315th Air Division
Activated
at the height of the Korean War on January 10, 1951 during a
reorganization of Far East Air Forces troop carrier resources, 315th
Air Division replaced the FEAF Combat Cargo Command. Commanded by Major General John R. "Jock" Henebry, the division was
initially headquartered at Ashiya AB, Japan but transferred to Fuchu
within a few weeks. General Henebry was a World War II hero who had
flown light and medium bomber "strafers" in the Southwest Pacific where
he became well-acquainted with the troop carrier efforts of the 54th
Troop Carrier Wing. Leaving the service at the end of WW II, General
Henebry joined the reserves and came to Korea as commander of the 437th
Troop Carrier Wing, which had been based at O'Hare Field outside
Chicago. Two of Henebry's close friends from the 3rd Attack Group, Dick
Ellis and Chuck Howe, would command the division in it's later history
during the Vietnam War. During the Korean War 315th was the command
headquarters for all troop carrier operations between Japan and Korea
and elsewhere in the Far East. Assigned units included the 374th Troop
Carrier Wing, which operated C-47s and C-54s, the 437th TCW, which flew
C-46s and the 314th Troop Carrier Group, a Tactical Air Command TDY
unit from Sewart AFB, Tennessee which flew C-119s as did the 403rd
Troop Carrier Wing, which joined the division in 1952. In 1952
the 437th was replaced by the 315th Troop Carrier Wing and the TAC TDY
unit was replaced by the 483rd Troop Carrier Wing. In addition to the
troop carrier wings and groups, 315th also included an air terminal
unit which operated air terminals throughout the Far East. In 1952 the
374th TCW recieved two squadrons of giant Douglas C-124 Globemasters.
During the Korean War 315th was responsible for logistical operations
between Japan and Korea and within Korea and maintained air routes over
which C-46s, C-54s and C-119s - and later, C-124s - transported cargo
and personnel. The division's C-47s operated primarily within South
Korea. Division C-46s and C-119s made direct deliveries to ground
units in the field by parachute. Air evacuation of casualties from
Korea to hospitals in Japan was also an important 315th AD
responsibility. Lessons learned during the Korean War were incorporated
into the design of the new C-130 transport that was then under
development by Lockheed Aircraft.
As the war in Korea wound down
to a stalemate, a new crisis developed in French Indo-China where the
French were battling Communist guerrillas. President Dwight Eisenhower
felt the US should come to the aid of the French and authorized the
diversion of USAF C-47s to French control and also authorized the use
of 315th Air Division C-119s "on loan" to France when necessary. The
arrangement led to a new mission as 315th provided aircraft with French
markings and trained French and American civilian pilots employed by
Civil Air Transport, an American company with close connections to the
new Central Intelligence Agency, to fly them. 315th Air Division
maintained a relationship with CAT and Air America, it's parent
company, until the division was inactivated in 1969. When the French
role in Indochina ended in defeat at Dien Bien Phu, 315th C-124s and
C-54s airlifted returning French POWs to Japan, where they boarded MATS
and TAC transports for the flight to their homeland.
After the
Korean War, 315th moved to Tachikawa AB, where it remained for the rest
of its history. Two troop carrier wings, the 374th at Tachikawa with
C-47s, C-54s and C-124s, and the 483rd at Ashiya with C-119s were
assigned to the division along with the 7th Aerial Port Squadron and
the 5th Communications Group. The 6485th Operations Squadron joined the
division in the mid-1950s to provide air evacuation throughout the Far
East.
A reorganization of USAF airlift in 1958 resulted in the
deactivation of the 374th and the transfer of it's two C-124 squadrons,
the 6th and 22nd Troop Carrier Squadrons to MATS. The 6th would
eventually transfer to Hickam but the 22nd remained in Japan and
although it had become part of MATS, the squadron's airplanes remained
under the operational control of 315th. The division itself reported
directly to Pacific Air Forces headquarters at Hickam through
PACAF's Western Transportation Office. The 21st TCS remained under
315th as a special unit responsible for providing airplanes and crews
to support CIA-sponsored operations in the Pacific. In 1958 the
division began replacing its C-119s with the new Lockheed C-130
Hercules, and the 21st TCS transferred to Naha AB, Okinawa. Two
squadrons of the 483rd TCW at Ashiya, the 815th and 817th, replaced
their C-119s with new C-130s. As the transition was beginning, Chinese
Communist forces began shelling the Nationalist-held islands of Quemoy
and Matsu, and 315th was tasked with the movement of air and ground
combat untis to Formosa from elsewhere in the Pacific. Additional
airlift capability was provided by TDY TAC C-130 squadrons sent to
Japan from Ardmore AFB, Oklahoma and Sewart AFB, Tennesseee.
