Additions as Noted*

The air crew cadres from these four squadrons were augmented with an estimated group of about 50 pilots from class 42-E which had just graduated in May, 1942. The Group was soon re-designated as the 64th Troop Carrier Group, which meant that its primary function would be to transport paratroopers and tow gliders in airborne operations. The primary airplane assigned to the Group was the C-47, which was the military version of the DC-3 used in commercial aviation. Extensive training was conducted in the next several weeks at Westover Field (Chicopee, MA) and nearby Westfield (Barnes Municipal Airport). The first paratrooper drop, for some airplanes in the Group, was conducted later in June staging out of Pope Field, North Carolina, and dropping at Fort Jackson, North Carolina. We believe that officials which observed this paratrooper drop included President Roosevelt, General Arnold and Winston Churchill.

On the way to England, in August of 1942, we were in Keflavik, Iceland, when a four-engine German Focke Wulf FW-200 Condor reconnaissance bomber tried to bomb us. A P-38 of the 14th Fighter Group shot him down. (Addition by Bob Bramble)

Our stay in England was about two and a half months and the Group conducted extensive training while flying cargo, passengers, and courier missions. During this period we were assigned to the Twelfth Air Force, which we learned later was to be used in Operation Torch--the invasion of North Africa. The training and preparations for an unknown mission was a busy period and orders were given, then rescinded, which heightened our speculations. We were issued summer clothing and then winter clothing to further complicate any analysis as to where we were going next. Our planes were equipped with long range gas tanks, exhaust flame dampers and in the last few hours before takeoff we were issued small survival kits.

OPERATION TORCH
The Invasion of North Africa

Three more paratroop missions were flown successfully by the Group in November 1942, to places east of Algiers called Bone, Souk-el-Arba and Depienne. British paratroopers were dropped, and fighter escort was provided by American P-38's, RAF Hurricanes, and Spitfires. No more operational airborne missions were flown by the Group in North Africa through the end of the campaign in May 1943. The weather was bad during most of that winter and we did not achieve decisive air superiority until March 1943, which was the main factor limiting airborne operations. From November 1942, until June 1943, most of the Group was based at Blida which was a French Air Field about twenty miles from Algiers.

Mural painted on the wall of the mess hall in Blida showing the composition of the 64th Troop Carrier Group. (Photo courtesy of Mrs. William A. "Genevieve" Hitchcock.)

The 35th was detached to the forward operating base of Telergma, Algeria, during January, February and most of March 1943. During the balance of the North African campaign, the Group was always committed to its maximum capabilities in evacuating wounded from the front lines to hospitals in Algiers and Oran, and in carrying food, mail, cargo, and passengers. We also conducted extensive glider training with the American Waco glider and the RAF Horsa, which was almost as large as our C-47 tow planes. We also supported American, British and French paratroop drops, and some elements of the Group were detached to the Libyan area to support the British Eighth Army in its final drive through the desert in pursuit of General Rommel.

British Horsa Glider.

Photo by Del Smith, 35th TCS Pilot, WWII

OPERATION HUSKY
The Invasion of Sicily

Then suddenly, during the evening of April 1, 1944, the air echelon of the 64th Troop Carrier Group (and the 4th squadron of the 62nd group) were ordered to depart the following morning for the CBI (China-Burma-India) theater of operations. Since it was April Fools Day, our Group Operations Duty Officer did double verify the order, but it was true. Quoting from the official Air Force History "The 35th squadron, first to take off left the airdrome (Comiso, Sicily) at 0600 hours on April 2, 1944--other squadrons followed and the planes made the trip to India via Bengasi (Libya), Cairo (Egypt), Abadan (Iran), Karachi (Pakistan), and Gaya (India)." (Beginning operations in India on April 7, 1944)

Other Group airplanes were damaged by fighters and ground fire and one C-47 was shot down with crew, all wounded, making their way back to Allied lines within several days. Our C-47's frequently flew as many as three round trips a day into the Imphal Valley. Every sortie meant two payloads with replacement, food, ammunition and other supplies flown in and casualties and other administrative personnel not needed for the battle, flown out. Fighting was very heavy and we evacuated 4,400 casualties in the month of May alone. In the two months in this theater, the Group flew more than 6,000 sorties and carried 26,000,000 pounds of cargo including 390 large mules which were used by the British as ground transportation in the area. Another innovation was the airlifting of thousands of live chickens in bamboo baskets, which were used as a live food supply for the British and Gurkha soldiers. Our own food supplies were very limited as we were again on Emergency British rations and enjoyed memorable breakfast menus such as tea, fried tomatoes, and duck eggs. There were cheeses from our competitors in the Air Transport Command. Some of the Group operated out of Dinjan, India, in support of northern Burma operations and other elements of the Group participated in the invasion and capture of Myitkyina [myit'chinä] on May 17, 1944. Myitkyina was a key transportation center in ground combat operations. By June 15, 1944, the Air Echelon had returned to Sicily and to our personal mail, which had accumulated since early April.

