Hickam Air Force Base in 1957 showing Lockheed C-121s, Douglas C-124s, Douglas C-54s and a Boeing C-97.
Military airlift had been an important part of the armed forces the 1940s. As larger cargo aircraft began service in the Army Air Forces during World War II, the Air Transport Command (ATC) was established in 1942. After the end of the war, there was a reorganization in 1948 and a new name – Military Air Transport Service (MATS). MATS continued to expand with the increased need for airlift in the Korean War and the Vietnam War buildup.
In the 1966, the Military Airlift Command (MAC) assumed the MATS mission. MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of the Air Force until 1974, when Air Force tactical airlift units in the Tactical Air Command (TAC) were merged into MAC to create a unified airlift organization.
Inactivated on 1 June 1992, most of MAC’s personnel and equipment were reassigned to the new Air Mobility Command (AMC), with a smaller portion divided between U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) and the newly created Air Education and Training Command (AETC). (Wikipedia)
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