Ashiya AB closed in 1960 and the 483rd wing inactivated, with the
wing's two squadrons transferring to Tachikawa where the 815th moved
and Naha where the 817th joined the 21st TCS. All three squadrons reported directly to 315th AD. A special fifth flight
was set up within the 21st TCS to continue the squadron's former
mission of providing airplanes for CIA use, particularly in Tibet where
the US was clandestinely supporting Tibetan guerrillas combating
Chinese troops. The world's attention was focused on Southeast Asia and
while 315th continued operations into South Korea, flights into South
Vietnam and Thailand became more frequent. In 1958 315th C-119s were
sent to Thailand to airdrop road-building equipment into Laos in order
to influence national elections. Civil war broke out in Laos in 1962
and although US combat forces remained absent from the conflict, 315th
AD was heavily involved by providing airlift of cargo to the region
while the 21st TCS' E Flight provided airplanes flown by CAT crews for
deliveries into Laos itself. The division was also heavily involved
supporting the US missions to South Vietnam and Thailand, and when
President John F. Kennedy decided to increase the US mission to South
Vietnam, 315th received a TAC TDY squadron of Fairchild C-123s from
Pope AFB, NC under Project MULE TRAIN and TAC C-130 squadrons were sent to Naha. 315th operations and
communciations personnel set up Trasnportation Movement Centers (TMC)
throughout Southeast Asia to control the division's C-130s and C-124s
and the TDY TAC C-123s and C-130s.
In 1963 a fourth C-130 squadron was sent to PACAF as the 345th TCS left
Sewart and transferred to Naha where it became the 35th Troop Carrier
Squadron. A new unit, the 6315th Operations Group, was activated at
Naha as the headquarters unit for the three Naha squadrons. The 815th
at Tachikawa continued to report directly to 315th Air Division
Headquarters. In 1963 General Richard "Dick" Ellis took command of the
division. All theater airlift operations in the Western Pacific were
the responsibility of 315th, including intra-theater operations within
Southeast Asia. A transportation movement control center was set up in
Saigon as part
of Second Air Division, but was maintained by 315th. To handle air
freight and passenger processing, 8th Aerial Port Squadron was set up
in Saigon with detachments throughout South Vietnam. When a need for
additional aerial port squadrons was needed in South Vietnam, the 2nd
Aerial Port Group moved to Saigon. As operations in
Southeast Asia continued to escalate, 6th Aerial Port was set up in
Thailand with headquarters at Bangkok. The division's four C-130
squadrons were supplemented by TAC C-130 squadrons sent on TDY in
reponse to various crisis situations, such as when flooding in South
Vietnam increased the division's workload.
Although 315th was officially a combat cargo organization, its
responsibility included a number of classified missions, some of which
were only peripherally transport. Project HIGH GEAR was a nuclear
mission that provided 315th aircraft and crews on alert to move nuclear
weapons to forward locations in the event of all-out war. Propaganda
operations against Communist countries in Asia were carried out
throughout the 1950s and when the 35th TCS arrived at Naha, it was
tasked with developing a leaflet delivery method to support the US
Army's 7th Psychological Warfare Group on Okinawa. Although the 35th is
recorded as having been given the mission in late 1963, operations with
C-130s did not begin until early 1965 and missions were flown in the
interim using C-47s. No explanation is given for the delay, but an
unidentified USAF transport identified only as an "LT" was shot down by
North Korean fighters just off the coast of North Korea on August 6,
1963 and is believed to have been a C-130. In April 1964 PACAF began
reconnaissance operations over Laos, and there are indications that
315th C-130s began night operations with flares at the same time. Later
that year the 6315th Operations Group began operations in the BARREL
ROLL area of Laos, with the first acknowledged missions flown in
November. It is possible - even probable - that Naha C-130 crews had
begun flare operations even earlier in support of WATER PUMP T-28s that
were sent to Thailand to support of Laotian Royalist forces
during the Laoation Civil War. By April 1965 315th was maintaining a
detachment at Da Nang for FAC/Flare missions over Laos and North
Vietnam. A sapper attack in July resulted in the destruction of two
C-130As and a C-130B that happened to be at Da Nang on a cargo mission.
