436th Airlift Wing History The Beginning --World War II The 436th Airlift Wing traces its roots back to the 436th Troop Carrier Group (436 TCG) of World War II fame that activated at Baer Field, Indiana on April 1, 1943. After months of training at Alliance Army Airfield, Neb., the group was assigned to the 9th Air Force, IX Troop Carrier Command, 53rd Troop Carrier Wing, in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO). Flying the C-47 Skytrain and based out of Bottesford, and later, Membury, England, the 436 TCG participated in four major airborne operations prior to the Allied victory in May 1945. The 436 TCG first saw combat during the Normandy Invasion, Operation OVERLORD. In the morning hours of June 6, 1944, thirty-six C-47s airdropped paratroops of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division over St. Mere-Eglise, France. Another 54 C-47s airdropped the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, to provide the inland airborne units with antitank protection. In the afternoon, the 436 TCG released 50 Horsa gliders loaded with personnel and equipment from the 319th and 320th Field Artillery Battalions, 82nd Airborne Division. The successful completion of these daring missions earned the 436 TCG the Distinguished Unit Citation and personal commendation from General Dwight D. Eisenhower. In July 1944, the 436 TCG was sent to Italy as part of the Provisional Troop Carrier Air Division to participate in Operation DRAGOON, the invasion of Southern France. On Aug. 15, 1944, the group air dropped paratroopers of the 1st Airborne Taskforce, and released 40 CG-4A gliders carrying British troops of the 64th Light Artillery Battalion. Following DRAGOON, the 436 TCG returned to RAF Membury, where it flew several resupply missions to France to support General Patton's Third Army. In late August 1944 the group again returned to England to take part in Operation MARKET GARDEN, the invasion of Holland and the attempted capture of three bridgeheads along the lower Rhine River. On Sept. 17, 1944, paratroopers of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division were transported and airdropped by the 436 TCG. During the airborne phase of the assault, three C-47s loaded with paratroopers were hit by German anti-aircraft fire; one crashed immediately, losing all aboard, but the other two managed to hold their course long enough to airdrop their troopers before going down in flames. The next day, the 436 TCG released gliders and reinforcements from the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment and 326th Engineer & Medic Battalion, 101st Airborne Division to aid the stalled Allies at Nijmegen and Eindhoven, Holland. Despite the massive airborne assault on the German positions, Operation MARKET GARDEN failed, forcing the Allies to create another plan to dislodge the stubborn Axis resistance and race into Germany's heartland. After MARKET GARDEN, the Allied push into Germany slowed as the winter season began. On Dec. 23, 1944, the German Army launched a massive counter-offensive in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, which was later dubbed The Battle of the Bulge. The 436 TCG hauled supplies to besieged elements of the 101st Airborne Division in the town of Bastogne, France. The group flew 206 sorties and airdropped over 500,000 pounds of ammunition, food and medical materials to the trapped paratroopers. This resupply of the 101st Airborne Division enabled the men to hold their position, which was a vital link in the final collapse of the German attack. In the Spring of 1945, Allied leaders finalized Operation VARSITY, a plan for a final push across the Rhine River and into Germany's heartland. The 436 TCG transported elements of the 194th Parachute Regiment, 17th Airborne Division in a double glider tow operation to perform an airborne assault at Wesel, Germany. The group completed the mission successfully and before the day was over, Wesel was in Allied hands. However, the victory was bittersweet, high casualty rates among the group dimmed the glow of success with nine personnel killed, 26 missing, 21 injured, and three C-47s failing to return home. The success of the operation unhinged the entire German line along the Rhine River and allowed the Allies to break through Axis defenses. Operation VARSITY became the last offensive blow the 436 TCG inflicted upon the disintegrating German Army. For the remainder of the war the group airlifted much needed supplies to allied troops still battling pockets of stubborn Axis resistance. On May 7, 1945, Germany finally surrendered, thus transforming the 436 TCG's mission mainly into airlifting patients and prisoners of war and occasionally flying practice missions with French paratroops. On Nov. 15, 1945, the 436 TCG returned to the United States, and without much fan-fare, was inactivated and allotted to the Reserves. Between 1946 and 1958, the group experienced three more inactivations and activations into the Reserves in addition to being redesignated as the 436th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium (436 TCW (M)), in May 1949. 