937th Tactical Airlift Group

The 937th Tactical Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 442d Tactical Airlift Wing, based at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. It was inactivated on 20 May 1972.

History
Following the mobilizations in 1961 and 1962 for the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Continental Air Command (ConAC) realized that it was unwieldy to mobilize an entire wing unless absolutely necessary. Their original Table of Organization for each Wing was a wing headquarters, a troop carrier group, an Air Base Group, a maintenance and supply group, and a medical group. In 1957, the troop carrier group and maintenance and supply groups were inactivated, with their squadrons reassigned directly to the wing headquarters - despite the fact that many wings had squadrons spread out over several bases due to the Detached Squadron Concept dispersing Reserve units over centers of population.

To resolve this, in late 1962 and early 1963, ConAC reorganized the structure of its reserve Troop Carrier Wings by establishing fully deployable Troop Carrier Groups and inserting them into the chain of command between the Wing and its squadrons at every base that held a ConAC troop carrier squadron. At each base, the group was composed of a material squadron, a troop carrier squadron, a tactical hospital or dispensary, and a combat support squadron. Each troop carrier wing consisted of 3 or 4 of these groups. By doing so, ConAC could facilitate the mobilization of either aircraft and aircrews alone, aircraft and minimum support personnel (one troop carrier group), or the entire troop carrier wing. This also gave ConAC the flexibility to expand each Wing by attaching additional squadrons, if necessary from other Reserve wings to the deployable groups for deployments.

As a result, the 937th Troop Carrier Group was established with a mission to organize, recruit and train Air Force Reserve personnel in the tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials by airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped with C-124 Globemaster IIs for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.

The group was one of three C-124 groups assigned to the 442d TCW in 1963, the others being the 935th, and 936th Troop Carrier Group at Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri.

The group flew overseas missions, particularly to the Far East and Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1972 the group was inactivated as part of the retirement of the Globemaster II, being one of the last USAF units to fly the C-124.

Lineage

 * Established as 937th Troop Carrier Group, Medium, and activated, on 28 December 1962
 * Organized in the Reserve on 17 January 1963
 * Re-designated: 937th Air Transport Group, Heavy on 1 December 1965
 * Re-designated: 937th Military Airlift Group on 1 January 1966
 * Re-designated: 937th Tactical Airlift Group on 29 June 1971
 * Inactivated on 20 May 1972

Assignments

 * Continental Air Command, 28 December 1962
 * 442d Troop Carrier Wing, 17 January 1963 – 5 February 1965
 * 512th Troop Carrier (later Air Transport, Military Airlift) Wing, 5 February 1965 – 21 April 1971 (detached 1–21 April 1971).
 * 442d Military Airlift (later Tactical Airlift) Wing, 21 April 1971 – 20 May 1972

Components

 * 303d Troop Carrier (later Air Transport, Military Airlift, Tactical Airlift) Squadron, 17 January 1963 – 20 May 1972

Stations

 * Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, 17 January 1963 – 20 May 1972

Aircraft

 * C-124 Globemaster II, 1963-1972