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437th Troop Carrier Group

Group

  • C-47 Skytrains of the 83rd Troop Carrier Squadron, 437th Troop Carrier Group. C47 No 42-100578 'WAGS WAGON' so called as the first pilot was 1st Lt Frank W Wagoner (SN )-801350), possibly the man standing far left with hands in pocket. Commanded by Lt Wagoner the A/c participated in Mission Detroit the 437th's initial glider tow into Normandy on June 6th 1944. Flying Formation Position 9, the Co-Pilot was FO Kenneth L A Gavin (SN T-122873), Navigator 2d Lt Ernest B Lampron (SN 0-1017653), Crew Chief T/Sgt Francis J Fallon (SN 37152383) and Radio Operator S/Sgt James W Rudd (SN 34447203).

    C-47 Skytrains of the 83rd Troop Carrier Squadron, 437th Troop Carrier Group. C47 No 42-100578 'WAGS WAGON' so called as the first pilot was 1st Lt Frank W Wagoner (SN )-801350), possibly the man standing far left with hands in pocket. Commanded by Lt Wagoner the A/c participated in Mission Detroit the 437th's initial glider tow into Normandy on June 6th 1944. Flying Formation Position 9, the Co-Pilot was FO Kenneth L A Gavin (SN T-122873), Navigator 2d Lt Ernest B Lampron (SN 0-1017653), Crew Chief T/Sgt Francis J Fallon (SN 37152383) and Radio Operator S/Sgt James W Rudd (SN 34447203).

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  • "High in the clouds, these Douglas C-47s of the Troop Carrier Air Division of the Twelfth Air Force, wing their way to where they will rendezvous over the dropping zones to dislodge* their tough and trained load of paratroopers. France." - C-47's Coded CW-R and also U,C, E, and N. 86TCS, 437TCG, 53TCW, 9AF and 76TCS, 435TCG, 53TCW, 9AF gooney birds. *Probably better word to use would be Disgorge !!

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  • 42-100591 - 'TICO Belle' - early morning during 2013 Valiant Air Command Warbird Airshow - TICO is an amalgam of TItusville COcoa Airport, the previous name of her home field - currently the Space Coast Regional Airport, Titusville, FL

    42-100591 - 'TICO Belle' - early morning during 2013 Valiant Air Command Warbird Airshow - TICO is an amalgam of TItusville COcoa Airport, the previous name of her home field - currently the Space Coast Regional Airport, Titusville, FL

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  • Cedric Elston Hudgens

    Cedric Elston Hudgens

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  • "Horsa Glider LJ135 crashed on the 7th of June 1944 killing 15 onboard. This iconic photograph was taken by a US Signal Corps photographer and is one of the most iconic pictures taken during the D-Day invasion." Airspeed Horsa glider LJ135, assigned to 437th TSC, 8AF USAAF. Pilot F/O Richard G Mercer and Co-Pilot 1st Lt George Parker from the 86th Troop Carrier Squadron at the controls, crashed horrifically at Holdy near Ste Marie du Mont killing 15 of the 25 passengers, injuring the remainder 7-Jun-44.

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  • Extract from Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) for Captain Samuel Fleming of the 437th Troop Carrier Group researched by historian Bill Beigel. The file contains copies of primary documents that discuss the return of personal effects, circumstances and causes of death, and memorialisation of the fallen airman. If you require access to the full, unedited file please contact Bill Beigel via his website, www.ww2research.com, or the AAM Team at aamwebsite@iwm.org.uk

    Extract from Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) for Captain Samuel Fleming of the 437th Troop Carrier Group researched by historian Bill Beigel. The file contains copies of primary documents that discuss the return of personal effects, circumstances and causes of death, and memorialisation of the fallen airman. If you require access to the full, unedited file please contact Bill Beigel via his website, www.ww2research.com, or the AAM Team at aamwebsite@iwm.org.uk

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  • C-47 Skytrains of the 437th Troop Carrier Group, lined up before a mission.

    C-47 Skytrains of the 437th Troop Carrier Group, lined up before a mission.

