Following V-E Day, the wing moved to Germany, where it became part of the occupation forces, operating as the European Air Transport Service until inactivating in January 1948.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, this wing's aircraft provided air defense warning and control between Florida and Cuba.

In the event, the force departed on 8 November 1942, expecting to land at La Senia, but was scattered while penetrating clouds associated with a weather front over Spain.

The paratroopers proceeded to Tafaraoui by foot and by the time they and the wing's C-47s arrived there, other allied forces were approaching the field, so the airborne operation had little impact on the invasion of North Africa.

Despite the expectation of a friendly reception, both fighter and antiaircraft artillery opposition was encountered, with several group planes forced to land, although none were lost to enemy action.

On 15 November, the same day the 62d Group arrived in Algeria, the wing's forces at Maison Blanche flew an "ad hoc" mission transporting 300 troops of the 503rd Regiment to Youks-les-Bains Airfield, 10 miles (16 km) from Tebessa, where they were successfully dropped.

[11] The remainder of the British 1st Parachute Brigade had arrived in Algiers by water transport, and were tasked with taking Souk-el-Arba Airfield, which was located on a major junction on the main road to Tunis.

However, the demand for theater airlift was so great that the wing was unable to even temporarily withdraw any of its squadrons to maintain proficiency in dropping paratroops.

All wing airplanes returned safely, but casualties in the landing force reached 60%, although they were able to keep the Germans from destroying the bridge before reinforcements arrived.

[16] On 13 July, wing aircraft took off on Operation Fustian, intended to capture the Primasole Bridge over the Simeto River near Catania.

Although a course to Sicily was designed to avoid naval convoys, the planes, flying at 500 feet (150 m) came near several concentrations of Allied ships, and about half of them came under friendly fire en route.

However, on the night of 14 September 1943, the 51st Wing assembled a force of 40 planes for an attack on Avellino with 590 troopers from the 509th Regimental Combat Team.

This was the first operation in which the wing used pathfinders (flown in a plane of the 35th Troop Carrier Squadron), to mark the DZ ahead of the main force.

The wing's groups engaged in refresher training in airborne operations, having been dedicated to transportation of personnel and freight and aeromedical evacuation missions for nearly a year.

The use of pathfinders using Eureka beacons permitted the 62nd Group to drop paratroopers of the British 2nd Parachute Brigade through the fog and on the designated DZ.

Bad weather limited its operations through February 1944, although it did fly practice missions with members of the British Special Air Service.

Over the next six days, the wing flew over 200 sorties to Megara and Kalamaki Airfields from bases in Italy, delivering more than 2000 troops and more than 300 tons of supplies, mostly by parachute or glider.

[30] Shortly after the end of hostilities, on 25 May 1945, the wing's 60th and 64th Groups were reassigned to Air Transport Command and moved to the Caribbean to participate in the Green Project, the movement of American troops back to the United States.

[31][32] The wing's last operational element, the 62d Troop Carrier Group, was transferred to Mediterranean Air Transport Service in June.

[36] These additions to the 51st added Curtiss C-46 Commandos and Consolidated C-109 Liberator Express aircraft to the wing's inventory for a short time.

The American pilot indicated he had become lost in bad weather over the Alps and believed the fighters were British until they began firing to force him down to a crash landing.

[42] While negotiations were underway for release of the plane's interned crew and passengers, a second EATS C-47 was shot down under similar circumstances, with its wreckage located two miles inside Yugoslavia, near Klagenfurt, Austria.

[43] The EATS was reduced in size when the 314th Troop Carrier Group, at Villacoublay Airfield, France returned to the United States on 15 February 1946.

[44] The wing's two remaining groups, the 60th and 61st, were transferred directly to United States Air Forces in Europe on 20 December 1947,[31][45] when EATS was discontinued.

[2] The 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing was activated at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts in December 1954.

Offshore warning forces were augmented by four United States Navy destroyers south of Key West and Grumman WF Tracer aircraft from VAW-12.

The H models were equipped with data link systems compatible with the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) and could instantly transmit air defense surveillance and early-warning information to ADC command and control computers and the North American Air Defense Command Combat Operations Center in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado, for evaluation and action.

The wing also provided surveillance over Johnston Atoll and Christmas Island during nuclear testing by the Atomic Energy Commission.

[2] Prior to 2005, Program Executive Officers (PEO)s managing Air Force systems were generally located in Washington.

[55] After analyzing the results of its 2004 reorganization, the Air Force decided PEOs that were even closer to the persons managing programs on a day-to-day basis would improve the system.