96th Airlift Squadron
military unit
The 96th Airlift Squadron is part of the 934th Airlift Wing at Minneapolis-St Paul Joint Air Reserve Station, Minnesota. It operates Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission worldwide. The unit has supported the conflicts of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War and has helped prove the concept of a reliable and ready airlift reserve fleet of the United States Air Force.
Mission
Fly Lockheed C-130H Hercules cargo aircraft, both airdropping and air landing cargo and people.
History
World War II
The squadron was activated in July 1943 as an I Troop Carrier Command Douglas C-47 Skytrain Squadron. After training in the United States, at various bases, it was sent to Baer Field, Indiana for final equipping with aircraft, personnel, and other equipment. It was then deployed to IX Troop Carrier Command in February 1944 during the build-up prior to the invasion of France.
During the D-Day Invasion, the squadron dropped paratroops of the 101st Airborne Division in Normandy, subsequently flying numerous missions to bring in reinforcements and needed supplies. During the airborne attack on The Netherlands (Operation Market Garden, September 1944), the squadron dropped paratroops, towed gliders, and flew resupply missions. Later participated in the invasion of southern France in August 1944.
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This entry incorporates text from “96th Airlift Squadron” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.