909th Tactical Airlift Group

The 909th Tactical Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 459th Tactical Airlift Wing, based at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. It was inactivated on 1 September 1975.

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 909th 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 909th TCG was one of three C-119 groups assigned to the 459th TCW in 1963, the others being the 910th Troop Carrier Group at Youngstown Municipal Airport, Ohio, and the 911th Troop Carrier Group at Pittsburgh International Airport, Pennsylvania.

Re-equipped 1966 with long-range C-124 Globemaster II heavy airlifter, performed intercontinental strategic airlift for Military Air Transport Service. Converted to the C-130 Hercules theater transport in 1971 as part of the phaseout of the Globemaster, Assigned Tail Code "QA". The Group participated in air transport of airborne forces, equipment and supplies with delivery by airdrop, extraction, and airlanding, as well as air evacuation within a theater of operations.

Inactivated in 1975 as part of the phasedown after the Vietnam War, Personnel and equipment reassigned directly to the 459th TAW at Andrews.

Lineage

 * Established as 909th Troop Carrier Group, Medium, and activated, on 15 January 1963
 * Organized in the Reserve on 11 February 1963
 * Re-designated 909th Military Airlift Group on 1 July 1966
 * Re-designated: 909th Tactical Airlift Group on 29 June 1971
 * Inactivated on 1 September 1975

Assignments

 * Continental Air Command, 15 January 1963
 * 459th Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift; Tactical Airlift) Squadron, 11 February 1963-1 September 1975

Components

 * 756th Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift; Tactical Airlift) Squadron, 11 February 1963-1 September 1975

Stations

 * Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, 11 February 1963-1 September 1975

Aircraft

 * C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1957-1966
 * C-124 Globemaster II, 1966-1971
 * C-130 Hercules, 1971-1975