944th Fighter Wing: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=MarchAugust 20122020}}

After May 1959, the reserve flying force consisted of 45 troop carrier squadrons assigned to 15 troop carrier wings.<ref group=note>There were an additional four rescue squadrons not assigned to the wings. Cantwell, p. 156</ref> The squadrons were not all located with their parent wings, but were spread over thirty-five Air Force, Navy and civilian airfields under what was called the Detached Squadron Concept. The concept offered several advantages. Communities were more likely to accept the smaller [[squadron (aviation)|squadrons]] than the large [[wing (military aviation unit)|wings]] and the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate recruiting and manning.<ref>Cantwell, pp. 156, 169</ref> However, under this concept, all support organizations were located with the wing headquarters.<ref>Cantwell, p. 156</ref> Although this was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during the [[Berlin Crisis of 1961]]. To resolve this, at the start of 1962, [[Continental Air Command]], (ConAC) determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing groups with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed.<ref>Cantwell, pp. 189-191189–191</ref>

As a result, the '''944th Troop Carrier Group''' was established at [[March Air Force Base]], California on 17 January 1963 as the headquarters for the [[730th Troop Carrier Squadron]], which had been stationed there since October 1960.<ref name=Maurer730BS>Maurer, pp. 725-726725–726</ref> Along with group [[headquarters]], a Combat Support Squadron, Materiel Squadron and a Tactical Infirmary were organized to support the 729th. The group was equipped with [[Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar]]s for [[Tactical Air Command]] airlift operations.

The group was one of four C-119 groups assigned to the [[452d Troop Carrier Wing]] in 1963. The others were the [[942d Troop Carrier Group|942d]] and [[943d Troop Carrier Group]]s, also at March, and the [[945th Troop Carrier Group]] at [[Hill Air Force Base]], Utah.

The 944th was the first [[Air Force Reserve]] fighter unit to fly operational missions with the coalition task force over Northern Iraq in support of Provide Comfort II in 1992-19931992–1993. The unit flew 1,090 hours or 308 sorties with only one sortie lost due to maintenance.

* [[Lockheed F-35 Lightning II]], 2016- present2016–present

* {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II|origyear=1969|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf|edition= reprint|year=1982|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-405-12194-6|oclc=72556|lccn=70605402|pages= }}

* {{cite book|last=Ravenstein|first=Charles A.|title=Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977|url=https://archive.org/details/airforcecombatwi0000rave|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-12-9|pages=|url-access=registration}}