| Unit Name: | 313th Expeditionary Operations Group |
| Dates: | 1942–1945; 1946–1948; 1948–1949; 1952–1955; 1978–1993 |
| Role: | Airlift |
| Command Structure: | United States Air Forces in Europe |
| Battles: | Mediterranean Theater of Operations European Theater of Operations[1] |
| Decorations: | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[2] |
| Identification Symbol Label: | 313th Expeditionary Operations Group emblem (approved 3 February 1943) |
The 313th Expeditionary Operations Group is a Provisional United States Air Force unit, assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe to activate or inactivate as needed. It was last active at Moron Air Base, Spain, supporting Operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya. It was inactivated on 31 October 2011.
During World War II, the group was assigned to both Twelfth and Ninth Air Forces in North Africa, Italy and Western Europe. The 313 TCG was highly decorated for its combat parachute infantry drops during the Invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky); Invasion of Italy (Operation Avalanche); Invasion of France (Operation Overlord); the airborne invasion of the Netherlands (Operation Market-Garden); and the airborne crossing of the Rhine River, (Operation Varsity).
For related history and lineage, see 313th Tactical Airlift Wing
The group was activated at Daniel Field, Georgia in March 1942 as the 313th Transport Group, with only a headquarters and a single squadron, the 29th Transport Squadron, assigned. In June, the group added three additional squadrons (the 47th, 48th and 49th Transport Squadrons) and moved to Bowman Field, Kentucky to begin training.[1] [3] The group trained under Air Transport Command with Douglas C-47 Skytrain and the C-53 Skytrooper modification of the C-47. In July, the Army Air Forces gave the "transport" designation to its strategic airlift units, and the group became the 313th Troop Carrier Group under I Troop Carrier Command. The 313th trained in the southeastern United States until April 1943, when it deployed to North Africa.[1]
The group began flying combat missions from Oujda Airfield in French Morocco. It performed troop carrier and transport airlift of supplies to ground forces advancing through Algeria into Tunisia as part Twelfth Air Force. it also evacuated wounded from the battle area.[1]
The 313th took part in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. Although blown far off course on the first airdrops on the island by strong winds, the group managed to drop its paratroops near Avola, where they were able to assist British forces in seizing that town.[4] Two days later, 11 July 1943, the 313th Group led the stream of troop carrier units of the 52d Troop Carrier Wing bringing reinforcements, planning to drop paratroops near Gela. However, attacks in the Gela area by enemy aircraft had sunk two ships and forced other ships in the invasion force to disperse. The heaviest enemy attack came at 2150 hours. Fifty minutes later, the first 313th Group aircraft approached the drop zone. The group was able to successfully make its drop on Farello Airfield. Mistaking the troop carriers for another enemy attack, ships of the assault force and antiaircraft units ashore began a heavy fire on the group's C-47s as they departed. Of the 144 planes of the 52d Wing that participated in the mission, 23 were shot down and an additional 37 were heavily damaged.[5] [6] For its completion of this mission the group earned its first Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC).[1]
It moved to Sicily for Operation Avalanche, the invasion of Italy. It dropped paratroopers of 82d Airborne Division south of Salerno on the night of 13 September 1943 and flew a reinforcement mission the following night.[1]
In February 1944, the group moved to RAF Folkingham, England, where it became part of IX Troop Carrier Command and began training for the assault on the continent of Europe. On D-Day the group dropped paratroopers near Picauville, Normandy and dropped reinforcements the following day. The group's efforts during Operation Overlord earned it a second DUC.[1]
On 17 September, the 313th participated in Operation Market Garden, the airborne assault on the Netherlands, when it dropped troopers near Arnhem and Nijmegen. In February 1945, the unit moved to Achiet Airfield in France, where it began converting to Curtiss C-46 Commandos in preparation for Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine. On 24 March 1945 it dropped elements of the 17th Airborne Division near Wesel.[1]
The group continued to operate from Achiet during 1945, performing transportation of personnel and supplies within Europe. It evacuated wounded and former prisoners of war and brought gasoline, ammunition to forward areas. After V-E Day, it continued to transport medical equipment and other supplies. In September, the squadron's personnel returned to the United States and it was inactivated on arrival at the port of embarkation.[1]
