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Allied and Soviet Air Forces Please use this forum to discuss the Air Forces of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. |
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506TH PIR Easy Company "Band of Brothers" C-47 Markings
Hello Everyone!!
Happy Holidays to all of you!! I was wondering if I might pose a question concerning the Douglas C-47 Skytrains that were used to drop the men of the 506th PIR "Easy Company" troops on "Operation Market Garden" in September of 1944. I was wondering what Troop Carrier Squadron carried them into Holland that day. Also, my question centers around the medium gray letter / number designation that was on the front fuselage aft of the flight deck. Would a Troop Carrier Squadron be intermixed with other Squadrons? Such as a C-47 with a D8 code be flying with another C-47 with an L3 code? If anyone has any thought on this it would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks again!! Mark Copeland |
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Re: 506TH PIR Easy Company "Band of Brothers" C-47 Markings
You might also try the forum at Mark Bando's Trigger Time web site.
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Re: 506TH PIR Easy Company "Band of Brothers" C-47 Markings
D8 is the code of the 94th TCS, 439th TCG, 50th TCW
L4 is the code of the 91st TCS, 439th TCG, 50th TCW So they would be likely to be at the same airfield on the same operation The 101st was carried in the 438th TCG and 439th TCG. The 439th carried "...the tough young paratroopers of Col.Sink..." The words are from Col Young, leading the 439th in D8.Z. Source Kenn Rust "The 9th Air Force in WW2" |
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Re: 506TH PIR Easy Company "Band of Brothers" C-47 Markings
E Company was in 2nd Bn, 506th PIR. Main element of 506th PIR left from RAF Membury (3rd Bn from RAF Chilbolton), I gathered.
RAF Membury was station of 436th TCG. Graham: could it be that 439th TCG carried the troopers on D-Day instead? Open for suggestions! Regards, Leendert |
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Re: 506TH PIR Easy Company "Band of Brothers" C-47 Markings
I have Ottery (Upottery in RAF parlance) as a base for the 439th, and that is what was quoted as the base for Easy Company in BoB - my son just left me the DVDs, and I watched them over the weekend. Chilbolton I have as P-47s not C-47s, of the 368th FG. Action Stations 6 says nothing about any D-Day transport operations from Chilbolton. The 438th flew from Greenham Common, with the first wave. The 439th was following (second wave?), which wasn't quite the impression given, and the book states that the 101st was dropped on target, Col Sink himself landing within 200 yds of the aiming point, despite a lack of pathfinder lights. Three aircraft were missing from the 439th, there is a picture of another (D8-coded) with flak damage to the outer wing. Overall, despite some scattering, only one unit of the 82nd was "badly dropped". Again, not quite the impression given in the film.
References in Rust to other units has the 434th with gliders from Welford Park, and the 437th with gliders. Freeman in The 9th Air Force in Colour has the 437th at Ramsbury, the 436th at Membury. There is a photo of gliders at Chilbolton for Market Garden, and this is mentioned in Action Stations 6. Does your reference to Membury and Chilbolton apply to Market Garden not Overlord? Young's aircraft had radar - by implication so would the other formation leaders. Does anyone have information on what this would look like? |
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Re: 506TH PIR Easy Company "Band of Brothers" C-47 Markings
There are several color profiles (including one of Young's aircraft) and photographs of C-47s with belly radomes in my Osprey on Gooney Birds in the ETO.
Sink sent Young -- by way of an evacuated wounded officer -- a ten pound note that had been the bet that Young would get him to the DZ.
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author of THE DECISIVE DUEL: SPITFIRE VS 109, published by Little Brown. Visit its website at: http://Spitfirevs109.com |