The 1st Ferrying Group was a unit of the
Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
during
World War II. It was the first transport group to deploy overseas and the first to fly transport missions over
the Hump
The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and t ...
. It was redesignated the 1st Transport Group, then disbanded in December 1943, when the
India-China Wing, Air Transport Command adopted a station organization. The group was reconstituted in 1985 as the 431st Military Airlift Training Group, but has not been active.
History
The 1st Ferrying Group was organized in March 1942 at
Pope Field, North Carolina. After briefly training with
Douglas C-47 Skytrains, it deployed to India, using the South Atlantic route. On arrival in India, it became part of
Tenth Air Force and began flying missions over
the Hump
The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and t ...
to resupply Chinese and American forces in China. Shortly after its arrival, it was transferred to the newly formed
India-China Wing, Air Transport Command. It continued to fly transport missions until it was disbanded in December 1943,
[Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations] when the India-China Wing reorganized to create a single unit at each of its stations.
The group was reconstituted in July 1985 as the 431st Military Airlift Training Group, but has not been active.
[
]
Lineage
* Constituted as the 1st Ferrying Group on 3 March 1942
: Activated 7 March 1942
: Redesignated 1st Transport Group c. 24 March 1943
: Disbanded on 1 December 1943[
* Reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesignated 431st Military Airlift Training Group (not active)][
]
Assignments
* Air Force Combat Command, 3 March 1942
* Tenth Air Force, c. 17 May 1942
* India-China Wing, Air Transport Command, July 1942 – 1 December 1943
Components
* 3d Air Corps Ferry Squadron (later 3d Ferrying Squadron, 3d Transport Squadron; 7 March 1942 – 1 December 1943
Stations
* Pope Field, North Carolina, 7 March 1942
* Charleston Municipal Airport
Charleston Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) south of the central business district of Charleston, a city in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, United States. It is included in th ...
, South Carolina, 17–19 March 1942
* New Malir Cantonment, India, 17 May 1942
* Dinjan Airfield
Dinjan Airfield, also known as Dinjan Air Force Station, is an air base of Indian Air Force. Established as an air field in World War II, it is located in Dinjan, approximately seven miles northeast of Chabua, in the state of Assam, India.
The f ...
, India, c. June 1942
* Chabua Airfield
Chabua Air Force Station is an Indian Air Force base located at Chabua of Dibrugarh district in the States and territories of India, state of Assam, India.
History US Air Force
This Base was built in 1939. During World War II it was a major ...
, India, 1942 – 31 December 1943
Campaign
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
* {{cite web , url= http://www.usafpatches.com/pubs/AFP900-2Vol1Bk1.pdf , last1= , first1= , title= AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits , date= 15 June 1971 , publisher= Department of the Air Force Index , location= Washington, DC , access-date= August 11, 2016 , archive-date= 4 August 2015 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150804134135/http://www.usafpatches.com/pubs/AFP900-2Vol1Bk1.pdf , url-status= dead
Groups of the United States Army Air Forces
1
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations disestablished in 1943