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  • A troop carrier crew of the 437th Troop Carrier Group including Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Sgro with their battle damaged C-47 Skytrain.

    A troop carrier crew of the 437th Troop Carrier Group including Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Sgro with their battle damaged C-47 Skytrain.

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  • Major Lester Ferguson Squadron Commander of the 85th Squadron of the 437th Troop Carrier Group with Captain Doug Wright RAF Liaison officer on the Control Tower at USAAF Station 469 RAF Ramsbury. Picture taken by Joseph C Antrim, 85th Squadron Operations Officer; hole punch on left hand side and handwritten No 70 top right indicates that this picture was copied directly from Antrim's print collection. Handwritten caption on reverse: '010565. Ramsbury, Eng. Ferguson and British Officer - Control Tower.'

    Major Lester Ferguson Squadron Commander of the 85th Squadron of the 437th Troop Carrier Group with Captain Doug Wright RAF Liaison officer on the Control Tower at USAAF Station 469 RAF Ramsbury. Picture taken by Joseph C Antrim, 85th Squadron Operations Officer; hole punch on left hand side and handwritten No 70 top right indicates that this picture was copied directly from Antrim's print collection. Handwritten caption on reverse: '010565. Ramsbury, Eng. Ferguson and British Officer - Control Tower.'

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  • Personnel of the 437th Troop Carrier Group undertake Physical Training at Ramsbury. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Ramsbury, England. Physical Training.'

    Personnel of the 437th Troop Carrier Group undertake Physical Training at Ramsbury. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Ramsbury, England. Physical Training.'

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Constituted as the 437th Troop Carrier Group on 15 April 1943, it was activated on 01 May 1943 in Dunnellon, FL. They trained with C-46 and C-47 aircraft for duty overseas with the Ninth Air Force. They moved to England during January and February of 1944 and begin preparing for the Normandy invasion (Operation Neptune in support of Overlord).

The group released gliders near Cherbourg early on June 6, 1944. They flew follow up missions on 06 and 07 June carrying reinforcements of troops, anti-aircraft pieces, ammunition, rations and other supplies for the 82nd Airborne Division; they received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for these actions in France.

A detachment was sent to Italy in July 1944 for the invasion of southern France (Operation Dragoon) in August. They dropped paratroops over the assault area on 15 August, flew a resupply mission on the following day and then hauled freight to bases in Italy until they returned to England on 24 August.

During the airborne attack on Holland (Market Garden), 17 to 25 September 1944 the group released gliders carrying troops and equipment and flew several resupply missions to provide reinforcements. In December 1944 they flew supply missions in support of the troops in Bastogne.

They moved to France in February 1945 for action during the air assault across the Rhine (Operation Varsity); each aircraft towed two gliders over the east bank and released them near Wesel on 24 March 1945.

They flew numerous missions in March and April to carry gasoline, food, medicine, and other supplies to ground forces pushing across Germany. When not participating in one of the major airborne operations, the organization continually transported ammunition, rations, clothing, and other supplies as well as evacuating wounded personnel to rear zone hospitals. They evacuated prisoners of war and displaced persons to relocation centers. After the V-E Day they returned to the US in August 1945. On 15 November 1945, the unit was inactivated.

The 437th Operations Group (437 OG) is an active United States Air Force unit. It is the flying component of the Eighteenth Air Force 437th Airlift Wing, stationed at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina.The unit's World War II predecessor unit, the 437th Troop Carrier Group was a C-47 Skytrain transport unit assigned to Ninth Air Force in Western Europe. During the Normandy campaign, the group released gliders over Cherbourg and carried troops, weapons, ammunition, rations, and other supplies for the 82nd Airborne Division in Operation NEPTUNE.

Commanding officers

  • Cedric Hudgens

    Military | Colonel | Group Commander | 437th Troop Carrier Group
    Commander 437th TCG - 01 May 1943 through 12 June 1944. ...

