Contents:
The DC-3 aviation Museum
reports:
Miscellaneous
W.W.II Operations
using
C-47 type Aircraft
If you participated in any or all of those listed
or know of other operations using C-47
or any of its variants please let us know
by email .
C-47, C-53 OPS world wide W.W. II
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, Fifth Air Force):
In New Guinea, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airplanes hit the Wewak area;
C-47s of the 65th and 66th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 433d Troop Carrier Group,
cease operating from Tsili Tsili and return to base at Nadzab.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force):
800+ A-20s and B-26s bomb coastal
defense batteries, rail and road junctions and bridges, and marshalling yards
in support of the invasion; 2,000+ fighters fly sweeps, escort for B-26s and
C-47s, ground support, and dive-bombing missions over W France. During the
preceding night and during the day over
1,400 C-47s, C-53's, and gliders deliver glider troops and paratroops,
including 3 full airborne divisions,
which are to secure beach exits to facilitate inland movement of seaborne
assault troops. A total of about 30 aircraft are lost.
600+ B-26s hit bridges, junctions, trestles, coastal and field batteries,
and marshalling yards in France in support of the invasion;
1,100+ fighters support ground troops by dive bombing and strafing,
escort B-26s and C-47s, and make sweeps throughout the
battle area as Bayeux is liberated and the Bayeux-Caen road is cut; and
400+ C-47s, C-53's, and gliders resupply paratroops in the assault area.
In France, HQ
442d Troop Carrier Group and 303d and 304th Troop Carrier Squadrons
move from Fulbeck to Weston Zoyland with C-47s;
Bad weather prevents A-20 and B-26 missions during the morning;
200 C-47s and C-53s fly supplies to the Continent.
In France,
305th and 306th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 442d Troop Carrier Group,
move from Fulbeck to Weston Zoyland, England with C-47s.
BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force):
In India,
HQ 3d Combat Cargo Group and 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Combat Cargo Squadrons
are activated at Sylhet with C-47s.
With this activation, the following squadrons, which have been operating from
bases in India since Apr 44, will shortly return to their bases in Italy and Sicily:
4th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62d Troop Carrier Group, to Gaudo Airfield, Italy
and 16th, 17th, 18th and 35th Troop Carrier Squadrons,
64th Troop Carrier Group, to Comiso, Sicily.
In India,
HQ 443d Troop Carrier Group moves from Sylhet to Sookerating;
and 11th and 12th Combat Cargo Squadron, 3d Combat Cargo Group,
move from Sylhet to Dinjan and Fenny respectively with C-47s.
In India,
11th Combat Cargo Squadron, 3d Combat Cargo Group,
based at Dinjan, sends a detachment to operate from
Sookerating (attached to 443d Troop Carrier Group) with C-47s.
In India,
315th Troop Carrier Squadron, 443d Troop Carrier Group,
moves from Sookerating to Moran with C-47s.
In Burma,
315th Troop Carrier Squadron, 443d Troop Carrier Group,
moves from Sylhet to Sookerating, India with C-47s.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force):
In Italy, bad weather cancels all light and medium bomber operations;
7th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62d Troop Carrier Group,
moves from Gaudo Airfield to Galera Airfield with C-47s;
HQ 51st Troop Carrier Wing moves from Catania, Sicily to Lido di Roma;
and 4th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62d Troop Carrier Group,
moves from Gaudo Airfield to Galera Airfield with C-47s.
HQ 62d Troop Carrier Group and 8th Troop
Carrier Squadron move from Gaudo Airfield to Galera Airfield with C-47s.
SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force):
In the Solomon Islands, US Marines land on Bougainville Island.
This operation is aimed at eliminating the last Japanese strongholds SE of Rabaul.
The 64th Troop Carrier Squadron, 403d Troop Carrier Group, transfers from
Espiritu Santo Island in the New Hebrides to Henderson Field,
on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands with C-47's.
SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force):
The 13th Troop Carrier Squadron, 403d Troop Carrier Group,
transfers from Tontouta, New Caledonia
to Espirtu Santo, New Hebrides Islands with C-47's.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force):
HQ 435th Troop Carrier Group and it's 76th and 77th Troop Carrier Squadrons
arrive at Langer, England from the U.S. with C-47's and C-53's.
HQ Ninth Air Force issues a letter
ordering a small detachment of HQ, the IX Air Force Engineer Section, to
assume the functions of a command under Colonel Karl B Schilling, thus
beginning the creation of IX Engineer Command.
The 75th and 78th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 435th Troop Carrier Group,
arrive at Langer, England from the U.S. with C-47's and C-53's.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force):
The 67th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group,
transfers from Port Moresby to Nadzab, New Guinea with C-47's.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force):
HQ 315th Troop Carrier Group and it's 34th Troop Carrier Squadron transfer
from Aldermaston to Welford, England.
The 34th is operating from Blida, Algeria with C-47's.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force):
The 10th Troop Carrier Squadron, 60th Troop Carrier Group, transfer from
Gela to Gerbini, Sicily with C-47's.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force):
The 12th Troop Carrier Squadron, 60th Troop Carrier Group, transfers from
Gela to Gerbini, Sicly with C-47's.
