1st Troop Carrier Group (Provisional)

The 1st Troop Carrier Group (Provisional) was a United States Air Force unit formed in Japan shortly after the beginning of the Korean War to augment the airlift capability of Far East Air Forces. The unit discontinued in early 1951 following the arrival in theater of reserve units that had been mobilized for the war.

History
The 1st Troop Carrier Group was organized as a provisional unit at Ashiya Air Base, Japan on 26 August 1950, although it immediately moved to Tachikawa Air Base, from which it and its three squadrons operated until it was discontinued. The group was under the operational control of the 1st Troop Carrier Task Force (Provisional), but was attached to the 374th Troop Carrier Wing at Tachikawa for support. Personnel and equipment drawn from Thirteenth Air Force in the Philippines, Twentieth Air Force on Guam and Far East Air Materiel Command in Japan were used to man the group.

Using Curtiss C-46 Commandos (and briefly Douglas C-47 Skytrains) the group began airlifting freight and passengers between Japan and Korea on 2 September 1950. The group transported a United States Marine Corps unit to Pyongyang, North Korea on 25 and 26 November, then flew emergency air evacuations from Sinanju (K-29) and other forward bases as the Chinese advanced. Pressure from advancing advancing Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) required the evacuation of X Corps from North Korea. The pressure from the PLA made evacuation by sea without augmentation by airlift impractical. On 14 December, air evacuation of X Corps from Yonpo Airfield (K-27) began. The air evacuation ended three days later, when X Corps was no longer able to secure Yonpo. The evacuating crews maintained a twenty-four hour operation with airplanes taking off every five minutes in what was usually bad weather. Aircrews had to assist with the loading of their planes to speed departures. The fatigue brought on by these operations ultimately resulted in the hospitalization of a number of group pilots.

Leaving Kimpo Air Base (K-14) on 4 January 1951, the group was discontinued on 25 January. This was part of a reorganization of airlift units in Far East Air Force in which provisional units, such as the group, which used equipment and personnel of other units on a temporary basis, were replaced by permanent units.

Many of the group's personnel transferred to the 86th Troop Carrier Squadron, which was activated in its place and which was assigned to the 437th Troop Carrier Group, a reserve unit that had been mobilized for the war and which had moved to Brady Air Base, Japan in November 1950. In its five months of operation, the group carried over 28,000 passengers, 7,000 air evacuees, and almost 12,000 tons of cargo.

Lineage

 * Designated by Far East Air Forces as the 1st Troop Carrier Group (Provisional), Medium and organized on 26 August 1950
 * Redesignated Troop Carrier Group, Medium No. 1 (Provisonal)
 * Discontinued on 25 January 1951

Assignments

 * 1st Troop Carrier Task Force (Provisional) (attached to 374th Troop Carrier Wing), 26 August 1950
 * Far East Combat Cargo Command (Provisional) (attached to 374th Troop Carrier Wing), c. 10 September 50 – 25 January 1951

Components

 * 46th Troop Carrier Squadron (Provisional), 26 August 1950 – 6 October 1950
 * 47th Troop Carrier Squadron (Provisional), 26 August 1950 – 25 January 1951
 * 48th Troop Carrier Squadron (Provisional), 26 August 1950 – 10 January 1951

Stations

 * Ashiya Air Base, Japan, 26 August 1950
 * Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, 26 August 1950 – 25 January 1951

Aircraft

 * Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1950-1951
 * Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1950

Commanders

 * Col. Cecil H. Childre, 26 August 1950 – 21 October 1950
 * Lt. Col. Edward H. Nigro, 21 October 1950 – 25 January 1951