  • Donald French

    Military | Colonel | MILITARY | COLONEL | COMMANDER 437TH TCG - 12 June 1944 THROUGH 1945 | 437TH TROOP CARRIER GROUP Born on 12 November 1914 in Minnesota; Died on 12 August 2005 in California | 437th Troop Carrier Group

Structure

Part of
Encompassing
Previously was
Not yet known
Became
Not yet known

Stations

Station Location Date
Based Balderton January 1944 – 5 February 1944
Based Ramsbury 5 February 1944 – 25 February 1945
Based Coulommiers 25 February 1945 – July 1945

Connections

People

  • Donald Abele

    Military | Private First Class | Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) - 501 - Administrative and Technical Clerk | 437th Troop Carrier Group
    He registered for the WW II draft on 29 June 1942, and he was listed as a student at Roosevelt High School, Chicago. He was 5' 10" tall; weighed 136 pounds; had brown hair, blue eyes and a 'light' complexion; he was also listed as having a birth mark...

  • Leland Abercrombie

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Glider Mechanic | 437th Troop Carrier Group
    Lee attended the 8 week Glider Mechanic, Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 559 course, AAF Technical School Shepard Field, Texas. Lee was a machinist for most of his working career; he was married in 1946 and he and his wife had three children. He...

  • Robert Abraham

    Military | 437th Troop Carrier Group
    Bob grew up in Houston, graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School and then enlisted in the service to defend his country. Bob faithfully served in the United States Army Air Corps, and was in numerous European theater campaigns during World War II...

  • George Ackerman

    Military | Sergeant | Military Occupational Specialty (MOS): 559 - Glider Mechanic, (maintenance) | 437th Troop Carrier Group
    He registered for the WW II draft on 30 June 1942, and he was listed as employed by the Valley Times (Van Nuys, California). He was 5' 8 1/2" tall; weighed 150 pounds; had brown hair, hazel eyes and a 'ruddy' complexion. He entered the service on 05...

  • Weber Ackman

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Crew Chief | 437th Troop Carrier Group
    He entered the service on 11 November 1942 from Cincinnati, Ohio. He had a grammar school education, was single, without dependents and his civilian occupation was listed as “Jewelers, watchmakers, goldsmiths, and silversmiths.” He became a C-47 Crew...

  • Manuel Acosta

    Military | 437th Troop Carrier Group
    Manuel Acosta was a Mexican-American painter and illustrator. He entered the service on 20 November 1942 from El Paso, Texas. He had four years of high school, was single, without dependents and his civilian occupation was listed as: “Decorators and...

  • Ignatius Adamietz

    Military | Flight Officer | Glider Pilot | 437th Troop Carrier Group
    He entered the service as a private (Service # 18159173) in the Air Corps on 07 August 1942 from Randolph Field, Texas. He had two years of college education, was single, without dependents and his civilian occupation was listed as “Aviators.” While in...

  • Richard Adams

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Glider Mechanic - MOS 559 | 437th Troop Carrier Group
    Mr. Adams worked as a machinist in heavy equipment at Whiteman Air Force Base for 42 years and also was a farmer, living at the Adams farm at Bristle Ridge in Johnson County, MO.  He was a member of the American Legion Post 131 of Warrensburg. He...

  • Noel Addy

    Military | Flight Officer | Glider Pilot | 435th Troop Carrier Group
    He was a Flight Officer and, according to the Mission GALVESTON orders, flew with the 437th TCG as pilot of a CG-4A glider in June of 1944. On 28 September in 1946, he re-enlisted for the Hawaiian Department as a Master Sergeant (Service # 20 847 258)...

  • Harold Adkins

    Military | Major | Group Medical Officer | 437th Troop Carrier Group
    In the 1940 Census, he is listed as living in Indiana with his wife and their two children. His occupation was "Medical Doctor" in "Private Practice". Harold was in the Headquarters Squadron and a member of the 437th TCG Association; he appeared on...

