971st Airborne Warning and Control Squadron

The 971st Airborne Warning and Control Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit designation. It was designated on 15 January 1985 by the consolidation of the World War II 1st Troop Carrier Squadron (1st TCS), which was inactivated on 18 December 1945 at Fort Lawton, Washington; the 1st Strategic Support Squadron (1st SSS), which was inactivated on 15 January 1959 at Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, and the 1st Air Transport Squadron (1st ATS), which was inactivated on 20 June 1971 at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

The 1st TCS was a transport squadron which served primarily in the China-Burma-India Theater. It participated in the airborne invasion of Myitkyina, Burma and other combat cargo operations in both Burma and China.

The 1st SSS was a Strategic Air Command transport squadron providing a limited air transport capability to supplement that of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS).

The 1st ATS was a Headquarters Command VIP transport squadron that replaced the 1001st Air Transport Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base.

Origins
The units origins date to 1 October 1933 with the constitution of the 1st Provisional Transport Squadron. However there were no funds to man or equip the unit, which remained in an inactivated state. The Army Air Corps was experimenting with air transport as a faster way to send critically needed aircraft parts and supplies between its supply and maintenance depots around the country, and to airfields where they were needed. It was authorized to partially activate in 1935 at the Fairfield Air Depot, Dayton, Ohio in March 1935. The squadron was given a permanent designation as the 1st Transport Squadron in June and fully activated on 15 July 1935.

The squadron operated a single-engine Bellanca C-27 Airbus and twin-engine Douglas C-33 transports on routes in the US and to Alaska and the Canal Zone, transporting supplies, materiel, and personnel. In May, 1937, the Air Corps formed the 10th Transport Group, which brought the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th Transport Squadrons under a single command and control organization, the other squadrons being assigned to the three other Air Depots operated by the Air Corps (at Sacramento, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Middletown,Pennsylvania).

World War II
After the Pearl Harbor Attack and the entry into World War II, in April 1942, its parent 10th TG was reassigned to the Air Transport Command (later I Troop Carrier Command) (I TCC). The 1st, now re-designated as a Troop Carrier Squadron became an Operational Training Unit and converted to C-47 Skytrain transports. It moved to General Billy Mitchell Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it joined the 5th Troop Carrier Squadron carrying out operations and transition training for pilots. In September the 10th transferred to Pope Field, North Carolina, where it continued to be a training squadron for I TCC. In February 1943, the group's 1st and 2d Troop Carrier Squadrons deployed to the CBI Theater and were assigned to Tenth Air Force.

Upon the squadron's arrival in India, it was assigned to Tenth Air Force Headquarters. Upon its arrival with C-47s, it was decided that the squadron was to be attached to the Air Transport Command units in the Assam Valley of eastern India, to aid in moving supplies to China. The squadron was assigned to Chabua Airfield, and consisted of 13 C-47s, 42 officers and 62 enlisted men. After about a month, the squadron headquarters moved back to New Delhi, and flights of C-47s were sent to several airfields in the Assam Valley to supplement the ATC aircraft flying over "The Hump" into airfields in China. As more and more ATC aircraft arrived for the logistics mission to China, the squadron reformed at Sookerating Airfield in the Assam Valley in March 1943.

With the squadron's return to Tenth Air Force control, it began combat operations, primarily supporting American and British forces in Burma. The squadron was active carrying commandos who would parachute at low altitude behind enemy lines, and perform their mission. Frequently, the squadron would locate small groups of men in camouflaged areas and drop resupply containers out of the door of the aircraft, usually flying at low level with the aircraft vulnerable to enemy ground weapons fire. In late April 1944 the squadron supported the Allied attack on Myitkyina Airfield in northern Burma. The squadron flew paratroopers and also towed in CG-4A Waco gliders to the airfield during the battle; leter moving in combat engineers and equipment to prepare the captured airfield to land reinforcements.

After the battle ended the squadron continued its combat operations, transporting Allied troops, evacuating wounded personnel, and hauling supplies and material, including gasoline, oil, signal and engineering equipment, medicine rations, and ammunition. The squadron's missions were concerned primarily with support for Allied forces that were driving southward through Burma, but the 1st TCS also made flights to China.

The squadron was reassigned to Fourteenth Air Force in January and moved to China in August 1945, and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for transporting a Chinese army of more than 30,000 men from Chihkiang to Nanking in September 1945. The squadron returned to the US in December and inactivated on 18 December 1945.

Strategic Air Command
The 1st Air Transport Unit (1 ATS) was organized at Roswell Army Airfield, New Mexico in July 1946 as part of a reorganization of the 509th Composite Group. Due to its classified nature and mission during World War II, the 509th was set up as an independent unit with its own bombardment and transport squadrons. With its assignment to Strategic Air Command (SAC) in March 1946, it was decided to realign the unit into a bombardment group. The 1st ATS assumed the mission of the 320th Troop Carrier Squadron, which was inactivated; the 509th was subsequently re-designated as the 509th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy. The 1st ATS was assigned directly to the 58th Bombardment Wing, the parent organization of the 509th.

The 1st ATS would continue to provide the logistics support and special air transport mission of the inactivated 320th TCS. In November 1946 the 58th Bomb Wing was assigned to Eighth Air Force and given a new mission, and the 1st ATS was assigned directly to headquarters, Eighth Air Force. In 1946, as the number of Atomic Bomb capable bomb groups was growing, the 1st ATS was transferred to Fort Worth Army Airfield, headquarters of Eighth Air Force where it also provided logistic transport for the SAC 7th Bombardment Group, also equipped with Silverplate modified B-29s.

