1501st Air Transport Wing


The 1501st Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit, being inactivated on 8 January 1966.
The 1501st Air Transport Wing was a heavy cargo transport wing of the Military Air Transport Service, formed on 1 June 1948. The unit was originally designated as the 530th Air Transport Wing and assigned to the MATS Pacific Division. The wing was stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California.
The 1501st was discontinued on 8 January 1966 as part of the replacement of MATS by Military Airlift Command. Its aircraft, personnel and equipment were transferred to the Military Airlift Command 60th Military Airlift Wing, which was activated at Travis the same day.

History

Established on 1 June 1948 concurrent with the activation of the Military Air Transport Service; assumed responsibility for mission previously carried out by the Air Transport Command by transporting cargo and personnel to destinations within Far East Air Force and to the Continental United States.
Also operated MATS West Coast's aerial embarkation and debarkation point. C-118 Liftmasters and C-121 Constellations were common sights in the 1950s, while C-135 Stratolifters and C-141 Starlifters were used in the 1960 for passenger transport, mostly to destinations in Southeast Asia or Japan. Many soldiers, sailors, airmen or marines returned to the United States from the Vietnam War via the Travis Aerial Port.
The 530th Air Transport Group was organized from a consolidation of the Air Transport Command Eastern Pacific Wing and Naval Air Transport Squadrons. Its first commander was Brigadier General Harold Q. Huglin. It was initially equipped with four squadrons of C-54 Skymasters that could reach the Continental US, but required intermediate stopovers along the Pacific Transport Routes to stations as far as Pakistan. However, the demands of the Berlin Airlift for C-54s led to two of the group's squadrons being deployed to Germany in July 1948. Unit was redesignated as 1501st Air Transport Wing in October 1948 and assigned transport squadrons were also redesignated in a MATS reorganization.
In May 1949, Fairfield-Suisun was realigned from MATS to Strategic Air Command jurisdiction, and all of the Wing's squadrons were reassigned to the 1500 ATW at Hickam AFB on 30 June. Wing was reduced to a group level and operated an Aeromedical Transport Squadron.
In 1953, large-scale MATS operations were resumed when five C-97 Stratofreighter squadrons were activated. Returned to wing status in 1955. C-97 squadrons reduced to four in 1955 due to finding reductions. 75th & 85th ATS replaced C-97s with C-124 Globemaster IIs in 1957. 84th ATS re-equipped with C-133 Cargomasters in 1957. 47th ATS reassigned from Hickam in 1957 with C-97s.
22d Air Force arrived from Kelly AFB, TX, 25 June 1958 and the base's primary mission reverted to global airlift activities when MATS resumed jurisdiction. 1501 ATW was also reassigned to the Western Transport Air Force on 1 July 1958. Both 47th and 55th ATS inactivated in 1960, C-97s reassigned to reserves.
44th ATS activated in 1961 with jet C-135 Stratolifters. 86th ATW activated in 1963 with extended-range MATS C-130E Hercules. The 1501st ATW was inactivated on 8 January 1966 as part of the inactivation of MATS, its aircraft, personnel and equipment being assigned to the Military Airlift Command 60th Military Airlift Wing.

Major airlifts

; Operational Group
; Operational Squadrons