The following spring the flare mission from Da Nang was discontinued
and the airplanes and crews moved to Ubon. Thailand where FAC/Flare
missions continued and were still in operation when 315th inactivated.
The Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964 led to a reinforcement of
PACAF tactical forces including two squadrons of C-130s that began
rotations to Clark AB, Philippines and Naha under Project ONE BUCK.
From then on there were always TAC rotational C-130 squadrons under
315th AD control. The TDY C-123 force was increased to two squadrons in
early 1962 and in 1963 was replaced by the permanent assignment of four
squadrons of C-123s to the 315th Air Commando Group, which activated at
Tan Son Nhut. Although the new unit carried the "air commando"
designation, it was actually a troop carrier unit assigned to 315th Air
Division. In April 1965 President Lyndon Johnson ordered the ROLLING
THUNDER campaign against North Vietnam and additional TAC squadrons
were sent to the Far East under Project TWO BUCK, including two more
C-130 squadrons. Shortly after their arrival 315th C-130s and C-124s
airlifted the first US combat troops to South Vietnam, the first being
a USMC Hawk anti-aircraft missile battalion that was sent to Da Nang.
They were followed by the 173rd Airborne Regiment which was moved to
Bien Hoa, then 315th airlifted elements of the 1st Marine Division from
Okinawa to Da Nang. USAF units were moving to the Pacific on such a
regular basis that when a fifth TAC C-130 squadron from Pope AFB, NC
went to Mactan Island in the Philippines, the movement was designated
as SIXTEEN BUCK.
In Dember 1965 Headquarters USAF permanently transferred a number of
TAC units to the Far East, including eight squadrons of C-130s and two
wings. The 314th Troop Carrier Wing moved from Sewart AFB, Tennessee
along with the 50th TCS and eventually ended up on Taiwan at Ching
Chang Kuan Air Base, more commonly referred to as simply "CCK." Two
more squadrons of C-130Es were transferred, one each from Dyess AFB,
Texas (345th) and Pope AFB, NC (776th) to join the 314th. The entire
463rd TCW transferred from Langley AFB, Virginia with the headquarters
and two squadrons of C-130Bs, the 772nd and 774th, moving to Mactan
while the 773rd went to Clark where it was joined in early 1966 by the
29th TCS, a new C-130 that transferred from Forbes AFB, Kansas. A fifth
squadron of C-130As, the 41st TCS, transferred to Naha where it joined
the 6315th Operations Group in December 1965. With the transfers, 315th
now included 12 squadrons of C-130s and four of C-123s along with the
6485th Ops Squadron which operated C-118s on air evacuation flights. In
addition, the division had operational control over MATS 22nd TCS and
it's C-124s. General Ellis returned to the US and was replaced by his
and Jock Henebry;s good friend, Col. Charles W. Howe. Col. Howe came to
Tachikawa from the Pentagon where he was chief of USAF Air Police but
his background all the way back to the Korean War was in troop carrier
and in C-130s. He had most recently commanded the 322nd Air Division in
Europe until it was transferred to MATS control. Prior to that he had
been at Sewart.
