, and 442d Tactical Airlift Wing. The group was inactivated on 1 November 1974. Its principal flying component, the 303d Tactical Airlift Squadron, was assigned directly to the 442d Tactical Airlift Wing. The inactivation ended the group-level headquarters, but not the immediate lineage of the squadron it had supported.

• 1974

  Inactivation

  [1]935th Tactical Airlift Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 935th Tactical Airlift Group was inactivated at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base on 1 November 1974, and the 303d Tactical Airlift Squadron was assigned directly to the 442d Tactical Airlift Wing.

• 1972

  Transition to the C-130 Hercules completed

  [1]935th Tactical Airlift Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group completed its transition from the Douglas C-124 to the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

• 1971

  Tactical airlift designation adopted

  [1]935th Tactical Airlift Groupen.wikipedia.org

  On 29 June 1971, the group was redesignated the 935th Tactical Airlift Group. It also began phasing out the C-124 Globemaster II.

• 1966

  Redesignated as a military airlift group

  [1]935th Tactical Airlift Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The unit received the designation 935th Military Airlift Group on 1 January 1966.

• 1965

  Redesignated as an air transport group

  [1]935th Tactical Airlift Groupen.wikipedia.org

  On 1 December 1965, the unit became the 935th Air Transport Group, Heavy.

• 1963

  Organization in the Air Force Reserve

  [1]935th Tactical Airlift Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was organized at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base on 17 January 1963 and assigned to the 442d Troop Carrier Wing as the headquarters for the 303d Troop Carrier Squadron.

• 1962

  Group established on paper

  [1]935th Tactical Airlift Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 935th Troop Carrier Group, Heavy, was established on 28 December 1962 under Continental Air Command, although it was not organized until the following month.

A reserve tactical airlift organization built to combine a flying squadron with dedicated support elements, improving mobilization, training, and operational readiness.

• Heavy transport aircraft · 1963

  Douglas C-124 Globemaster II

  The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II was the group’s principal aircraft from its organization in 1963 through the beginning of its modernization. The heavy transport supported the movement of airborne personnel, equipment, and supplies and was used for the group’s tactical airlift training and overseas missions. The group began retiring the type in 1971.

• Tactical transport aircraft · 1971

  Lockheed C-130 Hercules

  The Lockheed C-130 Hercules replaced the C-124 as the group’s operational transport aircraft. The transition began in 1971 and was complete by 1972. Its tactical design supported airland and airdrop missions involving troops, cargo, equipment, and supplies, making it suited to the group’s reserve tactical airlift role.

• 1971

  Transition from the C-124 to the C-130Generation change

  Background

  The group’s original C-124 heavy transports were being phased out as the Air Force Reserve modernized its tactical airlift capability.

  Action taken

  The group began replacing its Douglas C-124 Globemaster IIs with Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft in 1971 and completed the transition in 1972.

  Aftermath

  The aircraft change aligned the group with a more flexible tactical transport platform until the group was inactivated in 1974.

  Source

• 1962

  Creation of a group-level support structureStrategy

  Background

  The Detached Squadron Concept distributed reserve flying squadrons across multiple locations while leaving support organizations at wing headquarters. The arrangement complicated the mobilization of individual squadrons, particularly during the 1961 Berlin Crisis.

  Action taken

  Continental Air Command established groups with headquarters, combat support, materiel, and medical elements aligned with individual reserve troop carrier squadrons. The 935th was organized around the 303d Squadron at Richards-Gebaur.

  Aftermath

  The new structure provided a more self-contained organization for training and mobilization and remained the group’s basic framework until its 1974 inactivation.

  Source

1. 1935th Tactical Airlift Groupen.wikipedia.org