537th Airlift Squadron


The 537th Airlift Squadron is an inactive squadron of the United States Air Force. The unit was last active at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Alaska, where it was inactivated on 13 September 2013.
The squadron was first established during World War II as the 537th Fighter Squadron. It served as a Replacement Training Unit for Republic P-47 Thunderbolt pilots until it was disbanded in a major reorganization of the Army Air Forces in 1944 designed to streamline training organizations.
In 1952, the squadron was redesignated as the 537th Troop Carrier Squadron, and activated at Atterbury Air Force Base to replace elements of the 923d Reserve Training Wing. The following year the squadron was inactivated and replaced at Atterbury by the 73d Troop Carrier Squadron.
The unit was activated again in Viet Nam as a C-7 Caribou squadron assigned to the 483d Tactical Airlift Wing the squadron was awarded three Presidential Unit Citations for its actions during the Viet Nam War.
In 2011, the unit was re-activated and designated the 537th Airlift Squadron.

History

World War II

The squadron was first established as the 537th Fighter Squadron and was activated in November 1943 at Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, as one of the four original squadrons of the 87th Fighter Group. The squadron began operations with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts as a Replacement Training Unit. RTUs were oversized units which trained aircrews prior to their deployment to combat theaters and assignment to an operational group. In January 1944, the squadron and the 546th Fighter Squadron moved to Millville Army Air Field, New Jersey, and the 87th group's headquarters and other squadrons transferred to Camp Springs Army Air Field, Maryland.
However, the Army Air Forces found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. while the groups and squadrons acting as RTUs were disbanded or inactivated. This resulted in the squadron being disbanded in the spring of 1944 and being replaced by the 135th AAF Base Unit, which assumed its mission, personnel, and equipment.

Air Force Reserves

In 1952 the squadron was redesignated as the 537th Troop Carrier Squadron, became part of the newly constituted 87th Troop Carrier Wing under the wing base organization system, and was activated at Atterbury Air Force Base. The 87th Wing replaced the 923d Reserve Training Wing at Atterbury when reserve flying operations resumed there. The squadron operated Curtiss C-46 Commandos to train reservists. In February 1953 the 434th Troop Carrier Group was released from active duty and activated in the reserves, and its 73d Troop Carrier Squadron assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of the 537th.

Vietnam War

The squadron was activated in 1967, and took over DeHavilland Canada C-7A Caribou aircraft that were formerly operated by the 17th Aviation Company of the U.S. Army in South Vietnam, adopting the tactical airlift mission. The squadron initially maintained a detachment at An Khe, which had been the 17th's base. It operated from Phù Cát Air Base. The 537th earned a Navy Presidential Unit Citation, as well as an Air Force Presidential Unit Citation for airlift support of Khe Sanh and other forward bases from January to May 1968. It earned a second Air Force Presidential Unit Citation for action between April and June 1970 when it participated in the aerial resupply of Dak Seang Special Forces Camp, evacuation of over 2000 refugees from Cambodia, and transportation of the Presidential Southeast Asia Investigation Team to various remote locations in South Vietnam.

Alaska

The squadron was redesignated as the 537th Airlift Squadron and activated at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska in 2011 to augment the 144th Airlift Squadron of the Alaska Air National Guard. Its primary mission was to support Army airborne forces training. The squadron was inactivated due to cuts in the Department of Defense budget resulting from sequestration.

Lineage

Capt John C. Yancey, 6 October 1943 – 10 April 1944; Lt Col Charles C. Smith, 1 January 1967; Lt Col John F. Yelton, c. Apr 1967; Lt Col Harold J. Zweifel, 22 May 1967; Lt Col Robert C. Olson, c. Jul 1967; Lt Col Gayle C. Wolf, 1 May 1968; Lt Col George C. Marvin, 18 February 1969; Lt Col Donald J. MacFarren, 14 November 1969; Lt Col Walter H. Perris, c. Jun 1970; Lt Col Ray Barton, 16 November 1979 – c. Aug 1971

Aircraft

Campaign StreamerCampaignDatesNotes
Vietnam Air Offensive1 January 1967 – 8 March 1967537th Troop Carrier Squadron
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II9 March 1967 – 31 March 1968537th Troop Carrier Squadron
Vietnam Air/Ground22 January 1968 – 7 July 1968537th Tactical Airlift Carrier Squadron
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III1 April 1968 – 31 October 1968537th Tactical Airlift Carrier Squadron
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV1 November 1968 – 22 February 1969537th Tactical Airlift Carrier Squadron
Tet 1969/Counteroffensive23 February 1969 – 8 June 1969537th Tactical Airlift Carrier Squadron
Vietnam Summer-Fall 19699 June 1969 – 31 October 1969537th Tactical Airlift Carrier Squadron
Vietnam Winter-Spring 19703 November 1969 – 30 April 1970537th Tactical Airlift Carrier Squadron
Sanctuary Counteroffensive1 May 1970 – 30 June 1970537th Tactical Airlift Carrier Squadron
Southwest Monsoon1 July 1970 – 30 November 1970537th Tactical Airlift Carrier Squadron
Commando Hunt V1 December 1970 – 14 May 1971537th Tactical Airlift Carrier Squadron
Commando Hunt VI15 May 1971 – 31 July 1971537th Tactical Airlift Carrier Squadron