| Unit Name: | 707th Airlift Squadron |
| Dates: | 1943–1944; 1972–1992 |
| Country: | United States |
| Role: | Airlift |
| Motto: | Rook's Defense |
| Battles: | American Theater of World War II |
| Decorations: | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm[1] |
| Identification Symbol Label: | 707th Airlift Sq emblem (approved c. July 1996 |
The 707th Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last assigned to the 315th Military Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 1 July 2000. The squadron was active during World War II as the 307th Troop Carrier Squadron a training unit that was part of the I Troop Carrier Command.
The 307th Troop Carrier Squadron was activated as an operational training unit (OTU) in March 1943 and served in this role until July 1943.[2] The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to "satellite groups".[3] The 307th then served as a replacement training unit (RTU) for glider crews until April 1944.[2] RTUs were oversized units to train individual pilots or aircrews.[3]
However, the United States Army Air Forces found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.[4] Accordingly, the 307th was disbanded[2] and its mission, personnel, and equipment were absorbed by the 805th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Troop Carrier).
The 707th Airlift Squadron was activated at Charleston AFB, South Carolina in 1972 as an Air Force Reserve associate squadron. The squadron did not have aircraft assigned, but flew Lockheed C-141 Starlifter aircraft assigned to the regular United States Air Force 437th Military Airlift Wing (later 437th Airlift Wing). The squadron was inactivated in 2000 as part of the C-141 retirement.