Donaldson Air Force Base is a closed facility of the United States Air Force. Currently known as Donaldson Center, the former Air Force Base is located south of Greenville, South Carolina.
Donaldson was used by the United States Army Air Force Third Air Force as a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber training airfield during World War II. It was the home to C-124 Globemaster II transports and called "The Airlift Capital of the World" for its role in the Berlin airlift, Korean War, and Cold War, being assigned to both Tactical Air Command and the Military Air Transport Service. It was closed in 1963.
History
Originally named Greenville Army Air Base when opened in 1942, and later Greenville Air Force Base in 1947, the base was renamed in March 1951 as Donaldson Air Force Base in honor of Captain John Owen Donaldson, (1897-1930). Donaldson spent his boyhood in Greenville, South Carolina, attending Greenville High School, Furman University and Cornell University before joining the Royal Air Force in World War I. He became an ace, with eight victories, and was decorated by the United States, Great Britain and Belgium. Becoming an air racer after the war, Donaldson was killed on 7 September 1930 after winning the American Legion Air Race in Philadelphia when his plane spun out of control.
World War II
In the early 1940’s, the War Department selected Greenville, SC as the site for a new Army airfield to support the buildup for World War II. The airfield was completed in May 1942, and in June, Greenville Army Air Base was officially activated as a as a B-25 Mitchell medium twin-engine bomber training base.
Greenville AAB was assigned to the III Bomber Command of Third Air Force. The 342d Army Air Force Base Unit was assigned as the host unit for the airfield. The 342d provided such as logistics, maintenance, facilities, security and general administration. Isaqueena Bombing Range was established on and near Lake Isaqueena in the Clemson University Experimental Forest about 27 miles (43 km) to the west. Greenville AAB also controlled Coronaca Army Airfield as a sub-base for its training mission.
The operational training unit (OTU) at Greenville AAB was the 334th Bombardment Group , being assigned on 16 Jul 1942. Its flying squadrons were the 470th, 471st, 472nd, and 473rd Bombardment squadrons, flying B-25 Mitchell medium bombers. The 334th's mission was to provide flying training to personnel and bomber crews.
The 334th was inactivated on 1 May 1944 with personnel and equipment being reassigned to the 330th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit/Medium Bombardment) . On 1 Jan 1945, the 330th was redesignated as the 128th Army Air Force Base Unit in conjunction with the base's reassignment to First Air Force.
The 56th Combat Training Wing became the overall commanding unit at Greenville AAB on 1 May 1945, being reassigned from Morris Field, North Carolina which was closed. It's mission was to perform training and processing of bombardment replacement crews for overseas duty and the training of permanent party instructor personnel with the view of qualifying all personnel assigned for overseas duty.
90th Bombardment Group
The first combat unit assigned to Greenville for training was the 90th Bomb Group (Heavy) which was assigned on 21 June 1942. It flew Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. The unit consisted of four squadrons: 319th, 320th, 321st, and 400th Bombardment.
With its training completed, the group transferred to Ypsilanti, Michigan on 18 Aug 1942 for follow-on training near Ford's Willow Run plant. After another transfer (to Hickam Field in Hawaii), in early November 1942, the 90th BG transferred to the Pacific theater, being stationed at Townsville, Queensland, Australia with Fifth Air Force.
310th Bombardment Group
The 310th Bomb Group (Medium) trained at Greenville Army Air Base from 18 September through 17 October 1942. It flew North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers. The unit consisted of four squadrons: 379th, 380th, 381st, and 428th Bombardment.
With its training completed, the group went overseas, transferring to Mediouna Air Base, French Morocco with Twelfth Air Force
With the departure of the 310th, the 334th began training personnel for assignment as replacements, rather than complete bomb groups. After training was completed, they would be assigned overseas to existing units in the wartime theaters.
Postwar Era
In the summer of 1945, with the war coming to an end, a number of training bases were slated for closure. This included Greenville Army Air Base, which was placed on standby status in November 1945. However there were plans made by the Army Air Force for its continuing use. One of the lessons of World War II was that the airplane was invaluable in the support of ground forces, both in the close air support and transport role.
Tactical Air Command(TAC) was established as one of its three major commands. The USAAF Troop Carrier Command (TCC) was inactivated as part of this reorganization and Third Air Force was reassigned to from the disbanding Continental Air Forces. TAC assumed command of the Troop Carrier transport mission and assigned it to Third Air Force, on 21 Mar 1946 which was assigned to Greenville AAB.
At Greenville, Third Air Force was assigned a mixture of C-46 Commando and C-47 Skytrain aircraft and several Air Force Reserve groups. Also surplus C-54 Skymasters that had been originally purchased for Air Transport Command (ATC) were made available for troop carrier use.
Third Air Force was inactivated on 1 Nov 1946, being replaced by Ninth Air Force, which had just returned from Europe. With the establishment of the United States Air Force in September 1947, the airfield was renamed Greenville Air Force Base . In the late 1940s many of TAC's Troop Carrier Groups/Wings were assigned directly to HQ TAC with the rest to the Air Force Reserve Fourteenth Air Force 302d Air Division. Greenville AFB remained an administrative facility for several years maintaining aircraft and providing training to these reserve units.
During the Berlin Blockade in 1948, reserve groups at Greenville AFB deployed C-54s to Germany to replace the C-47s that began the Berlin Airlift to sustain the blockaded city. At least one C-82 Packet, an early version of the C-119 Flying Boxcar participated in the airlift for several weeks.
Korean War
The theater troop carrier mission was expanded rapidly during the Korean War when many of these reserve units were elevated to active service and assigned directly to HQ TAC.
HQ TAC ordered the 315th Troop Carrier Group to deploy from Greenville AFB to Brady Air Base, Japan with C-46 Commando transport. Also the 314th Troop Carrier Group was ordered to Japan with the new C-119 Flying Boxcar to support the United Nations forces in the conflict. The 314th was ordered to Japan primarily to support the 187th Regimental Combat Team, a United States Army airborne unit that was on the way to Japan by ship, but when the crews arrived, they found themselves heavily involved in logistical support operations between Japan and South Korea as well as performing combat cargo airdrops and the occasional airborne parachute operation.
On 16 October 1950 the 375th Troop Carrier Wing was activated at Greenville AFB the 375th was Air Force Reserve unit based at Greater Pittsburgh Airport. After a period of intensive training, the C-82s of the 375th participated in troop carrier and airlift operations, paratroop drops, and other exercises until being returned to the reserves in July 1952. Its aircraft at Donaldson were taken over by the newly activated 17th Troop Carrier squadron. The older C-82s were replaced by C-119s in 1953. The 17th remained on active duty until 21 July 1954 when it returned to reserve status.
Also on 16 October 1950, the Reserve 433d Troop Carrier Wing was activated. Its three squadrons flew the C-119. On 20 July 1951, the wing was reassigned to USAFE and ordered to Rhein-Main Air Base West Germany.
The 57th Troop Carrier Squadron flew the C-82 and C-45 cargo planes. Between 20 February and 11 April 1952, the unit operated on temporary duty from Brownswood Municipal Airport, performing paratroop drops and other exercises in support of Army maneuvers.
Eighteenth Air Force operations
In March 1951 the base was renamed Donaldson Air Force Base and on 26 June, Eighteenth Air Force was activated in 1951 to discharge Tactical Air Command's troop carrier responsibilities. Its mission was to organize, administer, equip, train, and prepare for combat troop carrier missions.
Eighteenth Air Force inherited nine continental "medium" troop carrier wings (314th, 375th, 403d, 433d, 434th, 435th, 443d, 514th and 515th), seven of which
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