440th Airlift Wing - History

History

For additional lineage and history, see 440th Operations Group

The wing was activated as a Reserve Flying Training Group in 1947 at Minneapolis, Minn. Two years later, the unit’s mission changed and it was renamed the 440th Troop Carrier Wing. The wing’s remained in Minneapolis until November 1957 when it was transferred to the new Air Reserve Station in Milwaukee. After the move to Milwaukee, the 440th Troop Carrier Wing had the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar aircraft assigned to the wing.

The 440th Troop Carrier Wing was called to active duty for one month (October–November 1962) during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Milwaukee was a temporary home to some deployed nuclear capable B-47 Stratojets in during the crisis. Volunteer aircrews also supported military operations in the Dominican Republic in May 1965. Tragedy struck the wing on June 5, 1965 when a C-119 (Flight Number 680) under the command of Maj. Louis Giuntoli was lost without a trace in the infamous Bermuda Triangle area. Nine other wing members were on the plane.

Milwaukee reservists flew emergency supplies to snowbound Indian reservations in the western U.S. in December 1967. The 440th Troop Carrier Wing went through another name change in 1967 when it became the reserve 440th Tactical Airlift Wing. Wing personnel also flew equipment and supplies to Gulfport, Miss., in August 1969, after Hurricane Camille devastated the Gulf Coast. Wisconsin reservists efforts did not go unnoticed. The Air Force Association named the 440th as its Outstanding Reserve unit in 1963, 1964, 1966 and 1968.

The 440th in the 1970s

The decade began with a new unit being assigned to the 440th, the 928th Tactical Airlift Group in 1970. The relatively new name (Tactical Airlift Wing) and new unit (928th) were followed up with some more up-to-date equipment. The wing’s C-119s were replaced with C-130A Hercules transport planes in 1971.

Weather emergencies along the eastern U.S. coastline brought the 440th into action in February 1978. The wing flew more than 145 tons of equipment and supplies into several areas after severe blizzards brought life on the coast to a standstill.

The Air Force Reserve took on a new mission in 1979. In January of that year the 440th started a regular rotation with other Reserve and National Guard units that took them to Panama to support the operations of the U.S. Southern Command. Rotations to the Central American country lasted 2–3 weeks at a time.

The low point of the 1980s occurred on January 22, 1985 when C-130A (#56501) commanded by Maj. Mike Durante crashed in the sea off the northern coast of Honduras while trying to land at Trujillo, Honduras. The plane carried a seven-man crew and 14 passengers. There were no survivors.

The highlight of the 1980s was the arrival of factory fresh C-130H Hercules aircraft. The local Reserve Officers Association, the 440th Community Council and numerous civic leaders led the efforts to convince Washington authorities to equip the 440th with eight new C-130s. The appropriation was approved and the aircraft were delivered in 1989. The C-130As the wing had been flying were apparently not just old, but unique. One of the 440th’s C-130s was flown to Washington, D.C. and is now part of the Smithsonian’s aircraft collection. The first C-130H was dubbed “The Spirit of Wisconsin.”

The wing’s continuing record of outstanding performance was recognized in 1987 with the award of the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

The 95th TAS began the decade with honors when it was named the Best in AFRES with the award of the Grover Loening Trophy in 1990. Elements of the 440th were part of Operations Desert Shield in 1990 and Desert Storm in 1991. Aircraft, flight crews, maintenance specialists and a variety of support specialists deployed to operating locations in several Persian Gulf States where they provided airlift support to U.S. and coalition military forces. The aircraft and personnel were drawn from the wing’s units at Selfridge ANGB, Mich. (927th TAG), General Mitchell IAP-ARS (95th TAS) and O’Hare IAP, Chicago (928th TAG). The 927th performed the wing’s first tactical re-supply mission as part of Operation Desert Storm. The 440th Medical Squadron was activated in January 1991 and was deployed to Germany in anticipation of large numbers of casualties, which thankfully never occurred.