Roger Coleson, 35th TCS pilot, with British correspondent in India. (Photo by Del Smith, 35th TCS pilot)

* Note from Roger Coleson: About 60 to 70 percent of our flying was from India into the Imphal Valley of India. And, about 15 to 20% of flights were from the Assam Valley of India, with bases at Dinjan and Soukertain, into Burma. There were a small percentage of flights into other areas.

*One of the 390 "large" mules being unloaded in the Imphal Valley, India, to support the British Troops. (Photo courtesy of Mrs. William A. "Genevieve" Hitchcock.)

On July 10, 1944, the organization was transferred to Ciampino airport near Rome, Italy, where the usual theater transportation missions continued. A number of personnel placements had been received and further rotation of some aircrews to the states continued. Training was also accelerated for Operation Dragoon, which was to be the invasion of Southern France. During the first part of August very large scale practice missions involving both gliders and paratroopers were flown. On August 15th and 16th, 1944, the Group participated in the invasion of Southern France. Extracts from the official history are quoted "the Group committed a lead serial of 36 aircraft and a second serial of 27 aircraft--the Group made a good drop--later in the day the Group with an estimated 50 airplanes, participated in a very large scale glider operation towing more than 300 Waco gliders--because of obstructions placed in the glider landing zones all of the gliders were damaged or destroyed, 11 glider pilots were killed and approximately 100 glider troops were injured. The large quantities of material delivered had very little damage. There was some damage from anti-aircraft fire but all Group planes returned safely."

C-47 aircraft of the 64th Troop Carrier Group parked on the grass at Ciampino airfield (Rome), Italy. (Photo courtesy of Mrs. William A. "Genevieve" Hitchcock)*

On September 6, 1944, the air echelon was sent from Ciampino airport to Istres Le Tube in southern France. From this large grass field we supplied our rapidly advancing ground forces and fighter units with gas and ammunition. Just as in the India operation the job was accomplished smoothly and rapidly. Notification was received on September 5, 1944, to move to Southern France and the first two squadrons were in place on September 6th and had delivered 164,000 pounds of cargo to the front lines by the end of the day.

On January 9, 1945, the Group was transferred from Rome to Rosignano, which was just south of Leghorn in Italy. We continued normal theater support missions and greatly expanded re-supply operations to partisan forces behind German lines in Italy and to the partisan forces of Marshall Tito in Yugoslavia. We landed behind the lines on a number of missions to bring back various Allied personnel and an ever-increasing number of US and Allied aircrews. These crews had been shot down at different times, and had either escaped or had been hidden by Partisans until we could bring them out. Many of these aircrew members had existed under the most primitive conditions with inadequate food and medication. When we picked them up it was an extremely emotional experience for all of us, with warm embraces between strangers, which sometimes meant that all of us had to go through the delousing chambers when we returned to a recovery base. Concerning re-supply to Partisan and other forces behind the lines, this history can only deal with Group efforts and not to the many squadron and individual missions that were flown at different times during the war. This not only pertains to re-supply operations, but to the thousands of various kinds of missions flown by Group air crews.

On the night of April 20th and 21st, 1945, the 64th conducted the last paratroop mission of the war when we dropped 220 men into the Po valley, in small sticks or groups of 8 to 10. As I recall, these were elite Italian paratroopers who spoke the language, and they were very effective in harassing and in guerrilla tactics to hasten the end of the war. The war did end during early May 1945, and we continued theater support missions with the addition of emergency missions to provide food and medical supplies to newly liberated cities such as Milan, and to POW camps such as Klagensfort, Austria.

On May 21, 1945, the 64th left the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and flew planes and equipment to Trinidad via the Ascension Island and the South Atlantic route. In June 1945, the 64th Troop Carrier Group was inactivated and personnel and planes were assigned to the Air Transport Command (ATC). For the next few months former 64th personnel operated out of a number of ATC airfields between Natal, Brazil, and Miami in support of the Green Project, which was the mission to transport veterans from the European area, via the southern route, to discharge points in the US. In August 1945, some of the remaining 64th members were sent from their Green Project station in Puerto Rico, to Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, Florida. This was in support of the Vegetable Project, which flew veterans to their homes. This operation terminated on September 22, 1945.

While overseas, the 64th received the Distinguished Unit Citation for its efforts in India/Burma and up to 13 Bronze Service (Battle) Stars which were: Algerian-French Moroccan, Tunisian, Sicilian, Central Burma, India-Burma, Southern France, Rome-Arno, North Apennines, Po Valley, Central Europe, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland and Foggie-Naples. In addition, to numerous citations from commanders up through General Eisenhower, which were presented to the Group, or to individual squadrons. Members of the Group were awarded more than 500 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 200 clusters to the DFC, 1000 Air Medals, 1,500 clusters to the Air Medal, 20 Legion of Merit Medals, 5 Purple Heart Medals, 35 Bronze Star Medals, and 20 Soldier Medals. In earning these decorations, the Group flew more than 135,000 hours, transported more than 48,000 tons of freight and 320,000 passengers, patients, and troops.

Captain Homer E. Patty in Arles, France.

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

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.

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.

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

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.