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Assignment of C-130A aircraft at Everux-Fauville AB, France.


Dutch
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Ok old timers I need an answer on this.

When the C-130A aircraft arrived at Evreux AB, FR, were they assigned to the 317th TCW or the 322nd AD.

When I got there all of the aircraft forms said 317th Cams.

While I was there (1962-1964) I heard that the aircraft had been assigned to the 317th TCW prior to the 322nd AD.

Is this true or not?

Thanks in advance.

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Fritz,

Here is what I have.

317th Troop Carrier Wing.

On 14 April 1956 the 317th Troop Carrier Wing was relocated from Neubiberg AB Germany to Evreux. The newly-formed West German Air Force needed Neubiberg as a fighter base which necessitated the transfer of the wing to France. By 16 April 1957 the relocation was complete, being equipped with new C-130A "Hercules" cargo transport aircraft.

In March 1957, the 317th was inactivated along with the 465th TCW, with the aircraft and personnel coming under the command of HQ USAFE. In September 1958 the flying squadrons were assigned directly to the 322nd Air Division.

322nd Air Division

The 322nd Air Division (Combat Cargo) was the main host unit at Evreux AB, being established on 12 August 1955 and remaining until 1 April 1964. The 322nd AD was composed of the 39th, 40th, and 41st Troop Carrier Squadrons, being equipped with the C-130A "Hercules" cargo aircraft.

The 322nd Air Division was a tactical airlift organization. Its units flew many humanitarian missions and support NATO airborne units throughout Europe. They airlifted life rafts, tents, and emergency food supplies to flood victims in the Netherlands, and aided thousands of earthquake victims in Italy, Greece, Pakistan and Yugoslavia among many others.

On 15 April 1963, the 317th TCW was briefly reactivated at Evreux. HQ USAFE determined a Wing structure to command the C-130 squadrons at Evreux, and reduced the 322nd AD accordingly.

In the spring of 1964, it was decided that the 322nd Air Division would be transferred to the Military Air Transport Service and the 317th TCW to Tactical Air Command. Subsequently, the 317th TCW departed Evreux on 20 June 1964 to Lockbourne AFB, Ohio.

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Dutch, the research I did on 56-0466 and in speaking with Former Four Horseman Bill Hatfield who was based at Neubi with the C-119's and made the move to Evreux, I can offer the following:

322nd Air Division was based in Germany. The 322nd AD was set up in August 1955. It controlled the three Troop Carrier Wings of the European Theater which were

317th at Neubi, the 465th at Evreux (the base at Evreux was not completed and ready to accept full operations and full personnel until early 1957), and the 60th at Dreux-Louvillier. When the 317th moved from Nuebi to Evreux, both Wings were based there under the 322nd AD. However the C-119's were all being transfered to the AFRES, so when that was complete both the 317th and 465th inactivated and the 39th, 40th and 41st TCS's came directly under the 322nd. In 1964 the 317th was reactivated at Lockborne when Chas DeGualle threw us out of France and the 39th and 40th moved there. As a technicality, the 317th was actually activated just prior to beginning the move from Evreux to Lockborne. 56-0466 was assigned to the 322nd AD 39th TCS in 1958 as I have photo's of it in that livery and there is one in the gallery as well. Your info looks pretty accurate. Don't know if this helped or not, but it is what I have.

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Ok old timers I need an answer on this.

When the C-130A aircraft arrived at Evreux AB, FR, were they assigned to the 317th TCW or the 322nd AD.

When I got there all of the aircraft forms said 317th Cams.

While I was there (1962-1964) I heard that the aircraft had been assigned to the 317th TCW prior to the 322nd AD.

Is this true or not?

Thanks in advance.

Dutch,

I got to Evreux in Aug.'61 and as you say the forms indicated that the acft. were assigned to 317 CAMS.However when the 130 first came to Evereux I'm just about certain they were assigned to the individual flying squadrons (39th,40th and 41st) until CAMS came along and all maintenance people went into CAMS.

317th TCW was reactivated at Evreux in April/ May/June of '63 with Col. Kinney as comander and of course moved to Lockbourne in May/June '64. Me and my acft. left for Ohio in late May of'64

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Dutch,

I got to Evreux in Aug.'61 and as you say the forms indicated that the acft. were assigned to 317 CAMS.However when the 130 first came to Evereux I'm just about certain they were assigned to the individual flying squadrons (39th,40th and 41st) until CAMS came along and all maintenance people went into CAMS.

317th TCW was reactivated at Evreux in April/May/June of '63 with Col. Kinney as comander and of course moved to Lockbourne in May/June '64. Me and my acft. left for Ohio in late May of'64

Thank GVS. Which aircraft did you crew? I crewed 56-0523 first as the assistant and then as the crew chief.

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Thank GVS. Which aircraft did you crew? I crewed 56-0523 first as the assistant and then as the crew chief.

Hi Dutch,

I crewed 56-531 out of maggi 6 and Ray Braswell was my Asst. and should have taken over when I seperated.Seems to me 523 was a maggi 4 bird.Am I right or wrong? I'm pretty sure we had a good number of mutual buddies!

