C-82 OPERATING UNITS & MARKINGS
| TACTICAL AIR COMMAND (TAC) | ||
| The main role of the C-82 in the post World War II years was with
Tactical Air Command serving the Troop Carrier Squadrons. TAC was established on March 21, 1946 along with the more well known Strategic Air Command (SAC). The original, 1942 established Air Transport Command (ATC) continued in existence to support land and air forces within the Army. While SAC was assigned defence of the Continental United States, TAC was tasked with the troop carrier mission. TAC C-82s were also often used in the cargo / paratroop role which was their other primary mission. Markings / Colors: Natural metal finish with large fuselage side Buzz Numbers. On fuselage sides was stencilled TROOP CARRIER and UNITED STATES AIR FORCE (from 1947). Alaskan Operation C-82s had red tail sections and wing-tips. Squadron colors were applied as a design on the nose and a section of both tails - 4th TCS: Red; 7th TCS: Yellow; 8th TCS: Blue; 29th TCS: Red; 47th TCS: Green; 20th TCS: Yellow; 50th TCS: Red; 61st TCS: Green; 62nd TCS: Blue. Many later production C-82s had the last three digits of their construction numbers stencilled behind the prop warning stripe. |
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Key: AB: Air Base;
AFB: Air Force Base; TCG: Troop Carrier Group; TCS: Troop Carrier
Squadron. In 1950 USAF Operating Units changed the term "Group" to "Wing". |
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| Group / Squadron | Operating Base | Years Active |
| 62nd TCG | Bergstrom AFB, Texas | 1947 - 1948 |
| - 4th TCS | McChord AFB, Washington | 1948 - 1950 |
| - 7th TCS | ||
| - 8th TCS | ||
| 64th TCG | Donaldson AFB, South Carolina | 1952 - 1953 |
| - 17th TCS | ||
| - 18th TCS | ||
| - 35th TCS | ||
| 302nd TCG | McChord AFB, Washington | 1949 - 1951 |
| - 335th TCS | ||
| - 356th TCS | ||
| 313th TCG | Bergstrom AFB, Texas | 1947 - 1948 |
| - 29th TCS | ||
| - 47th TCS | ||
| 314th TCG | Smyrna AFB, Tennessee | 1947 - 1949 |
| - 20th TCS (Det.) | Rhein-Main AB, West Germany | 1948 |
| - 50th TCS | ||
| - 61st TCS | ||
| - 62nd TCS | ||
| - 334th TCS | ||
| 316th TCG |
Pope Field, North
Carolina Greenville AAB, South Carolina Smyrna AFB, Tennessee |
1946 - 1947 1947 - 1949 1949 - 1950 |
| - 36th TCS | ||
| - 37th TCS | ||
| - 75th TCS | ||
| - 77th TCS | ||
| 375th TCG | Greenville AFB, South Carolina | 1950 - 1952 |
| - 55th TCS | ||
| - 56th TCS | ||
| - 57th TCS | ||
An excellent example of a 316th TCG C-82A with
yellow nose / tail squadron colors.
Note the large Buzz Number (CQ-575) and
three-digit construction number.
Photo: William T. Larkins.
| UNITED STATES AIR FORCES EUROPE (USAFE) | ||
| The 60th Troop Carrier Wing was the operating unit assigned to the USAFE
in West Germany and is the one that participated in the Berlin Airlift. The 60th TCG replaced the 61st TCG in 1949 in the tactical airlift role. Markings / Colors: Natural metal finish with large fuselage side Buzz Numbers, squadron colors applied as a design on the nose and section of both tails - 10th TCS: Red; 11th TCS: Green; 12th TCS: Blue. |
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Key: AB: Air Base;
TCG: Troop Carrier Group; TCS: Troop Carrier Squadron. In 1950 the Operating Units changed the term "Group" to "Wing". |
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| Group / Squadron | Operating Base | Years Active |
| 60th TCG | Wiesbaden AB, West Germany | 1949 |
| - 10th TCS | Rhein-Main AB, West Germany | 1949 |
| - 11th TCS | Wiesbaden AB, West Germany | 1949 - 1950 |
| - 12th TCS | Rhein-Main AB, West Germany | 1950 - 1953 |
| 61st TCG | Rhein-Main AB, West Germany | 1949 - 1951 |
| - 60th TCG (Attached) | ||
A group of up to eight plus C-82A Packets over Europe in 1952.
Photo: USAF official.
