Transcript The Troop Carrier Story


In 1918 Brig. General William L. Mitchell
conceived the idea of using airplanes to
transport troops and drop them behind
enemy lines using parachutes
 His chief of staff, Major. Lewis H. Brereton
developed a plan
 The plan was approved by American
Expeditionary Forces Commander General John
Pershing but the war ended before it could be
implemented

Soviets were first to experiment with air
transported troops
 US military paid little attention to the idea other
than to incorporate the concept in the Air War
College curriculum

In 1937 the 10th Transport Group was formed
to provide air transportation from Air Corps
Maintenance Command depots to combat
units in US, Alaska and Panama
Bellanca C-27
Douglas C-33
Military version of Douglas DC-2

1940 - 60th, 61st, 62nd, 63rd and 64th Transport
Groups activated
 Dual mission of providing logistical support and
providing transport for new Army airborne units

1941 - 50th Transport Wing activated
 Assigned directly to Chief, US Air Corps
 Activated to control transport groups

German airborne and glider-borne troops
land in Belgium and Holland and capture key
bridges and fortified positions
 The world, particularly the US military, takes
notice
▪ US and British develop their own airborne capabilities
▪ Little attention paid to air transport of ground troops

No air transport units assigned to Philippines.
 Douglas B-18s converted into transports
▪ Most lost in attack on Clark Field

Maj. Gen. Lewis Brereton commandeers
Philippine Airlines
 Retired US Navy enlisted aviator Paul I. Gunn
commissioned as captain and placed in command.
 Operates in P.I. until Christmas Day, moves to
Australia. Gunn leaves family in Manila
Allied Directorate of Air Transport Organized,
commanded by RAAF AM Sir Harold Gatty
 Capt. Gunn placed in command of transport
operations in SW Pacific
 Flies supplies to Java and Mindanao

 Gunn makes trips to Bataan, lands on Quezon Avenue in
Manila in attempt to rescue family
 Far East Air Force Air Transport Command established in
Australia, February 1942
▪ 21st Transport Squadron organized
▪ All transport aircraft in Australia assigned, including three Ferry
Command B-24As
▪ “Bamboo Fleet” set up on Mindanao to fly supplies to Bataan.
Commanded by Maj. Bill Bradford

Made by FEAF ATC B-24A, April 29, 1942
 Commanded by Capt. A.J. Mueller of Saguine, TX


April, 1942 – Air Transport Command Established
June 1942, USAAF Executive Order #8
Establishes new Air Transport Command from
HQ, Air Corps Ferrying Command
 Original Air Transport Command becomes I Troop
Carrier Command
 Exec. Order #8 exempts troop carrier operations from
ATC
 July 1942 – former transport units redesignated
“troop carrier”


Air Transport Command moves antiaircraft
battalion to Darwin – first US airlifted troop
deployment in history
MacArthur arrives in Australia, orders defense
of Papua, New Guinea
 21st Transport Sq. flies supplies to Australian
troops operating on Kokoda Track north of Port
Moresby
▪ Australian troops load airplanes and serve as “kickers”


US purchases airplanes from Dutch, 22nd
Transport Squadron organized
DAT develops air transport procedures,
 Australian troops given instruction in aircraft
loading and cargo ejection
 Deliver supplies by air, usually without
parachutes.
 1st Air Cargo Squadron established.

Maj. Gen. George C. Kenney takes command of Allied
air operations in Southwest Pacific, August 1942
 Uses air transport to move troops up from Australia
 Operation HAT RACK, moves troops into combat at
Wanigela Mission
6th and 33rd Troop Carrier Squadrons arrive from the
US
 Kenney activates 374th Troop Carrier Group, Nov 1942.
 Troop carriers involved in Battles of Wau and Buna
 54th Troop Carrier Wing organized, early 1943
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Troop carriers become crucial to Papua New
Guinea campaign
January 1943, 374th TCG transports airlift
reinforcements into remote airfield in Owen
Stanley Mountains at Wau as Japanese forces
attack while continuing support of Battle of
Buna
 TC transports evacuate casualties


317th TCG arrives in Australia and is thrown into
Wau operation
Allied troops prevail at Wau. Troop carriers are
credited for deciding the Papua Campaign

54th TCW transports deliver supplies to
advancing Australian troops
 Australians develop air transport procedures that are
adopted world-wide

Troop carriers fly construction crews and
equipment into remote airfield at Marlinan
 Engineers cut 2 ½ ton trucks in half for air transport,
bolt them back together after their offloaded.

