905th Military Airlift Group

905th Military Airlift Group
905th Military Airlift Group Air Force Reserve Douglas C-124C-DL Globemaster II 51-081 taxies to its parking spot at Westover, circa 1972.
Active	1962-1974
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force Reserve
Role	Airlift

The 905th Military Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 459th Military Airlift Wing, based at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts. It was inactivated on 1 April 1974.

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 905th 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 905th TCG was one of three C-119 groups assigned to the 514th TCW in 1963, the others being the 903d Troop Carrier Group at McGuire AFB, New Jersey and 904th Troop Carrier Group at Stewart AFB, New York. Reassigned to Military Airlift Command, 1966, trained and re-quipped with C-124 Globemaster II intercontinental transports. Began flying worldwide airlift missions. Inactivated with retirement of C-124 in April 1974.

Lineage

• Established as 905th Troop Carrier Group, Medium, and activated, on 28 December 1962

Organized in the Reserve on 17 January 1963

Re-designated: 905th Tactical Airlift Group on 1 July 1966

Re-designated: 905th Military Airlift Group (Associate) on 25 February 1972

Inactivated on: 1 April 1974.

Assignments

• Continental Air Command, 28 December 1963
• 514th Troop Carrier Wing, 17 January 1963
• 94th Tactical Airlift Wing, 1 July 1966
• 459th Military Airlift Wing, 25 February 1972 – 1 April 1974.

Components

• 337th Troop Carrier (later: Tactical Airlift; Military Airlift) Squadron, 17 January 1963 – 1 April 1974

Stations

• Bradley Field, Connecticut, 17 January 1963 – 1 April 1966
• Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 1 April 1966 – 1 April 1974

Aircraft

• C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1963-1966
• C-124 Globemaster II, 1966-1974

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
• AFHRA Search 905th Military Airlift Group