912th Military Airlift Group

The 912th Military Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 514th Military Airlift Wing, based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. It was inactivated on 1 July 1973.

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 912th 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-119 Flying Boxcars for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.

The 912th TCG was one of three C-119 groups assigned to the 512th TCW in 1963, the others being the 913th Troop Carrier Group also at Willow Grove NAS, and the 914th Troop Carrier Group at Niagara Falls International Airport, New York.

In 1965 the Group's host unit was transferred without personnel or equipment to Carswell AFB, Texas, was reassigned to 302d TCW at Clinton County AFB, Ohio, although group remained at Willow Grove NAS. Later transferred to 514th TCW at McGuire AFB, New Jersey. In 1968 was moved from Willow Grove to Dover AFB, Delaware and became a C-141 Starlifter organization.

Inactivated in 1973 when Dover AFB and Charleston AFB switched aircraft and Dover became a C-5 Galaxy base. Personnel reassigned directly to 512th MAW which was re-activated at Dover.

Lineage

 * Established as 912th Troop Carrier Group, Medium, and activated, on 15 Jan 1963
 * Organized in the Reserve on 11 Feb 1963
 * Re-designated: 912th Tactical Airlift Group, on 1 Jul 1967
 * Re-designated: 912th Military Airlift Group, on 25 Sep 1968
 * Inactivated on 1 July 1973

Assignments

 * Continental Air Command, 15 Jan 1963
 * 512th Troop Carrier Wing, 11 Feb 1963 – 8 Jan 1965
 * 302d Troop Carrier Wing, 8 Jan 1965-1 Jul 1966
 * 514th Troop Carrier (later Tactical Airlift, Military Airlift) Wing, 1 Jul 1966-1 Jul 1973

Components

 * 326th Troop Carrier (later Tactical Airlift, Military Airlift), 11 Feb 1963-1 July 1973

Stations

 * Willow Grove Naval Air Station, Pennsylvania, 11 Feb 1963
 * Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, 25 Sep 1968-1 Jul 1973

Aircraft

 * C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1963-1968
 * C-141 Starlifter, 1968-1973