Gen. Kenney engineers airborne attack on
Nadzab. He and MacArthur observe from B-17
 MacArthur “jumps up and down like a kid.”

Troop carrier squadrons operate in the Central
Pacific in the logistical role
 TCS fly supplies to New Guinea from Australia

As the war in the SW Pacific moves north, troop
carriers are heavily involved
 Troop carrier squadrons move into the Philippines to
support combat operations, frequently by airdrop.
 Airborne operation captures Corregidor
 Troop carriers move 1st Cavalry and 11th Airborne to
Japan after the Japanese agree to surrender

Small force of C-47s arrive in India in April 1942
 Commanded by Col. Caleb Haynes, Col. Robert L. Scott
was assigned to the unit
 Brig. Gen. Earl Naiden sets up air transport routes in CBI
 Tenth AF employs CNAC, a Pan American subsidiary, to fly
supplies to China

1st Ferrying Group arrives in June 1942
 Given specific mission of moving supplies to China.
▪ India-China Ferry watched closely by White House
 Ferrying Command wanted to maintain command but
Gen. Brereton, the theater commander, insisted unit
should be assigned to Tenth Air Force

Resupply of China slow due to Japanese
advances and threats to air transport bases
 Civilian named Frank Sinclair complains to White
House
 ATC Chief of Staff Col. C.R. Smith (former president of
American Airlines) lobbies to have India-China Ferry
assigned to Air Transport Command.
 Transfer takes place February 1, 1943
 Turns out to be a miserable failure
▪ Took almost two years before ATC began meeting goals

Two new troop carrier squadrons organized in
India when 1st Ferry Group transfers to ATC –
1st and 2nd
 Responsible for resupply of British troops in
Burma


443rd TCG organized in India in February 1944
5318th Provisional Air Unit arrives in India;
includes a troop carrier section
 5318th redesignated at 1st Air Commando Wing in
March 1944.
• Troop Carriers support British Brigadier Orde Wingate’s
operations in Burma
▪ Air commando C-47s tow gliders, troop carriers bring in troops and
supplies
▪ Operation Thursday fails to meet objectives and is withdrawn
• Troop Carrier squadrons resupply Brig. Gen. Frank Merrill’s
5307th Composite Unit
▪ After marching across Burma, Merrill’s “Marauders” capture the
airfield at Myitkyina
▪ Troop carriers bring in Chinese troops
▪ Chinese fail to capture the town; operation turns into a siege
▪
Troop carriers keep them supplied and bring in reinforcements in spite of heavy
rain.

3rd Combat Cargo Group formed in India
 Combat cargo units are scaled-down troop carrier
units (fewer support personnel)
 Three CCGs activated, two served in CBI, one in
Southwest Pacific


Troop carriers play major role in British
operations in Burma
After victory in Burma, troop carrier squadrons
transfer to ATC control for operations over “The
Hump” and in China
 Tenth Air Force B-24s also placed under ATC for
transport duty.

September 1942 – 51st Troop Carrier Wing
arrives in UK
 60th Troop Carrier Group arrives UK June 1942.
 64th Troop Carrier Group arrives about the same
time.
 62nd Troop Carrier Group arrives September 1942
 All three groups train for paratrooper operations
in North Africa

60th Troop Carrier Group flies 503rd Parachute
Infantry to North Africa. (503rd had just been
elevated to a regiment and redesignated as
509th)
 Operation plagued by confusion.
 Some airplanes land in Vichy French territory.


64th Troop Carrier Group carries British troops
62nd Troop Carrier Group assigned to logistical
support

November 1942 – 316th TCG arrives in Middle
East and assigned to Ninth Air Force
 316th C-47s carry supplies for advancing British
troops moving across Libya.
 Evacuates casualties
 As war moves into Tunisia, 316th placed under
Northwest Africa Air Force operational control.

