| 103rd Airlift Wing | |
|---|---|
 118th Airlift Squadron C-130 Hercules | |
| Active | 1942–1945; 1946–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance |  Connecticut |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Type | Wing |
| Role | Airlift |
| Part of | Connecticut Air National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Bradley Air National Guard Base, Windsor Locks, Connecticut |
| Nickname(s) | Flying Yankees |
| Motto(s) | Audeo (Latin) I Dare (1942-1945) |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award French Croix de Guerre with Palm |
| Insignia | |
| 103rd Airlift Wing emblem[note 1][1] |  |
| 324th Fighter Group emblem |  |
| Tail Code | CT |
The 103rd Airlift Wing (103 AW) is a unit of the Connecticut Air National Guard, stationed at Bradley Air National Guard Base at Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the 103 AW is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC).[2]
The 103 AW was first activated in 1943 as the 324th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces. During World War II, the 324th served in combat with Ninth Air Force and Twelfth Air Force, primarily in the Mediterranean, African, and Middle East Theater. It received two Distinguished Unit Citations for engagements in the Mediterranean and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for supporting French forces during the campaigns for Italy and France from 1944 to 1945.
In 1946 the 324th Fighter Group was redesignated as the 103rd Fighter Group and allotted to the National Guard.
The 118th Airlift Squadron, assigned to the wing's 103rd Operations Group, was first established during World War I as the 118th Aero Squadron on 31 August 1917. It was reformed on 1 November 1923, as the 118th Observation Squadron, and is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Maurer,Combat Units, pp.205-206
- ^ "Home of the 103rd Airlift Wing". 103aw.ang.af.mil. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2018.