Its predecessor was the United States Army Air Forces 464th Bombardment Group of World War II.

In September 1954, the wing moved to Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina where it was colocated with the Army's 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.

[1] In February 1955, the 310th Troop Carrier Squadron, flying Sikorsky H-19 helicopters was activated at Pope and attached to the wing.

The squadron was inactivated in September 1956, after the Air Force conceded the helicopter airlift mission to the Army.

[2] A month after the inactivation of the 310th, the 347th Troop Carrier Squadron was activated at Pope, flying Fairchild C-123 Providers and attached to the wing.

In June 1962, the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed the Air Force to double its commitment to this project.

The Wing's commitment increased to 14 aircraft with the development of an expanded rescue plan called Operation Dragon Rouge.

[8] The wing dropped Belgian paratroops into Stanleyville, and after the runways were cleared, landed additional troops at Simi-Simi Airport.

[1] In April 1965, the United States decided to deploy troops to the Dominican Republic following the start of a civil war there.

[10] The 46 aircraft dispatched to San Isidro so overcrowded the field that many were unable to unload and some had to be diverted to Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico.

[1] During the wing's support for this operation, in December 1965, the 776th Troop Carrier Squadron moved to Ching Chuan Kang Air Base to reinforce airlift forces in Southeast Asia, and was reassigned.

[1] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency