AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS-GROUPS 261 COMMANDERS.Maj Ansel J Wheeler, 23 Aug 1943; Col William H Schwartz Jr, 25 Aug 1943; Col James C McGehee, 17 Nov 1944; Lt Col James F McCarthy, May 1g45-unkn. Lt Col Jack D Blanchard, I Apr 1951; Col Cecil E West, Jun 1951; Col Earl H Dunham, 22 Jun 1951; Lt Col Jack D Blanchard, 7 Jan 1952; Col Amos F Riha, 4 Apr 1952; Col Paul P Douglas, 27 Oct 1952-1 Jan 1953. CAMPAIGNS.Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace ; Central Europe. DECORATIONS.Distinguished Unit Cita- C-47’s in Feb 1943. Engaged in supplying tion: Rhine River, 20 Mar 1945. French Allied forces in the Papuan Campaign, Croix de Guerre with Palm: Aug 1944. receiving one DUC for these missions, and Cited in the Order of the Day, Belgian being awarded another DUC for trans- Army: I Oct 1944-; 18 Dec 1944-15 Jan porting troops and equipment to Papua 1945. Belgian Fourragere. and evacuating casualties to rear areas, INSIGNE.Shield: Azure (light blue), on Nov-Dec 1942. Received third DUC for a pale or, a futuristic interceptor aircraft transporting men and supplies over the sable, highlighted white, overall in saltire Owen Stanley Range, 30 Jan+ Feb 1943, a sword piercing a vulture’s wing both to aid the small force defending the air- argent, detailed and outlined of the third. drome at Wau, New Guinea. Participated (Approved 21 Jun 1957.) in the first airborne operation in the South- west Pacific on 5 Sep 1943, dropping para- troops at Nadzab, New Guinea, to seize 374th TROOP CARRIER GROUP enemy bases and cut inland supply routes. Constituted as 374th Troop Carrier ’ Other operations included evacuating Group on 7 Nov 1942 and activated in wounded personnel, flying courier routes, Australia on 12 Nov. Assigned to Fifth making passenger flights, and helping to AF. Transported men and materiel in move the 11th Division from Luzon to the theater from Nov 1942 until after the Okinawa in Aug 1945 for staging to Ja- war, operating from Australia, New pan. From Sep 1945 to May 1946, hauled Guinea, Biak, and the Philippines. Used cargo to the occupation army in Japan war-weary and worn-out aircraft, includ- and flew courier routes from the Philip- ing B-18’s, C-39’s, C-4gYs, C-56‘s, Mo’s, pines to Japan. Znmtivated on Luzon on DC-~’S,and DC-$s, until equipped with 15 May 1946. 262 AIR FOR( :E COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR I1 Activated in the Philippines on 15 Oct Troy W Crawford, 1949; Lt Col Benjamin 1946. Assigned to Far East Air Forces. T Tarver Jr, Aug 1949; Col Herbert A Bott, Transferred, without personnel and equip- 22 Jul 1950; Col Charles W Howe, Jul ment, to Guam on I Apr 1947. Remanned 1951; Col Edward H Nigro, Sep 1951; Lt and equipped with C-46 and C-47 air- Col James F Hogan, Apr 1952; Col Ed- craft. Flew courier, passenger, and cargo ward H Nigro, 11 Aug 1952; Lt Col Fred- routes in the western Pacific. Redesig. erick C Johnson, 11 Sep 1952; Col Francis nated 374th Troop Carrier Group (Heavy) W Williams, 24 Apr 1953; Col Hollis B in May 1948. Began converting to G54’s. Tara, 15 Jun 1g54-. Moved to Japan in Mar 1949. Began op- CAMPAIGNS.World War ZZ: Air Offen- erations in the Korea War in Jun 1950, sive, Japan; Papua; New Guinea; North- using C-47 and C-54 aircraft, the C-47’s ern Solomons; Bismarck Archipelago; being replaced with G124’s in 1952. Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon. Korean Transported men and cargo to Korea and War: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF evacuated wounded personnel on return Intervention; 1st UN Counteroffensive; flights. Remained in Japan after the war. CCF Spring Offensive ; UN Summer-Fall SQUADRONS.6th: 1942-1946; 1946. Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea 19th: 1946-1948. 21~t:1942-1946; 1946. Summer-Fall, 1952; Third Korean Win- 22d: 1942-1946; I946-. 33d: 1942-1946. ter ; Korea Summer-Fall, 1953. STATIONS.Brisbane, Australia, 12 Nov DECORATIONS.Distinguished Unit Cita- 1942; Port Moresby, New Guinea, Dec tions: Papua [Nov] 1942-23 Jan 1943; 1942; Townsville, Australia, 7 Oct 1943; Papua, 12 NOV-22 Dec 1942; Wau, New Nadzab, New Guinea, c. I Sep 1944; Biak, Guinea, 30 Jan-1 Feb 1943; Korea, 27 Jun- c. 14 Oct 1944; Nielson Field, Luzon, 28 15 Sep 1950. Philippine Presidential Unit May 1945-15 May 1946. Nichols Field, Citation. Republic of Korea Presidential Luzon, 15 Oct 1946; Harmon Field, Unit Citation: I Jul 1951-27 Jul 1953. Guam, I Apr 1947; Tachikawa, Japan, 5 INSIGNE.Shield: Per bend azure and Mar ‘949-. or, in chief a hand couped in armour, hold- COMMANDERS.Lt Col Erickson S ing a dagger, point upward, issuing from Nichols, 12 Nov 1942; Maj Edgar H its handle an arrow and a wheat