133d Airlift Wing The 133rd Airlift Win ( 133 AW ) is a unit of the Minnesota Air National Guard , stationed at Minneapolis – Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station , Minnesota . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . The 109th Airlift Squadron assigned to the Wings 133rd Operations Group , is a descendant organization of the World War I 109th Aero Squadron , established on 27 August 1917 . It was reformed on 17 January 1921 , as the 109th Observation Squadron , being the first of 29 aviation National Guard squadrons to receive federal recognition following World War I . Overview . The 133rd Airlift Wing ( AW ) is a unit of the Minnesota Air National Guard , stationed at Minneapolis – Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station . Gained by the USAF Air Mobility Command if federalize , the unit is an air transport organization flying C - 130H Hercules tactical airlifters . Its normal flying operations include air - drop training and transport missions . The four engine C - 130 turboprop aircraft can land on short runways or airdrop personnel and equipment into areas lacking an airfield . These capabilities are well suited for disaster relief missions . The 133rd AW ' s mission is to provide combat ready air crews , support personnel , and aircraft for the airlift of passengers and cargo anywhere in the world . Upon direction of the Governor , the unit can furnish personnel and equipment , including aircraft , to assist in natural disaster relief or to safeguard life and property in Minnesota . Units . The 133rd Airlift Wing consists of the following units : History . World War II . Organized as 367th Fighter Group and trained in California during 1943 . Trained with P - 39 Aircobras . Moved to England , March – April 1944 , and assigned to IX Fighter Command , Ninth Air Force . Equipped with P - 38 Lightnings in April 1944 . Entered combat in May 1944 , attacking rail roads , bridges , hangars , and other targets in western France , and escorting bombers that struck airfields , marshalling yards , and other facilities in the same area . From D - Day to 8 June 1944 , provided cover for Allied forces crossing the Channel ; during the remainder of June , bombed and strafed convoys , troops , flak towers , power stations , and other objectives behind the invasion beaches . Moved to the Continent in July 1944 and operated chiefly in support of ground forces until V - E Day . Struck railroads , marshaling yards , and trains to prevent enemy reinforcements from reaching the front during the Allied breakthrough at St Lo in Jul 1944 . Received a Distinguished Unit Citation for a mission in France on 25 August : after attacking landing grounds at Clastres , Peronne , and Rosieries through an intense antiaircraft barrage , the group engaged a number of enemy planes and then , despite a low fuel supply , strafed a train and convoy after leaving the scene of battle ; later the same day the 367th flew a fighter sweep of more than 8oo miles , hitting landing grounds at Cognac , Bourges , and Dijon . Attacked German strong points to aid the Allied push against the Siegfried Line in the fall of 1944 . On 26 December , during the Battle of the Bulge , escorted C - 47 ' s that dropped supplies to allied troops encircled at Bastogne . Received another DUC for action on 19 Mar 1945 : although its target was located in mountainous terrain , concealed by ground haze , and well defended by antiaircraft artillery , the group descended to low altitude to bomb and strafe the headquarters of the German Commander - ln - Chief , West , at Zlegenburg . Struck tanks , trucks , flak positions , and other objectives in support of the assault across the Rhine late in Mar and the final allied operations in Germany . Continued combat operations until the German capitulation in May 1945 . On July 1 it was announced the squadron was to go to the Pacific Theater of Operations , and returned to the United States to be re - equipped with long range P - 47N Thunderbolts . Japanese Capitulation in August led to the unit becoming excess to requirements , and was demobilized at Seymour Johnson field , North Carolina . Was inactivated as a paper unit in November 1945 Minnesota Air National Guard . The wartime 367th Fighter Group was re - activated and re - designated as the 133rd Fighter Group , and was allotted to the Minnesota Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Wold - Chamberlain Field , Minneapolis , and was extended federal recognition on 28 August 1947 by the National Guard Bureau . The 133rd Fighter Group was assigned the 109th Fighter Squadron in Minneapolis , and the 179th Fighter Squadron at Duluth . The group was allocated to Second Air Force , Air Defense Command ( ADC ) with a mission of the air defense for the State of Minnesota . Air defense . On 2 March 1951 the 133rd Fighter Group was federalized and brought to active - duty due to the Korean War . Assigned to Air Defense Command , ADC formed the 133rd Fighter - Interceptor Wing and assigned the group to the new Wing as its operational component . The 133rd Fighter - Interceptor Group controlled the 109th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron at Minneapolis and the 179th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron at Duluth . The 133rd Wing and Group were inactivated on 6 February 1952 and the squadrons reassigned to the 31st Air Division of Air Defense Command for the remainder of their federal service . The unit was reformed as the 133rd Fighter - Interceptor Group under Minnesota state control on 1 December 1952 . After the Korean War , the squadron was re - formed by 1 January 1953 and resumed its air defense mission . Was upgraded by ADC in 1954 to the dedicated F - 94A Starfire all - weather interceptor . With this new aircraft , the mission of the 109th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron changed from day interceptor to day and night all - weather interceptor . In 1958 the 109th again upgraded to the improved F - 89H Scorpion . Strategic Airlift . In 1960 , the 133rd FIG was reassigned to Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) , trading in its air defense interceptors for 4 - engines C - 97 Stratofreighter transports . With air transportation recognized as a critical wartime need , the unit was re - designated the 133rd Air Transport Group ( Heavy ) . During the 1961 Berlin Crisis , both the Group and squadron were federalized on 1 October 1961 . From Minneapolis , the 109th ATS augmented MATS airlift capability world - wide in support of the Air Force ' s needs . It returned again to Minnesota state control on 31 August 1962 . Throughout the 1960s , the unit flew long - distance transport missions in support of Air Force requirements , frequently sending aircraft to Hawaii , Japan , the Philippines , and during the Vietnam War , to both South Vietnam , Okinawa and Thailand . Tactical Airlift . The C - 97s were retired in 1971 and the 133rd TAG was transferred to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) . It transitioned to the C - 130A Hercules theater transport , flying missions in support of TAC throughout the United States and Alaska . In 1974 the unit was returned to Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) when TAC transferred out its troop carrier mission . In the early 1970s , USAF ' s " Total Force " policy brought the wing into full partnership with its Air Force counterparts by mandating co - operation and teamwork between Air Guard and active duty Air Force units in all phases of military airlift operations . As a result , in succeeding years the unit ' s C - 130s traveled to all corners of the world , airlifting troops , passengers , and cargo during training missions , exercise deployments , and real - world military operations to support Federal and State military airlift requirements . The unit has been upgraded over the years with newer C - 130E aircraft in 1981 and currently flies the C - 130H , which it received in 1995 . 2011 marked the 90th anniversary of the 1921 decision to make Minnesotaâ€™s 109th Aero Squadron the first federally - recognized National Guard flying unit in the country . To commemorate the heritage of the Minnesota Air National Guard , the 133rd Airlift Wing hosted an Air Expo , welcoming upwards of 15 , 000 members of the community to the base to celebrate . During 2011 , the 109th Airlift Squadron deployed 528 Airmen to 17 countries , serving in support of U . S . operations worldwide , including humanitarian missions to Africa , Honduras and Indonesia . The squadron provides combat - ready air crews , support personnel , and aircraft for the airlift of passengers and cargo anywhere in the world . Upon direction of the Governor , the unit furnishes personnel and equipment , including aircraft , to assist in natural disaster relief or to safeguard life and property in Minnesota .