Airborne operations do not go well.
 High winds blow troop carrier formations off
course
 “Friendly fire” and hostile fire attack troop carriers
▪ Large numbers shot down and damaged
 In spite of heavy losses and confusion, airborne
and glider troops disrupt German and Italian
defenses and capture their objectives


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After the Sicily invasion, troop carrier
operations become primarily logistical for a
time
The 64th TCG goes TDY to India to support
operations in Burma
An airborne operation is conducted behind
the beaches at Anzio

After Sicily, Eisenhower and Army Ground
Forces commander McNair propose breaking
up airborne divisions
 Marshall and Arnold favor expansion of airborne
forces
 17th Airborne performs so well in maneuver at Ft.
Bragg that McNair changes his mind
 Eisenhower, Bradley and Montgomery remain
reluctant

Due to the problems in Sicily, new procedures
and equipment are developed
 Navigators are assigned to squadrons
 Eureka radio beacons are developed to be carried by
special pathfinders. Rebecca receivers are installed in
transports
 Special “pathfinder” squadrons are trained to drop
pathfinder paratroops in advance of the main assault
 Ninth Air Force Quartermasters are trained as
“dropmasters”
▪ Their role is to rig cargo and fly on drop missions to assist the
crew chief and radio operator as they eject the bundles


In October 1943 Maj. Gen. Brereton moves
Ninth Air Force to England
Ninth includes IX Troop Carrier Command,
the largest troop carrier force ever assembled
 IX TCC commands all US troop carrier units in the
UK

IX Troop Carrier drops 82nd and 101st Airborne
Divisions behind the invasion beaches at St.
Mere Eglise
 German fire causes heavy casualties and the drops are
widely scattered

Paratroop operations are followed by glider
operations
 Many are destroyed on landing due to consistency of
hedgerows

Even though only 10% of troops are on the
correct drop zone, the drops are considered a
success
C-47 Dropping Pack Howitzer

Activated early August w/ Lt. Gen. Lewis
Brereton in command
 British General Frederick “Boy” Browning second in
command


IX Troop Carrier Command and British transport
units assigned, along with all airborne forces
Organized specifically for airborne operations
 Plans more than a dozen operations, most are
disapproved by Eisenhower, Bradley and
Montgomery in spite of encouragement by Marshall
and Arnold to make better use of airborne forces
Joint airborne/ground operation to capture key
bridges across the Rhine in Holland
 MARKET airborne operations are a success

 Eighth Air Force B-24s drop cargo
▪ IX TCC dropmasters accompany crews
 Troop carrier crews are praised for their courage
▪ Paratroops had previously complained about troop carrier pilots –
not this time!
▪ One British officer says there’s not a T/C pilot that doesn’t deserve
the Victoria Cross

GARDEN ground operations are not
 British XXX Corps is held up due to congested roads
 British paratroops are forced to withdraw, leaving their
wounded behind

German offensive in Ardennes results in 101st
Airborne being cutoff at Bastogne
 82nd is at another town nine miles away
 17th Airborne flown to Reims from UK by IX TCC


Resupply effort initially hampered by weather
Weather clears and troop carrier crews
resupply the 101st
 Crews take heavy losses. Eight C-47s lost in first
two days of drops. One formation loses 13 C-47s
after glider release



FM Montgomery insists on massive airborne
operations prior to crossing the Rhine
T/C pilots trained as “combat controllers”
land in gliders to control airdrops and glider
landings
C-46s are used for the first time
 Due to poor fuel system design, 20 are shot down
 XVIII Airborne Corps commander Gen. Matthew
Ridgeway decrees that his men will never be
allowed in C-46s again

Troop carrier established as air force mission, assigned to
new Tactical Air Command
 Airline executives, many of whom are ATC veterans, propose
logistical operations should be handled by airlines under
contract.
 No plans are made for ATC’s continued existence; Air Transport
Command officers begin campaign to control all air transport
 TAC commander Gen. Paul Williams says no need for ATC, that
all air transport operations can be handled by troop carriers
 ATC officers seize on Williams’ comment and say that THEY
should be responsible for all air transport
Air Staff decrees that future aircraft designs will only be
tactical aircraft
 Controversy continues until 1970s