One of the more common liveries carried by the C-82
with red Arctic tails,
large buzz number and TROOP CARRIER
stencilling. This Packet is
preserved at the USAF Museum in Dayton,
Ohio.
Photo: James Farmer 2008.
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MILITARY AIR TRANSPORT SERVICE (MATS) Air Rescue Service |
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| MATS operated up to 25 C-82A aircraft between 1946 and 1954 with up to
18 serving as SC-82A Packets in the Air Rescue Service. The C-82s long flying duration made them suitable to the role, however, they were found to be generally unreliable in service due to technical issues. With aircraft spread thin, spares were a problem also and so service life was relatively short. The 1st AACS used C-82s to support installation & maintenance of navigation / communications facilities. Markings / Colors: Natural metal finish, large fuselage side Buzz Numbers, many had the MATS globe emblem on the booms. SC-82A ARS aircraft had orange-yellow fuselage and boom bands with black trim. words RESCUE applied on the fuselage sides and top. |
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Key: AACS: Airways &
Air Communications Service; AB: Air Base; AFB: Air Force Base; ARS: Air
Rescue Squadron; I&M: Installation & Maintenance Sqn.; TTU: Technical Training Unit; RAF: Royal Air Force; RU: Rescue Unit. |
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| Squadron | Operating Base | Years Active |
| 1st ARS |
MacDill AFB, Florida Albrook AFB, Canal Zone |
1949 - 1952 |
| 4th ARS, A Flight | Hamilton AFB, California | 1949 - 1952 |
| 4th ARS, B Flight | March AFB, California | 1949 - 1952 |
| 5th ARS | MacDill AFB, Florida Ellington Field, Florida |
1947 - 1949 1951 - 1952 |
| 5th ARS, D Flight | Westover AFB, Massachusetts | 1951 - 1952 |
| 6th ARS |
Westover AFB, Massachusetts Pepperell AFB, Newfoundland |
1949 - 1951 1951 - 1952 |
| 7th ARS | Wheelus AB, Libya | 1951 - 1952 |
| 9th ARS | Bushy Park, England | 1951 - 1952 |
| 9th ARS, D Flight | Wheelus AB, Libya | 1951 |
| 41st ARS | Hamilton AFB, California | 1952 - 1953 |
| 47th ARS | Ellington Field, Florida | 1952 - 1953 |
| 48th ARS | Eglin AFB, Florida | 1952 - 1953 |
| 58th ARS | Wheelus AB, Libya | 1952 |
| 66th ARS | RAF Manston, England | 1952 - 1953 |
| 67th ARS | RAF Sculthorpe, England | ? |
| 2151st RU | Lowry AFB, Colorado | 1948 - 1949 |
| 2156th
TTU |
MacDill AFB, Florida Palm Beach Airport, Florida |
1950 - 1952 1951 - 1952 |
| 1st AACS I&M Sqn. | Tinker AFB, Oklahoma | 1953 - 1954 |
A great example from C-82A s/n: 45-57735 of the
Artic red trim carried by many
Packets serving in Alaska. Note the small fin on the nose, likely an
experimental
fitting for testing aerodynamics over the nose.
| Miscellaneous Units | ||
| C-82s served with various commands as logistical
and support aircraft. The
57th Fighter Wing in Alaska used C-82 support aircraft from attached TAC Groups. SAC had up to 11 C-82s as base logistical aircraft in support of reconnaissance / bomber operations. |
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Key: AFB: Air Force
Base; ATC: Air Transport Command; BW: Bomb Wing; SAC: Strategic Air
Command; SRW: Strategic Reconnaissance Wing; TCS: Troop Carrier Squadron. |
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| Unit / Squadron | Operating Base | Years Active |
| 1455th Air Force Base Unit (ATC) | Great Falls AFB, Montana | 1947 - 1948 |
| 57th Fighter Wing | Elmendorf AFB, Alaska | 1948 - 1950 |
| - 4th TCS (Attached) | 1948 - 1949 | |
| - 7th TCS (Attached) | 1949 | |
| - 7 th TCS (Attached) | 1948 - 1949 | |
| - 37th TCS (Attached) | 1948 - 1950 | |
| 55th SRW (SAC) | Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico | - |
| - 7th Geodetic Sqn. | 1949 | |
| 91st SRW (SAC) | Barksdale AFB, Louisiana | 1949 - 1951 |
| - Base Flight | Lockbourne AFB, Ohio | 1951 - 1952 |
| 92nd BW (SAC) - Base Flight |
Fairchild AFB,
Washington |
? |