375th Troop Carrier Group

  November 1942 to March 1946

  United States of America

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TYPE: USAAF unit

IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil

HEADQUARTERS: Bowman Field, KY (1942-1943), Sedalia AAF, MO (1943), Laurinburg-Maxton AAB, NC (1943), Baer Field, IN (1943), Brisbane Eagle Farm, Australia (1943), Port Moresby, New Guinea (1943), Dobodura, New Guinea (1943), Port Moresby, New Guinea (1943-1944), Nadzab Field, New Guinea (1944), Mokmer Field, Biak, Papua, Dutch East Indies (1944-1945), San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines (1945), Porac, Luzon, Philippines (1945), Okinawa, Japan (1945), Tachikawa AB, Japan (1945-1946)

FORMER NAME: Nil

SUBSEQUENT NAME: 375^th Troop Carrier Group, Medium (when reactivated May 1949)

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Commandos operated, squadron unknown:

• Curtiss C-46D-5-CU Commando: 44-77339, 44-77359, 44-77415

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The 375^th Troop Carrier Group was constituted on 12 November 1942 and activated on 18 November 1942. It used Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft during stateside training for overseas duty at Sedalia AAF, MO, Laurinburg-Maxton AAB, NC and Baer Field, IN.

The Group moved to the Pacific theater of operations during June and July 1943, initially based at Brisbane Eagle Farm, Australia from 13 July 1943, Port Moresby, New Guinea from 31 July 1943 and Dobodura, New Guinea from 19 August 1943. On 5 September 1943, 31 Douglas C-47s of the 375^th participated in the first airborne operation in the Southwest Pacific, dropping US paratroops of the 2^nd Battalion, 503^rd Parachute Infantry Regiment to seize Japanese bases and cut overland supply lines at Nadzab, New Guinea.

The Group transferred back to Port Moresby, New Guinea on 19 December 1943. On 22 April 1944, the group moved to Nadzab Field, New Guinea and to Biak Island on 27 September 1944. From July 1943 until February 1945, the 375^th TCG was busy transporting men, supplies, and equipment to forward bases on New Guinea, New Britain, the Solomon Islands, and the Admiralty Islands. It sometimes used armed Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft for the more hazardous missions that involved landing on fields under enemy attack.

In late 1944, the 375^th TCG began to convert from the venerable C-47 to the larger C-46D Commando. After the Group moved from New Guinea and Biak Island to San Jose Airfield, Mindoro in the Philippines in February 1945, most of its missions were supply flights to ground forces on Luzon and neighboring islands. The Group moved to Porac Airfield on the Island of Luzon on 20 May 1945. It also transported cargo to forces in the Ryukyu Islands in June and July 1945, then moved to the newly-captured Japanese island of Okinawa in August to transfer troops from the Luzon staging bases to the Ryukyus for the planned November 1945 invasion of Japan.

After Japan surrendered, the 375^th TCG ferried liberated Allied prisoners from Okinawa to Luzon. In September 1945, to group moved to Tachikawa AB, Japan as part of the Allied occupation of Japan.

The 375^th Troop Carrier Group was composed of four squadrons: the 55^th, 56^th, 57^th and 58^th Troop Carrier Squadrons.