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
Army Air Corps replaced by new US Air Force,
September 1947
No plans for Air Transport Command
 New Department of Defense authorizes a DOD air
transport service to provide logistical support for all
DOD agencies
 ATC commander inserts “deployment of troops” into
ATC mission statement.
▪ Secretary of the Air Force lets it stand
 Original name to be Armed Forces Air Transport
Service
▪ ATC commander proposes “Military”


June 1948 – Soviets blockade Berlin
USAFE begins air lift
 Initially uses troop carrier C-47s in Europe
 USAFE commander Gen. Lemay asks for C-54s

MATS presses for control of air lift
 ATC DCO Maj. Gen. William H. Tunner goes to Weisbaden to set up a
command organization. He and his staff are TDY to USAFE
▪ Tunner waged campaign in Pentagon for MATS to “take over’ the air lift. US
Army deputy secretary recommends him.
▪ MATS commander claims credit for air lift.

Airlift is exclusively troop carrier from start to finish
 All aircraft and crews are assigned to troop carrier groups and
squadrons
 MATS role is ferrying aircraft and providing logistical support to air lift
squadrons

North Koreans cross DMZ, June 25, 1947
 Appropriation for development of new transport
made at meeting in Pentagon – becomes YC-130
 FEAF troop carriers evacuate Americans from Seoul.
 374th Troop Carrier Wing moves to Japan
▪ 21st TCS formed using C-47s in the Pacific and others flown
over from the US.

Gen. MacArthur orders Far East Air Force
Combat Cargo Command to airlift troops to
Pusan Peninsula
 C-54s tear up runways so C-47s become primary
USAF reserve troop carrier units deploy to Japan
September, 1950 – Tunner goes TDY to Japan to
set up airlift command and control organization.
 314th Troop Carrier Group deploys to Japan from
Sewart with C-119s
 UN troops land at Inchon, 187th Regimental
Combat Team arrives too late for airborne
operations


 Moved to Korea by Combat Cargo Command
UN troops move rapidly across North Korea,
Chinese enter the war
 US Marines forced to retreat from Chosin
Reservoir
 Combat Cargo Command resupplies retreating
troops

 C-119s drop cargo
 21st TCS “Kyushu Gypsies” land on hastily prepared
strips to pick up casualties
 C-119s drop Treadway Bridge to span gorge that
blocks retreat

Far East Air Force activates 315th Air Division,
February 1951
 Commanded by World War II hero Brig. General
John “Jock” Henebry
▪ First of three 3rd Attack Group alumni to command 315th.
▪ Others are Gen. Dick Ellis and Col. Charles W. Howe
 Responsible for all airlift operations in the Western
Pacific
 MATS officers sent packing; replaced by men with
combat experience



315th Air Division airlifts troops and cargo to
Korea
C-46s, C-47s and C-119s airdrop supplies to
troops in combat; C-54s land on Korean
airstrips
New Douglas C-124 tested in Korea, two
squadrons assigned to 374th Troop Carrier
Wing


Korean War ends in truce; 315th AD supports
French in Indochina
US arranges to “loan” French a fleet of C-47s
 French ask for US mechanics

315th supplies C-119s
 Airplanes from 483rd Troop Carrier Wing in Japan
 Crews supplied by Civil Air Transport
 CAT crews trained through CIA office at Clark
Field
 C-119 with CAT crew lost at Dienbienphu

Eighteenth Air Force activated at Donaldson AFB, SC
to control troop carrier operations
 Includes two wings of C-124s
 Commands several troop carrier wings with C-119s

Aerial delivery and cargo processing functions
transfer from Army to Air Force
 Aerial port squadrons set up at troop carrier bases
 USAF establishes loadmaster/dropmasters to rig cargo
and fly on airdrop missions

TAC develops helicopter troop carrier capability
 The Army DOES NOT like it! Army officers have their own
agenda. They want to develop their own air force with
helicopters
Air Force is told to develop tactical capabilities
or they will find themselves “the silo sitters of
the seventies”
 USAF purchases Fairchild C-123 assault
transports to replace TAC gliders

 C-123s are designed to fly into a LZ and remain until
the battle is over and they can be flown out


1954 –YC-130 makes first flight
1956 – First C-130s delivered to TAC
 First deliveries to 463rd TCW at Ardmore AFB,
Oklahoma in December
1958 – USAF agrees to transfer TAC C-124s to
MATS, under the condition they retain their
troop carrier identity
 Changes in the Pacific