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Aircraft

  • 42-100648

    C-47 Skytrain

  • 42-100676 "Little Samuel"

    C-47 Skytrain
    C-47 42-100676 flew on D-Day in position #18, Serial 30 in Mission ELMIRA, piloted by 2nd Lt. Ernest S. Dix. 42-100676 was in flying position #34, Serial A-30 in Mission MARKET; eyewitness saw left engine on fire, then flames all over the ship; the...

  • 42-100801 Picadilly Filly

    C-47 Skytrain
    On 17 September 1944, C-47 42-100801 'Piccadilly Filly' crashed on a farm at the Neterselseweg Bladel in the Netherlands. See MACR 9903

  • 42-100803

    C-47 Skytrain

  • 42-108884

    C-47 Skytrain

  • 42-58095

    CG-4A Haig

  • 42-79200

    CG-4A Haig

  • 42-92881

    C-47 Skytrain

  • 43-15302

    C-47 Skytrain
    MACR 9904 - 43-15302 was in postion #35 of Serial A-30 of the MARKET mission; Left engine fire, the glider cut loose, 43-15302's left wing buckled, the ship nosed over into the ground and exploded on impact

  • 43-15493

    C-47 Skytrain

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Citations

Distinguished Unit Citation: France, 6-7 June 1944- awarded for releasing gliders near Cherbourg on 6 June, and flying follow up missions on 6 and 7 June, to supply reinforcements of troops, anti-aircraft pieces, ammunition and rations to the 82nd Airborne Division.

Air Force
9th
Type
Combat
Type category
Troop Carrier
Nicknames
Not yet known
Motto
"Auxilium ex Coelo" - Help from the Sky
Insignia
Not yet known
Aircraft used
  • C-47 Skytrain
  • CG-4A Haig
  • Horsa

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
23 July 2020 08:44:55 Emily Changes to citations
Sources

Air Force Combat Units of WWII
Date Contributor Update
20 July 2018 14:27:45 Lucy May Changes to description and stations
Sources

Corrected dates that the group were based at each airfield to bring the information in line with 'Air Force Combat Units of WWII', edited by M. Maurer: https://archive.org/details/AirForceCombatUnitsOfWorldWarIi
Date Contributor Update
25 April 2018 12:59:11 jaxticotribute Changes to description
Sources

25 April 2018 - extract from Wikipedia entry for 437th OG
Date Contributor Update
22 April 2018 09:53:35 jaxticotribute Changes to motto
Sources

437th TCG Association Reunion books
Date Contributor Update
10 February 2017 11:52:07 general ira snapsorter Changes to stations
Sources

Stations added with details from:
- "Battle Colors Volume III - Insignia and Tactical Markings of the Ninth Air Force in World War Two' by Robert A. Watkins;
Date Contributor Update
11 February 2016 21:32:22 jaxticotribute Changes to commanding officers associations
Sources

US Air Force Combat Units of World War II - ISBN 0-912799-02-1
Date Contributor Update
11 February 2016 21:15:47 jaxticotribute Changes to person associations
Sources

Air Force Combat Units of World War II - ISBN 0-912799-02-1
Date Contributor Update
10 February 2016 21:37:42 jaxticotribute Changes to description and commanding officers associations
Sources

Air Force Combat Units of World War II - AFD-100921-044
Action of the Tiger, Frank Guild, Jr
Date Contributor Update
08 February 2016 22:11:14 jaxticotribute Changes to type
Sources

Their unit designation
Date Contributor Update
08 February 2016 22:09:41 jaxticotribute Changes to aircraft types
Sources

437th TCG Mission orders #1 and #2 for the 'Detroit' (Serial #28) and 'Elmira' (Serial #30) Missions; they identify by serial # the aircraft and gliders that flew in each position - the Americans referred to the CG-4A as the 'WACO' - they were designed by the Weaver Aircraft Company
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:45 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Units in the UK from ETOUSA Station List, as transcribed by Lt. Col. Philip Grinton (US Army, Retired) and extracted by IWM; air division data from L.D. Underwood, based on the 8th Air Force Strength Report of 6th August 1944, as published in 'The 8th Air Force Yearbook' by Lt. Col. John H Woolnough (1980)

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