The group was reactivated at Tulln Air Base, Austria, although one of its squadrons was stationed at Capodichino Airport, near Naples, Italy and another at Tempelhof Central Airport in Berlin, Germany.[1] [7] [8] The unit formed part of the occupation forces and served as part of the European Air Transport Service, returning to operating the C-47. In May, all squadrons gathered at Tulln and in June 1947, the group was moved (less its personnel and equipment) back to the United States.[1] In July, it moved to Bergstrom Field, Texas, where it was manned and began to train with Fairchild C-82 Packet aircraft and gliders.[1] Shortly after its arrival at Bergstrom, the group and its supporting units were reorganized under the wing base organization, with both operational and support elements reporting to the 313th Troop Carrier Wing.[9]
In July 1948, group deployed its 48th Squadron to Rhein-Main Air Base to reinforce United States Air Forces in Europe in the Berlin Airlift. As winter approached and the demand for supplies increased, the group and its squadrons moved to RAF Fassberg, Germany, and began to operate Douglas C-54 Skymasters, with which it flew food, medicine and coal into Berlin. In January 1949, the 313th Wing was inactivated and the group was assigned directly to the 1st Airlift Task Force, but attached to the 60th Troop Carrier Wing at Rhein Main.[9] [10] Berlin Airlift operations continued until September 1949, with the Soviet blockade of Berlin ended, and, faced with President Truman's smaller 1949 defense budget, the Air Force was required to reduce the number of its groups to 48. The group was inactivated in September 1949.[1] [11]
The group was activated at Mitchel Air Force Base, New York on 1 February 1953,[1] when it replaced the 514th Troop Carrier Group, a reserve unit that had been mobilized for the Korean War.[12] The 514th was in the process of converting from C-46 Commandos to Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars, and the 313th took over its personnel and equipment. Meanwhile, Tactical Air Command (TAC) was preparing the 465th Troop Carrier Group at Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina for deployment to France, but no wing headquarters was at Donaldson for the 465th Group and its support units. In August, TAC inactivated the 313th Troop Carrier Wing at Mitchel and replaced it and its support units with the 465th Troop Carrier Wing. The 313th Group was reassigned directly to Eighteenth Air Force, but was attached to the new wing for the remainder of the group's stay at Mitchel.[13]
In October 1953, the group moved to Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee. While it remained assigned to Eighteenth Air Force, but was attached to the 314th Troop Carrier Wing.[14]) The group trained with C-119s at Sewart until inactivated in June 1955.[1]
The group was redesignated the 313th Tactical Airlift Group and activated in September 1978 at RAF Mildenhall, England when it replaced the 435th Tactical Airlift Groupcontrolling Military Airlift Command (MAC) Lockheed C-130 Hercules crews and aircraft rotating from the United States to provide theater airlift support in Europe.[15] It was assigned a maintenance squadron and an aerial port squadron to support the Hercules, who were organized into a provisional "Bravo" Squadron.[16] Until 1983, it also was assigned the 627th Military Airlift Support Squadron, that provided enroute support to Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and Lockheed C-141 Starlifter flights to and from the United States and other worldwide destinations. In 1983, the 627th was inactivated and its mission was assumed by the other elements of the group.
During the Gulf War, Bravo Squadron was expanded by additional forces from the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard, when 30 aircraft and 44 crews were attached to the 313th Group.[15] In January 1993, the group was inactivated after earning four Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards.[2] The enroute support mission was transferred to the reactivated 627th Airlift Support Squadron, which also managed Bravo Squadron until the rotation of C-130s to Mildenhall ended on 1 April.[15]
The group was converted to provisional status as the 313th Expeditionary Operations Group. It was activated on 19 March 2011 at Moron Air Base, Spain to support Operation Odyssey Dawn, a mission to enforce a no-fly zone put in place to protect the civilian population of Libya.[17] At the end of March Odyssey Dawn became a NATO operation as Operation Unified Protector.[18] The group flew more than 2200 sorties and offloaded over 110,000,000 pounds of fuel to aircraft flying Unified Protector missions before inactivating on 31 October.[19] [20]
Activated on 2 March 1942.
Redesignated 313th Troop Carrier Group on 4 July 1942[21]
Inactivated on 15 November 1945
Redesignated 313th Troop Carrier Group, Heavy on 30 July 1948[21]
Redesignated 313th Troop Carrier Group, Special on 1 February 1949[21]
Inactivated on 18 September 1949
Activated on 1 February 1953
Inactivated on 8 June 1955[22]
Activated on 15 September 1978[23]
Inactivated on 16 January 1993[24]
Activated on 19 March 2011[18]
Inactivated on 31 October 2011[20]
313th Air Expeditionary Wing, 19 March–31 October 2011[18] [20]