 374th TCW deactivates
▪ 6th and 22nd TCS transfers to new MATS unit but remain under
315th Air Division operational control
 21st TCS placed under 483rd TCW, uses C-47s, C-54s
and C-119s for covert CIA missions; moves to Naha
AB, Okinawa and equips with C-130s
▪ TCTAA member Billie Mills trains CAT crews

Twelve squadrons of C-130s initially authorized
 Six squadrons for US, three each for Europe and Pacific

C-130 success leads to new models and new units
 C-130B incorporates new changes
▪ MATS requirement leads to new model with additional fuel
designated as C-130E
 C-130As move to Dyess as C-130Bs are assigned to Sewart
 Plans are made to convert 464th TCW at Pope to C-130s;
plans put on hold due to burgeoning conflict in Southeast
Asia

US supports Royalist forces in Laos
 315th AD C-119s and C-130s sent to Southeast Asia

Laotian Civil War ends in truce, North Vietnamese fail to
withdraw
 US begins covert operations to combat communists.
 Kennedy administration authorizes CIA use of C-130s to support
operations in Laos.
▪ E Flight is set up within the 21st TCS to provide four C-130s for CIA use in
support of Vang Pao’s Hmong, or Meo.
▪ E Flight is not only unit at Naha involved in classified operations.

North Vietnamese support communist insurgency in South
Vietnam
 1961 – USAF counterinsurgency forces deploy; C-123s from
Pope deploy as MULE TRAIN


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
1960 – 322nd Air Division supports UN
operations in the Congo
1963 – 322nd crews deploy to India to support
operations against Chinese invaders
1964 – Crews from 464th TCW operate in the
Congo
November 1964 – 464th TCW crews fly
historic DRAGON ROUGE and DRAGON
NOIR missions in the Congo
TALKING BIRD C-130 makes low pass over Sabenas Airfield

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April 1965 – Rebellion in Dominican Republic
President Johnson orders US intervention
TAC and MATS C-130s airlift elements of 82nd
Airborne Division to San Isidro
 Initially planned as airborne operation, changed to
air/land
 TCTAA members Carl Wyrick and Bobby Gassiott
were pilot and nav in lead airplane

1961-1965 – C-123s primary airlifters
 TAC TDY crews replaced by PCS personnel in 1963, 315th Troop
Carrier Group established
1965 – US combat troops introduced to war, 315th Air
Division sets up C-130 missions at Tan Son Nhut, Vung Tau
and Bangkok
 1964/65 – C-130As begin flare missions and psychological
warfare missions
 October 1965 – Battle of Ia Drang Valley demonstrates
that C-130 airlift is required to support major US Army
operations, Army has second thoughts about Caribous
 December, 1965 – Twelve TAC C-130 squadrons and two
wings transfer to 315th Air Division


1966 – C-130 operating locations established at Tan Son Nhut, Cam
Ranh and Nha Trang
 Airplanes and crews TDY from Okinawa, Japan, Philippines and Taiwan

1966 – Seventh Air Force activated; Lt. Gen. William Momyer asks
for air division to control airlift – 834th Air Division activates in
October

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


USAF gains control of Army CV-2 Caribous
483rd TCW reactivates to control Caribous
315th Air Commando Group transfers to 834th
C-130s remain under 315th AD, serve 16-day TDY tours to 834th
Transportation Movement Centers and Locations become Airlift
Command Center and Airlift Command Elements
 C-130 pilots and navigators assigned to 834th on TDY to serve as airlift
mission commanders

February 1967 – JUNCTION CITY in War Zone
C involves large-scale airborne operation
 Initiates new “Search and Destroy” strategy
 Intensity of war increases
 C-130 has become the prime mover in the airlift
system
 New airfields established along Cambodian
border at Katum and Tonle Cham
C-130A Dropping CDS During Operation JUNCTION CITY

Spring 1967 – Marines establish combat base
at Khe Sanh
 Marine KC-130s land, USAF C-130s airdrop
building materials
 Khe Sanh considered “hot spot”

