50th Airlift Squadron

50th Airlift Squadron
50th Airlift Squadron
Active	30 May 1942 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Airlift
Part of	Air Mobility Command 18th Air Force 19th Airlift Wing
Garrison/HQ	Little Rock Air Force Base
Nickname(s)	Red Devils
Engagements	World War II Korean War Vietnam War Operation Just Cause Operations Desert Storm & Desert Shield Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm

The 50th Airlift Squadron is one of four operational flying Air Mobility Command squadrons currently stationed at Little Rock AFB in Jacksonville, Arkansas. The "Fightin' 5-0 along with their sister squadrons, the 41 AS, 53 AS, and the 61 AS, are assigned to the 19th Operations Group.

Activated in the summer of 1942 under I Troop Carrier Command and equipped with C-47 Skytrains. Trained in various parts of the eastern United States until the end of 1943. Deployed to French Morocco in May 1943 and assigned to Twelfth Air Force to support combat operations in the North African Campaign. Remained with Twelfth Air Force, moving to Tunisia and Sicily providing transport and resupply operations as well as casualty evacuation of wounded personnel in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO). Reassigned to IX Troop Carrier Command, Ninth Air Force in England during early 1944 as part of the build-up of Allied forces prior to the D-Day invasion of France.

Began operations by dropping paratroops into Normandy on D-Day (6 June 1944) and releasing gliders with reinforcements on the following day. The unit received a Distinguished Unit Citation and a French citation for these missions.

After the Normandy invasion the squadron ferried supplies in the United Kingdom. The squadron also hauled food, clothing, medicine, gasoline, ordnance equipment, and other supplies to the front lines and evacuated patients to rear zone hospitals. It dropped paratroops near Nijmegen and towed gliders carrying reinforcements during the airborne attack on the Netherlands. In December, it participated in the Battle of the Bulge by releasing gliders with supplies for the 101st Airborne Division near Bastogne.