318th Special Operations Squadron

318th Special Operations Squadron
318th Special Operations Squadron emblem
Active	1944 – 1946 1971 – 1974 2007 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Part of	Air Force Special Operations Command 27th Special Operations Wing 27th Special Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico
Engagements	World War II Vietnam War Afghanistan Campaign
Decorations	Philippine Presidential Unit Citation

318th Special Operations Squadron (318 SOS) flies the Pilatus PC-12 and is currently stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico. The 318 SOS is under the command of the Air Force Special Operations Command. Crews plan, prepare, and execute Non Standard Aviation (NSAv) missions in support of joint special operations forces while directly supporting theater special operations commanders by conducting night vision infiltration, exfiltration, resupply and other combat taskings on unimproved runways.^[1]

History

The squadron was activated on 1 May 1944 as 318th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando) at Camp Mackall, North Carolina and serving under the 3rd Air Commando Group. The unit participated in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, flying the Waco CG-4 glider and C-47 Skytrain transport. The squadron was inactivated 25 March 1946. Reactivated on 15 November 1971 at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, the unit was stood up as the 318th Special Operations Squadron, serving under 1st Special Operations Wing. The unit's mission was to provide unconventional warfare support in Vietnam with the C-130 Hercules until inactivation on 1 June 1974. The unit was reactivated on 27 July 2007 at Hurlburt Field, Florida as 1st Special Operations Group, Detachment 4. It was relocated to Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico and redesignated as 27th Special Operations Group, Detachment 2 on 30 December 2007. The unit was most recently redesignated as 318th Special Operations Squadron on 16 May 2008.^[1]

Lineage

• Constituted as the 318th Troop Carrier Squadron, Commando on 1 May 1944 and activated

Inactivated on 25 March 1946

• Redesignated 318th Special Operations Squadron on 21 October 1971

Activated on 15 November 1971

Inactivated on 1 June 1974

Activated on 2 May 2008

Assignments

• 3d Air Commando Group, 1 May 1944 – 25 March 1946.
• 1st Special Operations Wing, 15 November 1971 - 1 June 1974
• 27th Special Operations Group, 2 May 2008 – present

Stations

• Camp Mackall, North Carolina, 1 May 1944
• Dunnellon Army Air Field, Florida, 15 August 1944
• Camp Mackall, North Carolina, 12 September 1944
• Baer Field, Indiana, 30 September-ii October 1944
• Nadzab Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 26 October 1944;
• Leyte, Philippines, (undetermined location), 5 January 1945
• Mangaldan Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 26 January 1945
• Laoag Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 15 April 1945
• Ie Shima Airfield, Okinawa, 9 August 1945 (operated from Atsugi Airfield, Japan, 20 September-7 October 1945)
• Chitose Air Base, Japan, 27 October 1945 – 25 March 1946.
• Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, 15 November 1971 - 1 June 1974
• Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, 2 May 2008 – present

Aircraft

• Waco CG-4, 1944^[1]
• C-47 Skytrain, 1944–1946^[1]
• C-130 Hercules, 1971-1974^[1]
• C-145A, 2007-2013^[2]
• Pilatus PC-12, 2007–present^[1]

References

1. "318th Special Operations Squadron". Cannon Air Force Base. United States Air Force. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
2. Pons Abascal, Alexxis. "C-145As take final flight at Cannon AFB, relocate to Duke Field". United States Air Force. Retrieved 9 September 2013.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.