The 315 OG controls all operational C-17 Globemaster III flying squadrons of the 315 AW. The unit's World War II predecessor unit, the 315th Troop Carrier Group was a C-47 Skytrain transport unit assigned to Ninth Air Force in Western Europe. The 315 TCG was highly decorated for its combat parachute infantry drops during the Invasion of France (Operation Overlord); the airborne invasion of the Netherlands (Operation Market-Garden); and the airborne crossing of the Rhine River, (Operation Varsity).