In its early years, along with its own fighter wings for escorting its bombers, SAC formed a limited air transport capability to supplement that of the Military Air Transport Service, which provided SAC with the majority of its airlift support. Eventually, a total of four transport squadrons, assigned directly to the SAC numbered air forces were organized for this purpose around the United States. On 1 June 1948 it was redesignated as the 1st Strategic Support Unit, and was transferred to Biggs Air Force Base, Texas where it added support for the 97th Bombardment Wing. In another re-designation, it was re-designated as the 1st Strategic Support Squadron on 14 January 1949.

During the postwar years and through the 1950s the squadron carried much classified equipment and personnel to various locations around the world. It was upgraded first to C-97 Stratofreighters in 1949 operating 12 of that type. In 1951 C-124 Globemaster IIs replaced the C-97s, the first C-124A arriving at Biggs on 18 January 1951. It was inactivated on 15 January 1959 when SAC got out of the transport bushiness and the 97th Bomb Wing was transferred from Biggs to Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas.

Consolidation
On 15 January 1985, the Air Force Historical Research Agency consolidated these three units, and designated it as the 971st Airborne Warning and Control Squadron. The 971st was never activated and remains in an inactive status.

Lineage
1st Strategic Support Squadron
 * Constituted on 10 Jul 1946 as the 1st Air Transport Unit
 * Activated on 30 July 1946
 * Redesignated as 1st Strategic Support Unit on 1 June 1948
 * Redesignated as 1st Strategic Support Squadron on 14 January 1949
 * Inactivated on 15 January 1959.


 * Consolidated with the 1st Troop Carrier Squadron and the 1st Air Transport Squadron as the 971st Airborne Warning and Control Squadron on 15 January 1985 (Remained inactive)

1st Troop Carrier Squadron
 * Constituted as the 1st Provisional Transport Squadron on 1 October 1933
 * Authorized to be partially organized on 1 March 1935
 * Redesignated 1st Transport Squadron on 25 June 1935
 * Fully activated on 15 July 1935
 * Redesignated 1st Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 July 1942
 * Inactivated on 18 December 1945.


 * Consolidated with the 1st Strategic Support Squadron and the 1st Air Transport Squadron as the 971st Airborne Warning and Control Squadron on, 15 January 1985 (Remained inactive)

1st Air Transport Squadron
 * Constituted as the 1st Air Transport Squadron on 8 May 1969


 * Activated on 25 July 1969
 * Inactivated on 30 June 1971


 * Consolidated with the 1st Strategic Support Squadron and the 1st Troop Carrier Squadron as the 971st Airborne Warning and Control Squadron on, 15 January 1985 (Remained inactive)

Assignments

 * 1st Strategic Support Squadron
 * 58th Bombardment Wing, 30 July 1946
 * Eighth Air Force, 1 November 1946 – 15 January 1959.


 * 1st Troop Carrier Squadron
 * V Corps Area, 1 October 1933 (Not Active)
 * Fairfield Air Depot, 15 July 1935
 * 10th Transport (later Troop Carrier) Group, 20 May 1937
 * Tenth Air Force, c. 2 February 1943
 * Attached to: India-China Wing, Air Transport Command, 2 February-7 March 1943
 * Attached to: Troop Carrier Command, Eastern Air Command, 20 December 1943-6 March 1944


 * 443d Troop Carrier Group, 6 March 1944 – 18 December 1945


 * 1st Air Transport Squadron
 * 1st Composite Wing, 25 July 1969 - 20 June 1971

Stations

 * 1st Strategic Support Squadron
 * Roswell Army Airfield, New Mexico, 30 July 1946
 * Fort Worth Army Air Field (later, Griffiss AFB; later Carswell AFB), Texas, on 22 September 1947
 * Biggs AFB, Texas, on 14 Dec 1948-15 January 1959


 * 1st Troop Carrier Squadron


 * Patterson Field, Ohio, 15 July 1935
 * Flight operated from Wright Field, Ohio, 15 Jul 1935-9 Feb 1937


 * Billy Mitchell Field, Wisconsin, 26 May 1942
 * Pope Field, North Carolina, 4 October 1942 – 9 January 1943
 * Chabua Air Base, India, 2 February 1943
 * Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi, India, 7 March 1943
 * Detachments operated from various bases in India and China


 * Sookerating Airfield, India, 19 October 1943
 * Warazup Airfield, Burma, 20 April 1945
 * Dinjan Airfield, India, 1 June 1945
 * Chihkiang Airfield, China, 28 August 1945
 * Hankow Airfield, China, 25 September 1945
 * Shanghai Airport, China, 21–30 November 1954
 * Fort Lawton, Washington, 16–18 December 1945


 * 1st Air Transport Squadron
 * Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, 25 July 1969 - 20 June 1971

Aircraft

 * 1st Strategic Support Squadron
 * C-54 Skymaster, 1946-1949
 * C-97 Stratofreighter, 1949-1951
 * C-124 Globemaster II, 1951-1959


 * 1st Troop Carrier Squadron
 * Bellanca Aircruiser (C-27), 1935-1937
 * Douglas C-33 (DC-2) 1936-1939
 * Included Douglas C-39 and various modifications of civilian Douglas DC-3s 1939-1941


 * C-47 Skytrain, 1942-1945
 * C-46 Commando, 1945