PLEASE SUPPORT THE ARMY AIR CORPS MUSEUM! [MORE]
Ads help support our web operation, if you would like to turn them OFF for this visit;
Constituted as 374th Troop Carrier Group on 7 Nov 1942 and activated in Australia on 12 Nov. Assigned to Fifth AF. Transported men and materiel in the theater from Nov 1942 until after the war, operating from Australia, New Guinea, Biak, and the Philippines. Used war-weary and worn-out aircraft, including B-18's, C-39's, C-49's, C-56's, C-60's, DC-3's, and DC-5's, until equipped with C-47's in Feb 1943. Engaged in supplying Allied forces in the Papuan Campaign, receiving one DUC for these missions, and being awarded another DUC for transporting troops and equipment to Papua and evacuating casualties to rear areas, Nov-Dec 1942. Received third DUC for transporting men and supplies over the Owen Stanley Range, 30 Jan-1 Feb 1943, to aid the small force defending the airdrome at Wau, New Guinea. Participated in the first airborne operation in the Southwest Pacific on 5 Sep 1943, dropping paratroops at Nadzab, New Guinea, to seize enemy bases and cut inland supply routes. Other operations included evacuating wounded personnel, flying courier routes, making passenger flights, and helping move the 11th Division from Luzon to Okinawa in Aug 1945 for staging to Japan. From Sep 1945 to May 1946, hauled cargo to the occupation army in Japan and flew courier routes from the Philippines to Japan. Inactivated on Luzon on 15 May 1946.
Activated in the Philippines on 15 Oct 1946. Assigned to Far East Air Forces. Transferred, without personnel and equipment, to Guam on 1 Apr 1947. Remanned and equipped with C-46 and C-47 aircraft. Flew courier, passenger, and cargo routes in the western Pacific. Redesignated 374th Troop Carrier Group (Heavy) in May 1948. Began converting to C-54's. Moved to Japan in Mar 1949. Began operations in the Korea War in Jun 1950, using C-47 and C-54 aircraft, the C-47's being replaced with C-124's in 1952. Transported men and cargo to Korea and evacuated wounded personnel on return flights. Remained in Japan after the war.
Squadrons. 6th: 1942-1946; 1946-. 19th: 1946-1948. 21st: 1942-1946; 1946-. 22d: 1942-1946; 1946-. 33d: 1942-1946.
Stations. Brisbane, Australia, 12 Nov 1942; Port Moresby, New Guinea, Dec 1942; Townsville, Australia, 7 Oct 1943; Nadzab, New Guinea, c. 1 Sep 1944; Biak, c. 14 Oct 1944; Nielson Field, Luzon, 28 May 1945-15 May 1946. Nichols Field, Luzon, 15 Oct 1946; Harmon Field, Guam, 1 Apr 1947; Tachikawa, Japan, 5 Mar 1949-.
Commanders. Lt Col Erickson S Nichols, 12 Nov 1942; Maj Edgar H Hampton, 14 Dec 1942; Col Paul H Prentiss, 17 Dec 1942; Maj Fred M Adams, 22 May 1943; Lt Col Edgar H Hampton, 12 Jul 1943; Lt Col Fred M Adams, 2 Aug 1943; Col Edward T Imparato, c. 3 Aug 1944; Col John L Sullivan, Oct 1945-unkn. Col Audrin R Walker, 15 Oct 1946-unkn; Lt Col Forrest P Coons, 1947-unkn; Col Troy W Crawford, 1949; Lt Col Benjamin T Tarver Jr, Aug 1949; Col Herbert A Bott, 22 Jul 1950; Col Charles W Howe, Jul 1951; Col Edward H Nigro, Sep 1951; Lt Col James F Hogan, Apr 1952; Col Edward H Nigro, 11 Aug 1952; Lt Col Frederick C Johnson, 11 Sep 1952; Col Francis W Williams, 24 Apr 1953; Col Hollis B Tara, 15 Jun 1954-.
Campaigns. World War II: Air Offensive, Japan; Papua; New Guinea; Northern Solomons; Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon. Korean War: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; 1st UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1953.
Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Papua [Nov] 1942-23 Jan 1943; Papua, 12 Nov-22 Dec 1942; Wau, New Guinea, 30 Jan-1 Feb 1943; Korea, 27 Jun-15 Sep 1950. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: 1 Jul 1951-27 Jul 1953.
Insigne. Shield: Per bend azure and or, in chief a hand couped in armour, holding a dagger, point upward, issuing from its handle an arrow and a wheat stalk or, in base a winged foot azure. Motto: Celeriter Pugnare - Swiftly to Fight. (Approved 3 Jul 1951.)
Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986
Do you have WWII memorabilia that you are not sure what to do with it? The children don't want it? Then let us help you preserve this history by donating these items to the Army Air Corps Library and Museum. We are accepting donations in the form of uniforms, medals, ribbons, patches, photos, memorabilia, papers, gear and equipment. We also accept monetary donations to support our operations and long term plans. This website is part of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, and as a 501(c)(3) Non-profit, your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
Read about how we need your support and use donations.
Historical Artifacts: We are looking for photos, documents and other types of artifacts including uniforms, medals, insignia, gear, manuals, and training material. We accept electronic/scans or originals of pictures and paper records. A General Order could be an award document that contains information on many servicemen. Special Orders may contain transfers or other information. Flight records, accident reports, maintenance logs, after action reports, pilot encounter reports, diaries and biorgraphies; all of these types of documents help us support or mission: preserving your history! Contact us today for instructions on sending us this material. Contact Today
Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks. Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one. We also need assistance with retyping unit history documents.
