440th Troop Carrier Group

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History

The 440th Troop Carrier Group took part in the D-Day landings, the invasion of the south of France, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and the crossing of the Rhine.

The 440th was one of twelve groups to join the Ninth Air Force direct from the United States in the first half of 1944. The group arrived in March 1944. For most of the time it acted as a cargo carrying unit, but it also took part in all of the main airborne operations of the campaign.

On D-Day the group dropped troops from the 101st Airborne Division near Carentan on the Cotentin Peninsula. On 7 June it flew supplies to the same part of the Cotentin. The group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for these missions. Later in the Battle of Normandy the group flew supplies to a battalion trapped at Mortain (10 August 1944).

In July 1944 a detachment from the group was sent to Italy. In July-August it was used to fly supplies into Rome, which had fallen to the Allies just before D-Day. On 15 August it took part in Operation Dragoon, dropping troops from the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment near Le Muy. Later on the same day it towed reinforcements into the same area. Soon afterwards the detachment returned to Britain.

In September the entire group moved to France. Later in that month it took part in Operation Market Garden. On 17 September it flew part of the 82nd Airborne Division to Groesbeek. On 18 and 23 September it towed gliders full of reinforcements to the area.

On 26 December 1945 the group took part in the Battle of the Bulge, towing gliders filled with supplies to Bastogne to support the 101st Airborne.

In March 1945 the group towed gliders filled with men from the 17th Airborne Division to Wesel, during the Allied crossing of the Rhine.

After the end of the war the group was used to transport liberated POWs and displaced people. It was disbanded in Europe on 18 October 1945.

Books

Pending

Aircraft

1943-1945: Douglas C-47 Skytrain

Timeline

25 May 1943 Constituted as 440th Troop Carrier Group
1 July 1943 Activated
Feb-Mar 1944 To England and Ninth Air Force
18 Oct 1945 Inactivated

Commanders (with date of appointment)

Maj Charles H Young: 5 Jul 1943
Lt Col Frank X Krebs: 7 Jul 1943
Lt Col Loyd C Waldorf: 18 Sep 1944
Col Frank X Krebs: 29 Oct 1944- 1945

Main Bases

Baer Field, Ind: 1 Jul 1943
Sedalia AAFld, Mo: 9 Jul 1943
Alliance AAFld, Neb: 7 Sep 1943
Pope Field, NC: 4 Jan 1944
Baer Field, Ind: 14-21 Feb 1944
Bottesford, England: 11 Mar 1944
Exeter, England: 18 Apr 1944
Reims, France: 11 Sep 1944
Le Mans, France: 30 Sep 1944
Orleans, France: 2 Nov 1944-18 Oct 1945

Component Units

95th: 1943-1945
96th: 1943-1945
97th: 1943-1945
98th: 1943-1945

Assigned To

1943: 53rd Troop Carrier Wing; US Based
1944-45: 50th Troop Carrier Wing; IX Troop Carrier Command; Ninth Air Force

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (20 October 2015), 440th Troop Carrier Group , http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/USAAF/440th_Troop_Carrier_Group.html

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