27 December 1965, was a significant date in the history of the 436th, on that date, the 436th Troop Carrier Wing was redesignated as the 436th Military Airlift Wing (436 MAW) and activated in conjunction with the creation of the Military Airlift Command (MAC). On 8 January 1966, the 436 MAW replaced the 1607th Air Transport Wing as the MAC host wing at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Shortly after its arrival at Dover, the newly created 436 MAW began a transition into the jet age, replacing its propeller-driven C-124 Globemaster II aircraft with the jet-powered C-141 Starlifter. During this transition, the 436 MAW received another chance to help out its old friends, the 101st Airborne Division, this time in Vietnam, during Operation EAGLE THRUST. Beginning on 28 December 1967, EAGLE THRUST called for the transport of more than 10,000 infantry troops and 5,000 tons of cargo from Fort Campbell, Kentucky directly to Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam. On 16 April 1971, the wing received its first C-5 Galaxy aircraft and began the phase out of the propeller-driven C-133 Cargomaster aircraft which had been part of the wing's inventory since 1966. Two years later, on 23 August 1973, the wing traded the last of its C-141 aircraft to Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, for C-5s. This move made the 436 MAW the only all C-5 equipped wing in the active Air Force, and allowed the wing to handle heavy, outsized cargo loads, which the C-141 could not. Powerful Support The 436 Military Airlift Wing quickly received a chance to test the worldwide airlift capability of their C-5s during Operation NICKLE GRASS. On 13 October 1973, the country of Israel called out for help when forces from neighboring Egypt and Syria attacked starting the Yom Kippur War. The 436 MAW responded with a 32-day airlift that delivered 22,305 tons of munitions and military equipment to Israel, which helped to quickly bring an end to the conflict. Aircrews successfully conducted the airlift without any in-flight refueling capability and the operation is considered by some to be the first operational test of the C-5 galaxy. (Click here to read a study of the operation prepared by previous 436 AW Historian, Sgt Clifford Sibley). Equipped with one of the world's largest transport aircraft, the 436 MAW continued to provide critical airlift support throughout the world and set records for carrying heavy loads and out-sized cargo. Some of the more memorable flights included; the airdrop and test firing of a Minuteman I, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, the delivery of a 40-ton super conducting magnet to Moscow, for which the crew received the 1977 Mackay Trophy. The wing won its second consecutive Mackay Trophy in 1978, for conducting the first C-5 airlift mission into Africa in support of efforts against rebel forces in Zaire. On 9 December 1978, members of the 436 MAW assisted in the evacuation of 140 Americans from Iran to Dover Air Fore Base, Delaware. In March 1989, wing C-5s delivered special equipment used to clean up the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound Alaska. On 7 June 1989, while attending the Airlift Rodeo, a 436 MAW C-5 set a world record when it airdropped 190,346 pounds and 73 paratroopers. Threats to world peace also kept the 436 MAW very busy. In October 1983, the wing supported URGENT FURY, the Grenada rescue operation by flying 24 missions, and in August 1989, the wing flew 16 missions in support of Operation JUST CAUSE, the invasion of Panama. On 2 August 1990, Iraqi forces, under the command of Saddam Hussein, invaded neighboring Kuwait in an attempt to seize the tiny country's vast oil reserves. Five days later, the United Nations responded and launched Operation DESERT SHIELD, a military build-up in the Persian Gulf Region to curtail further Iraqi aggression. Because of the 436 MAW's heavy airlift capability, the wing became a major player in this critical operation. During DESERT SHIELD, the wing flew approximately 17,000 flying hours and airlifted a total of 131,275 tons of cargo. Dover AFB became a major airlift hub and intermediate repair facility for C-5 aircraft participating in the operation. On 17 January 1991, Saddam Hussein failed to comply with the United Nations demand to withdraw from Kuwait and DESERT SHIELD transformed into Operation DESERT STORM. Again, the 436 MAW provided key airlift by flying over 13,650 hours in support of the war fighting effort, until the liberation of Kuwait on 28 February 1991. Dover personnel processed and hauled over 139,000 tons of cargo to support Operations DESERT STORM, DESERT EXPRESS and PROVIDE COMFORT, which shortly followed the end of the Gulf War. Later, the 436 MAW airlifted 580 tons of fire-fighting equipment to help extinguish the numerous oil field fires set by Iraqi forces as they retreated back into Iraq. Following the Gulf War, the Air Force reorganized and the Air Mobility Command (AMC) replaced MAC as the manager of America's airlift fleet. In conjunction with the reorganization, AMC leaders redesignated the 436 MAW as the 436th Airlift Wing (436 AW) on 1 December 1991. Since its inception, the 436th has consistently provided humanitarian airlift in times of disaster and military airlift when United States' forces were needed around the globe. Examples include: the airlifting of approximately 8,700 passengers and 7,800 tons of cargo, during 294 missions, to Somalia in 1992 for Operation RESTORE HOPE, and the airlift of humanitarian supplies to Rwanda for Operation SUPPORT HOPE in April 1994. In the support of world peace, the 436 AW participated in Operation RESTORE/UPHOLD Democracy, the invasion of Haiti, in September 1994 and supported Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR, the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords in war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina, in December 1995. On 9 November 1997, the wing began airlifting patriot missile batteries and elements of the 347th Air Expeditionary Wing to Southwest Asia to force Iraqi compliance with applicable United Nations Security Council Resolutions during Operation PHOENIX SCORPION. Later, PHOENIX SCORPION II, III, IV, and PHOENIX BACK followed up PHOENIX SCORPION throughout 1998. Lastly, the 436 AW supported Operation ALLIED FORCE, the bombing campaign designed to end