Air Resupply and Communications Wings (USAF)

[Marcus Karlsson]

From the Book Air Force Combat wings Lineage and Honor Histories 1947-1977 the Arms of the three Air Resupply and Communications Wings of the United States Air Force. These seems to have been a bit clanderstine organisations performing "psychological warfare and unconventional operations" as stated in the Book.


580th Air Resupply and Communications Wing. Established on 15 March 1951 and activated on 16 april the same year. Inactivated on 8 September 1953. Based at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho 16 April 191-17 September 1952 and Wheelus Field, Libya 22 September 1952-8 September 1953. I guess the unit was in transition the Days between 17 and 22 September.
The Arms was approved on 8 November 1951 and is blazoned as thus:

"Quarterly, first and fourth, or, a stylized aircraft sable, nose to the dexter, second and third, azure, a horse's head couped or; on a chief, gules over a a wreath of two branches of olive, a sword in fess, all or. Motto: LIBERTAS PER VERITATEM--Freedom through truth." Yes the Blazon acctualy has this Motto but the drawing shows another one Veritate et Libertas = Truth and Freedom.

[Marcus Karlsson]

581st Air Resupply and Communications Wing. Established on 9 July 1951 and activated on 23 July the same Year. Inactivated on 8 September 1953. In 1953 the Wing carried out limited operations in what was then French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia), a perquell what was to come in the 1960ies perhaps. The Wing was based at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho 23 July 1953-26 June 1952 and Clark AB, the Philippines 18 July 1952-8 September 1953.

The Arms was approved on 12 june 1952 and are blazoned:

"On a shield azure, a torch, base argent, flame or, flame moving toward the dexter, over the flame a quill argent bend sinister, all between three links of a chain sable, the center link couped, whit one and one-half links on each side of the torch; on a chief gules two branches, of olive, surmounted by a sword in fess, hilt and pommel to the dexter, all or. Motto: LIBERTAS PER VERITATEM-Freedom through truth."


582nd Air Resupply and Communications Wing. Established on 3 September 1951 and activated on 24 September the same Year. Inactivated on 14 August 1953. Bases: Mountain home AFB, Idaho 24 September 1951-? and Great Falls AFB, Montana 1 May-14 August 1953.

The Arms was approved on 14 april 1953 and are blazoned:

"Per fess indented or and azure , the silhouette of a transport plane sable and in base a broken chain of three links proper below two lightning bolts points conjoined argent, on a chief gules a wreath surmounted by a sword fesswise, hilt to dexter both of the first. Motto: LIBERTAS PER VERITATEM-Freedom through truth."