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GVS,

Yes 523 was a Maggie 4 bird.

Did you take over 531 from Bennie Atchison?

No .I took over from Bob Matzilla.I had been his asst. for 6 or 7 months.Took it to India in May '63. C/M Sgt. Blansett told me to put my name in the forms.I said "but,but" .He said "do it, Matt rotates before you get back to Evreux".

I knew S/Sgt Atchison-nice guy. Come to think of it, Blansett and Matt were both real good guys.

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I'm impressed. You guys have super recollection. You're talking about stuff that took place almost 50 years ago and you remember not only tail numbers, names, and places to include on what maggie your acft. was parked. In my case I'm hard pressed to remember my old tail numbers.

It is not so surprizing for me any way. I have said before for all of the troops here to keep every piece of paper work they are offed.

Never can tell when it will come in handy. I started doing this early in my career when told to do so by an old Msgt I worked for right after Tech school in 1957. Always have and always will.

I have an order naming all of the crew chiefs and to which aircraft they crewed.

Movement orders and the such.

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Dutch, who crewed 57-0566, otherwise known as "four sick sick"?

The there was no C-130A number 57-0566, last A model was RC-130A 57-0524.

Lars Olausson production list does not show any C-130 with that tail number.

Joe Baugher's pages show that 57-0566 was to have been a F-104C but was cancelled.

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The there was no C-130A number 57-0566, last A model was RC-130A 57-0524.

Lars Olausson production list does not show any C-130 with that tail number.

Joe Baugher's pages show that 57-0566 was to have been a F-104C but was cancelled.

He made a typo. He was asking about 57-0466 (four sick sick)

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Dutch, who crewed 57-0566, otherwise known as "four sick sick"?

Fritz,

The last two crewchiefs of 466 that I remember were Don O'Danial from about '61 to '63 when he rotated then his asst. Gil Morgan took over until early '65.

As an aside,are you aware that 466 folded the nose gear nearly into the flight deck upon landing at Leh, India?

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Dutch, Casey is right, fat fingers you know coupled to bleary eyed post. I have spoken with both the pilot who was the unfortunate one to land the airplane in India and was at the controls when the incident occured and also to the pilot who flew it out. VERY interesting story! It was a problematic airplane with many issues by the time it left the "high mesa" of India, thus the nickname "four sick sick". If any of the crew chiefs are still around they might be interested to know the Ole Girl is still flying, in fact just yesterday I had a grand one hour trip!

Fritz

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I did some checking. The first C-130As assigned to Europe arrived in October, 1957. The 317th TCW inactivated in September, 1958. The 317th and 475th had combined into one wing at Evreux, the 317th. 322nd Air Division activated in Europe in March, 1954. When the wing inactivated, it was only the headquarters - the 317th CAMS remained active as did the 317th FMS. The three flying squadrons reported directly to 322nd headquarters. They did the same thing with the 483rd TCW in Japan a little over a year later, inactivating the wing and assigning the squadrons directly to 315th Air Division. Since the 317th was still active at Evreux in October, 1957 when the first A-models arrived, they were assigned to it, or to its three squadrons. 317th was still active in the summer of 1958 during the Lebanon Crisis and 317th's C-130As were heavily involved. The crisis was in July and August and the 317th inactivated in September. So, yes the first C-130s in Europe were assigned to the 317th Troop Carrier Wing, but at the same time they were controlled by 322nd Air Divison since it was the parent for all airlift operations in Europe - including TAC rotational squadrons - just as 315th was the parent for all airlift operations in the Western Pacific.

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Best I can tell there are 9 A models that are still flying or have flown recently, 0015, 0511, 0466 were in 317/322.

54-1631 N117TG IAR Coolidge AZ

55-0008 Digital C130A LLC Andulsia AL (maybe still owned by Snow?)

55-0015 Honduras AF FAH 558

55-0025 Central African Republic AF TL-KNK

56-0511 N121TG IAR Coolidge AZ

57-0466 N466TM TBM Visalia CA

57-0505 Earl Cherry Alexandria LA

57-0512 N118TG IAR Coolidge AZ

57-0521 TAM 69 Bolivian AF

The FAA has 27 Registered A models, but there records are all screwed up and they could care less. Over half of the ones registered have been scrapped.

Bob

Edited by bobdaley
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Hi all, I'm new to the group, and was amazed to see some of the tail numbers of planes I crewed.

I was assigned to Lockbourne (39th) right out of Tech School '68 - '69 (Sheppard) and was 3rd wiper (asst crewchief on 55-0015)

Richard Short was crewchief and a guy named Padilla was second in line.

Went to Guam from '69 to '71 and crewed 56-0522 for the typhoon chasers but actually spent enough time at Udorn Thailand for a short tour.

Also saw mentioned 57-0524 RC130A photo bird. I was Crewchief on that on at Dickie Guber (Richards Gebaur AFB Mo '71 to '72) It was used by 1863rd for communication squadron for critiquing towers for proper lingo.

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