700th Troop Carrier Squadron

700th Airlift Squadron
B-24H Liberator 42-7563, "Hell's Warrior" showing the 445th Bombardment Group's Circle F tail marking. Aircraft was lost on 9 February 1944
Active	1943-1945; 1947-1949; 1952 - Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Airlift
Part of	Air Force Reserve Command Twenty-Second Air Force 94th Airlift Wing 94th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award French Croix de Guerre with Palm Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Insignia
700th Airlift Squadron Emblem
World War II Fuselage Code	IS

The 700th Airlift Squadron (700 AS) is part of the 94th Airlift Wing at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. It operates C-130 Hercules aircraft providing global airlift.

Maintain combat ready aircrews and aircraft capable of deploying in response to worldwide contingencies and emergencies.

The 700th Bombardment Squadron was activated 1 April 1943 at Gowen Field in Idaho, where initial organization took place while key personnel traveled to Orlando AAB, Florida for training with the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics. Both elements met at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah on 8 June 1943, where initial training with the Consolidated B-24 Liberator took place. The squadron moved to Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa in July 1943 to complete training. In September the squadron began to receive B-24H aircraft, the model of the Liberator they would fly in combat.

On 20 October 1943 the ground echelon moved to Camp Shanks, New York and embarked on the RMS Queen Mary on 26 October 1943, sailing next day. The unit arrived in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland on 2 November 1943 and disembarked at Gourock. The air echelon departed Sioux City late in October 1943 and flew to the United Kingdom via the southern route: Florida, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and West Africa. Upon arrival, the squadron was stationed at RAF Tibenham as part of the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing. The group was initially given a fuselage code of IS.

The 700th entered combat on 13 December 1943 by attacking U-boat installations at Kiel. The unit operated primarily as a strategic bombardment organization until the war ended, striking such targets as industries in Osnabrück, synthetic oil plants in Lutzendorf, chemical works in Ludwigshafen, marshalling yards at Hamm, an airfield at Munich, an ammunition plant at Duneberg, underground oil storage facilities at Ehmen, and factories at Münster.