In June 1965 315th became responsible for a permanent C-130 rotation in
South Vietnam and later that year would replace a C-123 mission in
Thailand with C-130s. Previously, 315th C-130s had operated in South
Vietnam both as needed and on "SEA Trainer" missions out of Saigon. The
C-130 presence became permanent with the establishment of a rotation at
Tan Son Nhut and by the end of the year 315th was providing C-130s and
crews to rotational units at Vung Tau and Cam Ranh Bay as well. In May
1966 the 6315th Operations Group began a rotation to Cam Ranh and the
Vung Tau operation moved to Nha Trang while the C-130Bs from the 463rd
remained at Saigon. As the Vietnam War escalated with the introduction
of American ground combat troops, 315th Air Division became
increasingly involved in the combat role. While logistical support of
the widespread US and South Vietnamese facilities throughout the
country would remain a major mission, the C-123s and C-130s assumed
more of a tactical role as well. Experiments with Vietnamese airborne
operations using C-123s in 1963 and 1964 had been less than successful,
but support of remote bases depended on airlift. The lack of a
developed road and railroad infrastructure in South Vietnam combined
with the lack of control of the countryside led to the use of airlift
to transport nearly all of the passengers and a large portion of the
cargo that was moved throughout the country. In October 1965 the first
major engagement between US and South Vietnamese troops in the Battle
of the Ia Drang Valley convinced the US Army that it was not capable of
supporting it's new air mobile division with its own resources as the
1st Cavalry Divisions helicopters and fixed wing Dehavilland CV2
Caribous were unable to deliver the quantities of fuel and ammunition
needed to support the troops in the field. A single C-130 could
transport as much fuel as four Caribous or two C-123s, and the Army
decided that its future ground operations would be built around Air
Force airlift support. As a result of the lessons learned, the Army
agreed to transfer all of its Caribous to the Air Force in return for
concessions related to future transport helicopter development.
The increased American presence in Southeast Asia led to the activation
of Seventh Air Force in Saigon to control all Air Force operations in
South Vietnam and in the skies over North Vietnam and Laos, including
airlift. The 834th Air Division, a former TAC fighter division,
transferred to Saigon to become the responsible agency for all airlift
operations in South Vietnam. The 315th Air Commando Group and 8th
Aerial Port, which had been elevated to a group, transferred to 834th,
which also recieved the 483rd Troop Carrier Wing when it was
reactivated to control the former Army Caribous which came into the
Air Force as the C-7A. All PACAF C-130s remained under 315th, as did
the 6485th Operations Squadron, which maintained air evacuation routes
throughout the Western Pacfic, including within South Vietnam. As the
parent organization for the three C-130 wings assigned to PACAF, 315th
was responsible for providing airplanes, flight crews and maintenance
personnel for the C-130 operating locations in Vietnam and for
operating the C-130 mission in Thailand, which was not under 7th Air
Force control. The reorganization also included the upgrading of the
6315th Operations Group Headquarters to wing status as the 374th
Troop Carrier Wing reactivated to replace it. The C-130 operating
locations in South Vietnam became detachments of 834th Air Division,
but were staffed by 315th AD personnel on TDY status. Crews and
airplanes went to Southeast Asia on 16-day rotations for what came to
be known as "shuttles." On July 1, 1967
the familiar troop carrier designation was replaced by Air Force
directive with the new designation of "tactical airlift." The reason
for the change was given as that the new designation more closely
reflected the actual mission of the former troop carrier units.
The year 1968 was a momentus one for 315th Air Division as division
aircrews performed heroically in response to North Vietnam's increased
role in the war in South Vietnam and the introduction of more powerful
antiaircraft weapons and artillery. Reinforced by TAC C-130 squadrons
for the first time since the transfer of the TAC squadrons in late 1965
and early 1966, the C-130 force achieved true heroic status during the
resupply of the besieged USMC base at Khe Sanh and during the
evacuation of the CIDG camp at Kham Duc during which several 315th
officers earned the prestigious Air Force Cross.
As the Military Airlift Command became more capable with the
introduction of the jet C-141 Starlifter, it assumed more and more of
the intertheater airlift role in the Western Pacific, a role that had
previously belonged to 315th Air Division. MAC was given responsibility
for transporting cargo from Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines to
Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the region. As MAC became responsible
for the intertheater airlift mission, 315ths role diminished and since
it's primary mission had become providing C-130s to 834th Air Division,
Headquarters USAF decided there was no longer a need for its existence.
315th deactivated on April 15, 1969 and its assets transferred to the
numbered Air Force in whose region of responsibility they were assigned.
Note - A collection of 315th Air Division "The Airlifter" newspaper
that was presented to Vietnam editor Airman First Class Marion L. Ray
at the time of his departure from the division in August 1968 was
copied and made available to interested parties a few years ago. This
collection of newspapers cover the time period from May 1966-1968, one
of the most tumultus times in 315th history. The
TCTAA is considering how to best make these newspapers available again.
If you are interested in purchasing a copy, contact Sam McGowan at
semcgowanjr@aol.com.
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374th Troop Carrier Wing History