stalk or, Hampton, 14 Dec 1942; Col Paul H Pren- in base a winged foot azure. Motto: tiss, 17 Dec 1942; Maj Fred M Adams, 22 CELERITER PUGNARE-Swiftly to May 1943; Lt Col Edgar H Hampton, 12 Fight. (Approved 3 Jul 1951.) Jul 1943; Lt Col Fred M Adams, 2 Aug 1943; Col Edward T Imparato, c. 3 Aug 375th TROOP CARRIER GROUP 1944; Col John L Sullivan, Oct 1g45-unkn. Col Audrin R Walker, 15 Oct 1g46-unkn; Constituted as 375th Troop Carrier Lt Col Forrest P Coons, ~gq-unkn;Col Group on 12 Nov 1942 and activated on AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS-GROUPS 263 prisoners from Okinawa to Luzon. i Moved to Japan in Sep 1945. Znactiuated on 25 Mar 1946. Allotted to the reserve. Activated in the US on 3 Aug 1947. Redesignated 375th Troop Carrier Group (Medium) in Jun f-! 1949. Called to active duty on 15Oct 1950. !7 Assigned to Tactical Air Command and equipped with C-82'~. Znactiuated on 14 \/i JulAllotted 1952. to the reserve. Activated on 14 Jul 1952. 18 Nova Used C-47'~in training for over- SQUADRoNS* 1947-I949* 5jth' Seas duty. Moved to the Pacific theater, 1942-1946; 1947-W2; W2-* 56th: IN2- Jun-Jul 1943, and assigned to Fifth AF. I946; 1947-1952; 5Vh: IW2-19'16; Operated from New Guinea and Bi& 1947-1952; 5atk: 19P1%6; I947- from Jul1g43 until Feb 1945, transporting '95'. men, supplies, and equipment to forward STATIONS.Bowman Field, Ky, 18 Nov bases on New Guinea and New Britain 1942; Sedalia AAFN Mo, 23 Jan 1943; and in the Solomon and Admiralty Islands. Laurinburg-Maxton AAB, NC, 5 May Used armed B-17'~ for the more hazard- I943 ; Baer Field, 2-15 Jun 1943; BriS ous missions that involved landing on bane, Australia, 13 Jul 1943; Port Moresby, fields that were under enemy attack. Took New Guinea, 31 Jul1943; Dobodura, New Guinea, 19 Aug 1943; Port Moresby, New part in the first airborne operation in the Guinea, 19 Dec 1943; Nadzab, New Southwest Pacific, dropping paratroops to Guinea, 22 Apr 1944; Biak, 27 Sep 1944; seize enemy bases and cut overland supply San Jose, Mindoro, 17 Feb 1945; Porac, lines at Nadzab, New Guinea, on 5 Sep Luzon, 20 May 1945; Okinawa, Aug 1945; '943. Converted to G46 aircraft late in Tachikawa, Japan, Sep 1945-25 Mar 1946. '944. Moved to the in Feb Greater Pittsburgh Aprt, Pa, 3 Aug 1947; I945 and duringthe next few months Donaldson AFB, SC, 15 Oct 1950-14 Jul Of its missions were SUPPIY flights to 1952. Pittsburgh, Pa, 14 Jul 1952-. ground forces on hzon and neighboring COMMANDERS.Col Joel G Pitts, 20 Nov islands. Transported cargo to forces in the 1942; Lt ~01Maurice w Wiley, 25 Dec R~ukyus,Jun-Jul 1945. hk~edto Okin- 1944; Lt Col John L Ames Jr, Aug 1945; awa in Aug, and after the war helped Lt Col Benjamin C King, Sep 1945; Col transfer troops from Luzon to the Ryukyus Marshall S Roth, Oct 1g45-unkn. Capt for staging to Japan. Also ferried liberated Charles J Newell, 15 Oct 1950; Lt Col 264 AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR I1 Charles R Gianque, 7 Nov 1950; Col Ken- Middle East, Nov 1g42Sep 1943, and with neth L Johnson, 13 Nov 1951; Lt Col Twelfth AF from Tunisia, SepNov 1943. Arthur J Staveley, I Feb 1952; Col Stewart Attacked shipping in the Mediterranean H Nichols, 17 Apr-14 Jul1g52. and harbor installations in Libya, Tunisia, CAMPAIGNS,Air Offensive, Japan; New Sicily, and Italy to cut enemy supply lines Guinea; Northern Solomons; Bismarck to Africa. Struck airdromes, marshalling Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; yards, and other objectives in Sicily and Luzon ; Ryukyus. Italy after the fall of Tunisia in May 1943. DECORATIONS.Philippine Presidential Received a DUC for action against the Unit Citation. enemy in the Middle East, North Africa, INSIGNE.Shield: Azure, between a bend, and Sicily, Nov 1g42-Aug 1943. Partici- compony of seven or and azure, cottised pated in the famed low-level assault on oil argent, a Pegasus rampant argent, and a refineries at Ploesti and received another parachute between two wings of the last. DUC: nearing Ploesti on I Aug 1943 and Motto: NOLLE SECUNDICNone but realizing that it was off course, the group the Best. (Approved 12 Feb 1952.) attempted to reach its assigned objective from another direction; by this time, how- 376th BOMBARDMENT GROUP ever, enemy defenses were thoroughly alerted and intense opposition forced the 376th to divert to targets of opportunity in the general target area. Moved to Italy in Nov 1943 and operated with Fifteenth AF until Apr 1945: Engaged primarily in long-range missions to targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Aus- tria, Hungary, and the Balkans to bomb factories, marshalling yards, oil refineries, oil storage facilities, airdromes, bridges, \ harbors, and other objectives.