The squadron has been operating from Comiso since 22 Oct.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force):
The 68th Troop Carrier Squadron, 433d Troop Carrier Group transfers from
Port Moresby to Nadzab, New Guinea with C-47's.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force):
The 37th Troop Carrier Squadron, 316th Troop Carrier Group, transfers
from El Aouina, Tunisia to Borizzo, Sicily with C-47's.
Fourteenth Air Force: In China, bad weather severely curtails operations;
322d Troop Carrier Squadron, Fourteenth AF, from Loping to Liangshan with
C-47s. Unit moves in China during Aug 45.
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
IX Troop Carrier Command: During Aug 45, the 100th Troop Carrier Squadron,
441st Troop Carrier Group, moves from Dreux, France to Frankfurt, Germany
with C-47s.
WESTERN PACIFIC Far East Air Force (FEAF):
22d Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group, from
Finschhafen, New Guinea to Nielson Field, Luzon with C-47s.
CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater)
Tenth Air Force: Unit moves in China: 27th Troop Carrier Squadron,
443d Troop Carrier Group, from Chengkung to Liangshan with C-47s.
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
IX Troop Carrier Command: HQ 313th Troop Carrier Group and 29th Troop
Carrier Squadron begin a movement from Achiet, France to the US with C-47s.
IX Troop Carrier Command: The 302d Troop Carrier Squadron, 27th Air
Transport Group, moves from Poix to Villacoublay, France with C-47s.
Fourteenth Air Force: Unit moves in China: 1st Combat Cargo Squadron,
Fourteenth AF (attached to 69th Composite Wing), from Hsinching to Chengkung with C-47s.
WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]:
Two B-25Js of the 345th Bombardment Group (Medium)
intercept two "Betty" bombers N of Ie Shima.
The Japanese aircraft carry a delegation from Tokyo enroute to Manila to meet
General MacArthur's staff to work out details of the surrender.
The "Betty's" are painted all white with green crosses on the wings, fuselage and vertical
tail surface and use the call signs Bataan I and Bataan II.
The Japanese land on Ie Shima and transfer to C-54s for the flight to Manila.
On the return flight from Ie Shima to Japan,
the Betty's run out of fuel and ditch in Tokyo Bay
but the delegation is rescued and completes the mission.
The 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group,
moves from Clark Field, Luzon to Okinawa with C-47s.
C-47 units arriving on Okinawa from Hawaii:
311th Troop Carrier Squadron, US Army Forces, Middle Pacific;
and 316th Troop Carrier Squadron, Seventh AF.
CHINA THEATER (AAF, China Theater)
Tenth Air Force: C-47 unit moves: 2d Troop Carrier Squadron, 443d Troop
Carrier Group, from Dinjan, India to Chihkiang, China; 322d Troop Carrier
Squadron, Tenth AF, from Liangshan to Chihkiang, China.
Tenth Air Force: HQ 443d Troop Carrier Group and 1st Troop Carrier Squadron
move from Dinjan, India to Chihkiang, China with C-47s.
Tenth Air Force: C-47 units moving to Luliang, China: 3d and 4th Combat
Cargo Squadrons, 1st Combat Cargo Group (under operational control of HQ 69th
Composite Wing), from Myitkyina, Burma and Hathazari, India respectively.
WESTERN PACIFIC [Far East Air Force (FEAF)]:
Unit moves:
68th and 69th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 433d Troop Carrier Group,
from Clark Field, Luzon to Iwo Jima
with C-46s and C-47s respectively;
318th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group,
from Laoag, Luzon to Ie Shima with C-47s.
The occupation of Japan
officially begins as an advance party arrives in the Home Islands.
When the news of the Japanese proposal for surrender came on 15 Aug,
the 68th Army Airways Communications System (AACS) Group, 7th AACS Wing,
received orders to fly into Atsugi Airfield near Tokyo and set up the communications equipment
necessary to guide in the first contingent of occupation troops.
AACSs mission was to provide navigational aids, point-to-point communications
with Okinawa, air-to-ground communications for planes in flight, weather data, and air traffic control.
Colonel Gordon Blake quickly assembled a special unit of 5 hand-picked men.
Colonel Blake and his AACS men, part of a 150 man task force,
flew from Okinawa to Atsugi with 24 C-47 aircraft laden with equipment.
In order to carry as much equipment as possible, the load was
lightened by carrying only enough fuel to reach Atsugi.
Although the Japanese had surrendered unconditionally,
Blake and his communicators still did not know whether some might still be hostile.
The sight of hundreds of Japanese Navy guards lined up along the airfield
was not encouraging to the occupants
of the first aircraft to land, but they were met by a group of courteous,
English-speaking Japanese military personnel. The navy guards were in their honor.
The AACS-men lost no time in getting operations into full swing, and by 29 Aug,
the Atsugi control tower was completed. The first planes to arrive on 30 Aug were
5 additional C-47s
carrying components to set up the first airborne radio station in Air Force history.
Within a few hours,
the first C-54 aircraft of the official occupation forces landed at Atsugi and
by mid-afternoon Blake's AACS crews had directed 340+ takeoffs and landings
at the rate of 1 every 2 minutes.
On 30 Aug, Atsugi was the busiest airport in the world.
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