Serb aggression in Kosovo, which began on 24 March 1999. The New Millennium The 21st Century brought many new opportunities for members of the 436th and 512th Airlift Wings*, along with civilians comprised the Dover Team to serve our nation. After September 11, the men and women assigned to both the 436th and 512th Airlift Wings played and integral role in Operations ENDURING and IRAQI FREEDOM (OEF) (OIF), on top of conducting normal day-to day operations. From September 2001 through December 2003, Dover C-5s were tasked with more than 850 airlift missions in support of OEF and OIF and despite the increased workload, Dover's maintenance crews accomplished quite a feat in July 2002, when it surpassed the 75 percent Mission Capable (MC) goal for the first time in six years! Dover aircrews flew the first C-5 expeditionary airlift missions into Kandahar, Afghanistan as well as landed C-5s into Baghdad International Airport--the first time since before the Gulf War. Personnel assigned to the 436th Aerial Port Squadron (APS) worked around-the-clock preparing, loading and transporting over 450,000 tons of equipment and more than 142,000 personnel in support of the Global War on Terrorism. APS personnel prepared pallets and tri-wall boxes used to airdrop humanitarian daily rations, blankets and other necessities to Afghan refugees affected by OEF. In January 2002, Airmen from the 436th and 512th Security Forces Squadrons departed Dover in support of detainee operations at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba. On a somber note, those assigned to Dover's Port Mortuary received and processed the remains of the victims of the September 11 attack on the Pentagon, those killed in support of OEF and OIF, as well as the seven Astronauts who perished in the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy. Although support of the war effort remained the largest component of Team Dover's mission focus, other important missions and milestones took place early in the 21st Century. Members of Team Dover continued to deploy to all areas of the globe in support of Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) humanitarian and higher headquarters requirements to include; the deployment of members of the 436th Security Forces Squadron to Salt Lake City, Utah to assist with security at the Winter Olympics; as well the transport of personnel and equipment from the Fairfax County (VA) Urban Search and Rescue Team to Bam, Iran following an earthquake that killed 30,000. Dover also supported more than 20 joint and multi-service exercises; such as the wing's participation in the C-5's first ever nighttime RED FLAG exercise where, during the two-week deployment, the aircraft maintained an unprecedented 100% reliability rate. In order to ensure unit readiness, the wing held more than 20 local exercises spanning the 2001 to 2003 timeframe culminating with the 436 AW earning an EXCELLENT rating after the Air Mobility Command Inspector General's Unit Compliance Inspection -- the first held in 10 years. The Dover Team served as goodwill ambassadors in May 2002, by hosting the Dover Air Force Base Open House and Air Show entitled, Stars and Stripes Warriors and Heroes. Over 150,000 people attended the event. On 1 October 2002, the 436 AW and other wings across the Air Force officially reorganized at the direction of Air Force Chief of Staff, General John P. Jumper. Major changes involved in the reorganization consisted of the establishment of a newly created maintenance group, the reassignment of aircraft maintenance functions from operations groups to maintenance groups, the merging of the supply and transportation squadrons to form the new 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron as well as the redesignation of the support group to the mission support group. In addition, the aircraft generation, component repair and logistics support squadrons were redesignated aircraft maintenance, maintenance operations and component maintenance squadrons. In May 2003, Colonel John I. Pray Jr., assumed command of the 436th Airlift Wing from Colonel Scott E. Wuesthoff. At the ceremony it was announced that the 436 AW had won the Lieutenant General Malcolm B. Armstrong Trophy, as the best wing in 21st Air Force! The 436th also won its 13th and 14th Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards for the 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002 and 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003 timeframes. Since 2000, the wing and it personnel had won over 170 awards. The Dover Team faced its share of challenges in 2003, to include: the President's Day snowstorm in which the roof of the aerial port collapsed halting operations, in addition to the evacuation of aircraft and personnel as a result of Hurricane Isabel in September. Construction abounded in 2003, with three grand reopenings; the first in July when the Patterson Dining facility resumed operations after being closed for six months, in October, the Air Mobility Command Museum once again became assessable to the general public after a new road and fence was completed isolating the facility from the rest of the base. Finally, in October 2003, the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs opened with more than 30 million dollars in renovations, new construction and equipment. The future holds many changes for the Dover Team to include the bed down of 13 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and the loss of 16 C-5s, as well as the continued support of the Global War on Terror. But as its rich heritage has shown, and with a reputation for tackling any challenge, the 436th Airlift Wing will be ready and able to lend "powerful support" to any situation that may lie ahead.