WWII Troop Carrier Units

439th Troop Carrier Group (439th TCG) Active Service: 1943 to 1945 Constituted as 439th Troop Carrier Group on 14 May 1943. Activated on I June 1943. Trained with C_47's. Moved to England, Feb-Mar 1944, for duty with Ninth AF. Prepared for the invasion of the Continent and began operations by dropping paratroops of 101st Airborne Division in Normandy on 6 Jun 1944 and releasing gliders with reinforcements on the following day, receiving a DUC and a French citation for these missions. After the Normandy invasion the group ferried supplies in the United Kingdom until the air echelon was sent to Italy in Jul to transport cargo to Rome and evacuate wounded personnel. The detachment dropped paratroops of 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment along the Riviera to aid the invasion of Southern France on 15 Aug 1944 and later towed gliders to provide reinforcements; for these missions the group was again cited by the French government. After the air echelon returned to England on 25 Aug, the group resumed its cargo missions. In Sep the group moved to France for further operations in support of the advancing Allies. Dropped paratroops of 82nd Airborne Division near Nijmegen and towed gliders carrying reinforcements during the airborne attack on Holland, 17-25 Sep 1944. Participated in the Battle of the Bulge by releasing gliders with supplies for 101st Airborne Division near Bastogne on 27 Dec 1944. Each aircraft of the group towed two gliders with troops of 17th Airborne Division and released them near Wesel when the Allies made the air assault across the Rhine on q Mar 1945. Continually hauled food, clothing, medicine, gasoline, ordnance equipment, and other supplies to the front lines and evacuated patients to rear-zone hospitals when not engaged in airborne operations. Converted from C_47s to C_46s, which were used to transport displaced persons from Germany to France and Belgium after V-E Day. Returned to the US, Jul-Sep 1945. Trained with C-46 aircraft. Inactivated on 10 Jun 1946

91st Troop Carrier Squadron (91st TCS) Sqd. code: L4 1943 to 1946
92nd Troop Carrier Squadron (92nd TCS ) Sqd. code: J8 1943 to 1946
93rd Troop Carrier Squadron (93rd TCS) Sqd. code: 3B 1943 to 1946
94th Troop Carrier Squadron (94th TCS) Sqd. code: D8 1943 to 1946
Headquarters (HQ 439th) 1943 to 1945