Captain Homer E. Patty in Arles, France.

Photo courtesy of Mrs. William A. "Genevieve" Hitchcock

* Addition from Homer Patty: I was squadron adjutant of the 17th Troop Carrier Squadron from July 1942, to June 1945. As adjutant, I went with air echelon on all expeditions, along with a few sergeants, to feed and pay the troops.

 

Additional comments by Bob Bramble:

In May of 1941, I was assigned to the 17th Transport Squadron, Hamilton Field, California. We had two P-40's, one B-10, and two C-45's. Later on we received three C-39's and a C-50 D. We would fly to McClellen Field, to Hammer Field in Fresno, to March Field, and return.

On December 7th, 1941, I was standing guard duty on the pump stations at Hamilton Field. In June of 1942, the 17th squadron was moved to Westover Field, Massachusetts, and received new C-47's. My aircraft was 41-0068. On the 4th of June 1942, the term Transport was changed to Troop Carrier. We moved to Barnes Field, Massachusetts. While there we flew supplies to Goose Bay, Labrador, for some length of time and then moved to Presque Isle, Maine.

Lt. Willis, Lt. Gene L. Harn, T/Sgt. Robert Bramble, and Corporal George J. Jenkins departed from Maine enroute Goose Bay, BW-1 in Greenland, to Keflavik, Iceland. A four engine F.W. Condor bombed us before arriving in England at Ramsbury. We were at Altermaston and Greenham Common.

In September and most of October, 1942, our aircraft and crew were TDY to Hendon Airdrome, London, flying a little airline to Ireland, Scotland, and return when the weather permitted. On November 8th, 1942, we loaded British paratroopers with their equipment and para-packs inside. We departed at dark, flew well out to sea, and landed at Gibraltar nearly fourteen hours later. One aircraft, on November 9th, was lost at sea after running out of fuel. No casualties occurred.

We loaded the para-packs underneath the aircraft, checked our aircraft, fueled, and got some sleep. Long before daylight the paratroopers suited up, and we took off into the night. Our Drop Zone (DZ) was the airport at Algiers. When we arrived and lined up with the field at Algiers, things just didn't look right. The Group circled back out to sea and one plane made a low pass at the field and found that Allied ground troops had already taken the place. We landed, fueled up with leaky five-gallon cans, and went up the coast to Bone and dropped our troops on the airfield, with minor resistance. On November 11, 1942, the large concentration of planes, a few bombs, and other hazards, caused us to move across the valley to Blida. Everything that moved out of, at this time, was moved by air. We had plenty to keep us busy. Twice we dropped troops to help out during large ground battles--once British and once American.

In early June 1943, two squadrons of the 315th Troop Carrier Group relieved us at Blida, and we moved to a field near Kairouan for training and the invasion of Sicily. Aircraft 41-7817 with Lt. Bond, Lt. Crooks, T/Sgt. Bramble, and Sgt. James A. Moran, loaded Lt. Vincent Wolf and seventeen members of the 505th PIR and attached canisters underneath the aircraft. In the black of the desert night we roared into the sky. The formation formed and kept turning left to us, the number nine in a V of V's. The aircraft stalled and it took full power and both pilots to keep from making a cloud of dust on the desert floor. When we climbed back to altitude there wasn't a plane in sight. The aircraft commander used superior skill and cunning, cut across a dogleg in the route of flight, and found a formation. We joined in a blank spot and found ourselves back in the number nine slot of the 17th squadron. The remainder of the flight to Sicily and return was uneventful. Lt. Vince Wolf says that as we neared the drop zone I was lying on the floor looking out the door and said that there was a flight of C-47's passing underneath us going in a different direction.

 

 

On July 13, 1943, Lt. M. E. Smith, F.O. Loy, C. Grimes, T/Sgt. Robert G. Bramble, Sgt. Gerald Kindy, along with aircraft 41-7817 were transferred to the 50th Troop Carrier Squadron of the 314th Troop Carrier Group.

 

 

 

Right: Sgt. Robert G. "Bob" Bramble.

 

Above is from the memories of Robert G. Bramble, 17th TCS crew chief.

Note 1: Except where "added to" as noted, this version of the history of the 64thTroop Carrier Group was compiled by Roger D. Coleson, in September 1987, in support of a brief verbal history of the Group at the Memorial Dedication to the Air Force Museum on September 17, 1987.

Note 2: The sources for the information used herein were (1) An Official US Air Force History; (2) A document prepared by Group Officers at the time of inactivation; (3) Personal knowledge and records based on my assignment to the Group from June 1942 through June 1945, as a pilot; (4) input by Bob (Robert S.) Walker Jr.

Note 3: (Addition) The Ode to a C-47 poem will be read at the Memorial Dedication ceremony. It was written by then Staff Sergeant Pilot Reo C. Trail of the 16th Squadron, 64th Group in the spring of 1943. This is the official version, which appeared in Stars and Stripes. Reo went on to a career in the Air Force and retired as a Colonel. He is a member of our reunion committee.

 

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