Town hall to discuss reactivating 440th at MSP

  • Published
  • By Col. Timothy Wollmuth
  • 934th Airlift Wing
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL AIR RESERVE STATION, Minn. --  Does this patch look familiar to you? Did you know that after World War II, the 440th Troop Carrier Group returned to the United States for deactivation only to be reactivated 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 Reserve Troop Carrier Wing. The patch you see is the earliest official heraldry of the wing which remained in Minneapolis until November 1957 when it was transferred to Milwaukee, Wis.

Did you know that the support detachments of the 440th Airlift Wing, which remained in Minneapolis following the 440th move to Milwaukee, became the 934th Tactical Airlift Group in the early 1960s? Even following the activation of the 934 TAG, the 440th Tactical Airlift Wing remained the parent wing of Minneapolis until 1978.

Did you know that the 934th Airlift Wing was not activated until 1994? In 1994 the Air Force reorganized the Air Force from top to bottom, creating the Air Mobility Command, the Air Combat Command and others, replacing the Military Airlift Command , the Tactical Air Command, and Strategic Air Command, etc.

Why does this matter? The 440th’s origins go back to 1943 at Baer Field, near Ft. Wayne, Indiana. The 440th Troop Carrier Group had 52 C-47s Skytrain transports (“Gooney Birds”) and a number of Waco gliders assigned to the 95th (Flying Badgers - Minneapolis/Milwaukee/ Pope), 96th (Flying Vikings-Minneapolis), 97th (C-17s at McChord) and 98th (retired) Troop Carrier Squadrons.

The unit’s first operational training was done at Alliance Army Air Base, Neb. and at Pope Field, Fort Bragg, N.C. It was at Fort Bragg that the 440th first practiced with live paratroopers from the 82nd and 17th Airborne Divisions.

In 1944, the 440th eventually reached Exeter, England, the base from which the 440th took off for the invasion of France in June of 1944. The 440th’s first operational airdrop mission was the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry and two platoons of Company C, 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division, from 45 C-47s at 0143 GMT on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The men of the 440th also participated in Southeastern Holland for Operation Market Garden, also known as the “Bridge Too Far Mission,” the invasion of Southern France, the aerial re-supply of the 101st Airborne Division surrounded in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and the airborne crossing of the Rhine River near Wesel, Germany in 1945.

The 440th is currently deactivating at Pope Air Force Base. This is an opportunity for us to bring the “North Star Wing” back to Minnesota. Come out to the 934th Services Club, Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. to learn more about our shared rich heritage with the 440th and discuss re-activating the 440th in Minneapolis.

This idea does not change the 934th unit mission, equipment or manpower in any way. Pizza and salad will be provided (donations accepted) and drinks available for purchase. See you on Aug. 8 at 6 p.m.!