November
1942
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11 Nov 42 |
Ike orders an amphibious assault on Bougie, Algeria, spearheaded by Troop Carrier. Escorted by American P-38's and RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes, the group drops British paratroopers to seize the airfield at Bone. A week or so later, two more drops were made, to capture airfields at Souk-el-Arba and Depiennes, near the Tunisian border. |
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11-8/12-11 |
Maison Blanche, Algeria. During
this period, squadron aircraft took on a singular appearance. Aircrews
stripped machineguns from wrecked aircraft at a number of fields and mounted
them in their modified astrodomes. A few of our ships even had them mounted
on makeshift swivels in the escape hatches in the fuselage. Crews also
decided to follow the bomber crews habit of recording missions on the
fuselage. With a steam engine leading the way, they painted a yellow boxcar
for each transport mission, and a white boxcar with a red cross for air evac
missions. White parachutes appeared beneath the pilot's window to mark
paradrops. After the string of boxcars doubled back along the fuselage a
couple of times, the habit was abandoned. Although poor weather and German air superiority limited airborne operations, the 17th flew missions to support Major General Omar Bradley's Seventh Army and Major General Patton's Second Army Corps, airlifting troops; equipment; fuel; ammo; rations and mail to forward areas. Not wishing to return to base empty, we began evacuating wounded to hospitals in Algiers and Oran. During air evac missions, a red cross flag was flown above the cockpit, trusting that the enemy would honor the Geneva Convention. Squadron moves to Blida, 20 miles Southwest of Algiers. |
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1942-1943 North African Command 12th Air Force 17th Troop Carrier Squadron Blida Airdrome, Algeria Major Tracey K. Dorsett, Commanding |
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Tracey
K. Dorsett |
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2 Dec 42 |
Blida Airdrome, Algeria. The group reforms at Blida Airdrome, a former French Air Force Base. Blida has adequate runways, ramps, hangars, quarters and messing facilities, though the food does not improve. We are still living on C-Rations; British biscuits and sausages; Spam; oleo-margarine that barely melts in a hot skillet; dried eggs and milk from a mechanical cow. Airstrips appear overnight throughout the desert, and we fly support missions to strips in Algeria, Tunisia, French Morocco, and Libya. Base shared with RAF bomb unit flying wood and fabric Wellington "Wimpies" and lend-lease Lockheed Hudsons. |
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12-13/2-15 |
The support missions continue as before. On 24 Jan, C-47 #41-18350, "Cheney's Trainer," and the ship I crewed coming across, strays over neutral Spanish Morocco and is hit by anti-aircraft fire, killing a Canadian war correspondent, while carrying journalists from Algiers to Casablanca for a high-level conference between Roosevelt and Churchill. |
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15 Feb 43 |
12th Air Force is deactivated and replaced by Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) |
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Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) Major General Carl Spaatz, Commanding |
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2-15/3-17 1943 |
All air units in North Africa and the Middle East are combined under MAC; NAAF is a subordinate unit. The majority of our navigators (whom we refer to as dead weight or ballast) are transferred back to England, and the remainder are assigned to bombardment units in the theatre. Despite extremely poor flying conditions, support missions continue unabated. Requirements for rotation of combat crews are amended. Originally, a crewmember could rotate after logging 250 hours. This was somewhat ambiguous, and when one of our crews returned to the states shortly after arriving at Blida, having computed time from the time we left Westover, requirements changed. Now, we must fly 500 hours "east of Algiers!" Also, Aircrew Member Badges are authorized for wear by non-rated fliers. The squadron makes its own regulation-such badges may be worn on a temporary basis until the wearer completes "100 hours east of Algiers," when they may be worn on a permanent basis. |
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