68th Troop Carrier Squadron

  January 1943 to January 1946

  United States of America

TYPE: USAAF unit

IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil

HEADQUARTERS: Florence AAF, SC (1943), Sedalia AAF, MO (1943), Laurinburg-Maxton AAB, NC (1943), Baer Field, IN (1943), Port Moresby, New Guinea (1943), Nadzab Field, New Guinea (1943-1944), Tadji, New Guinea (1944), Mokmer Field, Biak, Dutch East Indies (1944-1945), Tanauan Field, Philippines (1945), Clark Field, Philippines (1945), Iwo Jima, Japan (1945), Ie Shima, Japan (1945), Tachikawa AB, Japan (1945-1946)

FORMER NAME: Nil

SUBSEQUENT NAME: 68^th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium (reactivated August 1947, redesignated June 1949)

The 68^th Troop Carrier Squadron was one of the squadrons of the 433^rd Troop Carrier Group operating in the Southwest Pacific during World War II. It was constituted on 22 January 1943 and activated on 9 February 1943.

The Squadron started off with a complement of C-47 Skytrains under the auspices of I Troop Carrier Command. It trained to tow gliders and to transport and drop supplies and paratroops between February and August 1943 at various US bases. It then deployed to the Southwest Pacific as part of the 5^th Air Force, 54^th Troop Carrier Wing, ferrying its aircraft via Hawaii, the Fiji Islands and Australia to New Guinea between August and September 1943. On 15 November 1943, the Squadron moved to Nadzab, New Guinea.

The Squadron transported troops and carried cargo such as gasoline, ammunition, medicine, food, equipment, and construction materials. It also evacuated wounded personnel. It was detached to Tadji, New Guinea between 18 May and 4 June 1944. It then moved forward progressively to Biak Island on 15 November 1944, to Leyte Island in the Philippines on 15 February 1945 and finally to Luzon on 15 June 1945. The squadron participated to the airborne assault on Aparri, Luzon on 23 June 1945. Commandos started replacing the C-47s from 1944. Operations in the Philippines included delivering ammunition, food, and other items to Filipino guerrilla forces, evacuating former allied prisoners of war and civilian internees, transporting combat units from New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies, and the Solomon Islands. The 68^th TCS finished the war transporting troops to Okinawa between June and August 1945, and occupation forces to Japan after V-J Day.

The Squadron was inactivated in Japan on 15 January 1946.

1944 to January 1946

• Curtiss C-46D-5-CU Commando: 44-77334