October, 1967 – Battle of Dak To signals new
phase of the war
 Two C-130s lost to artillery attack, third damaged
 Pilot Joe Glenn and FM Joe Mack win Silver Stars
for taxiing their airplane away from burning wreck
January – Communists launch major offensive
during Chinese New Year
 February – April – Khe Sanh under seige
 April – Operation DELAWARE in A Shau Valley

 1st Cav’ supplied by C-130s, one lost, several damaged
by ground fire

May – Kham Duc
 C-130s evacuate camp, two lost, one crew killed
 Airlift control team reinserted after camp evacuated
▪ Two C-123s land in attempt to rescue them. Second
successful. Pilot Joe Jackson wins Medal of Honor
C-130B at Khe Sanh (Prize-Winning Photograph)
463rd TAW begins “Commando Vault” bombing
missions
 315th Air Division Inactivates in April
 C-7s involved in dangerous resupply missions at Dak
Seang
 War shifts south to Cambodian Parrots Beak area.

 Katum, Tonle Cham, Bu Dop and other airfields near
border are “hot spots”
 C-130s and C-123s called “Mortar Magnets”
Newly elected President Richard Nixon begins troop
withdrawals
 C-130 and C-123 losses decline


Flare Mission
 C-123s and C-130s drop flares and FAC

COMMANDO LAVA
 Special mission dropping chemicals on Ho Chi Minh Trail

BANISH BEACH
 C-123 and C-130 fuel drops

COMMANDO SCARF
 463rd C-130s drop “gravel” in Laos

COMMANDO VAULT
 C-130 bombing misison
▪ Initially flown by 463rd TAW, transferred to 374th TAW when 463rd
inactivated
M-121 10,000-pound bomb exploding on top of ridge

April – Allied troops invade Cambodia
 North Vietnamese withdraw to Laos and deep
into Cambodia



US troop withdrawals accelerate
Intensity of war declines to pre-1965 levels
Communists return to harassment, including
sapper attacks on US bases

Vietnamese mount Lam Son 719 invasion of
Laos
 834th Air Division C-130s move supplies into airfields in
I Corps
 Khe Sanh reopened

US troop withdrawals accelerate
 TAC airlift units inactivate
▪
▪
▪
▪
Naha 374th first, designation transfers to CCK
314th designation goes to Little Rock
463rd inactivates, reactivates at Dyess
315th TAW inactivates
▪ Remaining C-123s and C-7s combined in 310th TAS

April – Communists launch “Eastertide”
Offensive
 Communists surround town of An Loc
▪ After VNAF C-123s fail to maintain flow of supplies,
USAF C-130 crews ordered to begin airdrops
▪ Three C-130s, two crews lost
▪ New airdrop methods allow successful resupply


USAF C-130s assist South Vietnamese at
Battle of Kontum
Last US combat troops withdraw
C-130E LAPSE Drop



US and North Vietnamese sign peace accords
US turns over large amounts of equipment,
including C-130s, to Vietnamese
US POWs released
 PACAF C-130s first USAF aircraft to land in Hanoi
since 1954
 C-130s fly combat control team into Hanoi with
beacons to guide MAC C-141s
 C-130 crewmembers first to greet returning POWs

USAF decides to combine tactical airlift and “strategic
airlift” due to duplication of aerial port facilities
 Plan opposed by TAC Commander Gen. William Momyer.
▪ Momyer had stated in his end of tour report as Seventh Air Force
commander that tactical airlift requires highly motivated crews and
should never be combined with MAC
 TAC C-130 wings transfer to MAC in December

PACAF C-130s begin airlift of supplies into Cambodia
 Civilian contractor Bird Air provides civilian crews to fly
USAF transports
 Crews are recent C-130 veterans and reservists

Communists defeat South Vietnamese
 C-130s fly supplies into Saigon and evacuate
refugees
 C-130 destroyed on ground at Tan Son Nhut by
artillery
▪ Last USAF transport lost hostile action


Communists prevail in Cambodia and Laos
PACAF tactical airlift units transfer to MAC


US troops sent to Saudi Arabia in response to
invasion of Kuwait
As a result of lessons learned in Gulf War,
former TAC C-130 wings transfer into new Air
Combat Command
 Assignment lasts for less than a decade – in 1999
C-130s transfer to Air Mobility Command
THE END!