464th Troop Carrier Group | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1943–1945, 1953–1971 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Role | Airlift |
| Part of | Tactical Air Command |
| Motto | Certissimus in IncertisLatin Most Certain in Uncertainties |
| Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 464th Troop Carrier Group emblem(Approved 15 April 1954)[1][note 1] |  |
The464th Troop Carrier Group was a theater airlift unit of theUnited States Air Force during theCold War. It served in the United States underTactical Air Command between 1953 and 1957. The group operatedFairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar andFairchild C-123 Provider aircraft as the flying element of the464th Troop Carrier Wing until being inactivated when the wing was reorganized.
Thegroup was first organized in 1943 in theUnited States Army Air Forces as the464th Bombardment Group. DuringWorld War II. the group served in theMediterranean Theater of Operations withConsolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. It was awarded theDistinguished Unit Citations for attacks onmarshaling yards nearVienna, Austria in July 1944 and on anoil refinery nearPardubice, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) in August 1944. AfterV-E Day, the group moved to the Caribbean, where it was assigned toAir Transport Command and participated in the return of military personnel to the United States until it was inactivated in July 1945.
Media related to464th Bombardment Group (United States Army Air Forces) at Wikimedia Commons
The464th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 1 August 1943 atWendover Field, Utah as aConsolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombardment unit. The group'ssquadrons were the776th,777th,778th and779th Bombardment Squadrons.[2][3][4][5] After gathering its initialcadre, the group moved toGowen Field, Idaho for training withII Bomber Command. After training in Idaho and Utah, thegroup began its move to theMediterranean Theater of Operations in February 1944.[1]
The 464th deployed to southern Italy in February 1944, where it was assigned toFifteenth Air Force's55th Bombardment Wing. The air echelon trained for a few weeks in Tunisia before joining the remainder of the group in Italy and entering combat in April.[1]
The group engaged in long range strategic bombing missions to enemy military, industrial and transportation targets in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia, bombing railroad marshaling yards, oil refineries, airdrome installations, heavy industry, and other strategic objectives.[1]
Notable missions of theOil Campaign of World War II includedOperation Tidal Wave, bombing of theConcordia Vega Refinery nearPloiești on 18 May 1944, themarshaling yards andoil refinery at Vienna on 8 July 1944, for which the group was awarded theDistinguished Unit Citation, and thePardubice oil refinery and nearby railroad tracks on 24 August 1944, for which it also was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation.[6]
The group sometimes engaged in support andinterdiction operations. It supported Allied forces duringOperation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France in August 1944. It hit railroad centers to assist the advance ofRed Army in southeastern Europe in March 1945. It bombed enemy supply lines to assist the advance ofUS Fifth and British Eighth Army in northern Italy in April 1945.[1] In January 1945, the various units that had been supporting the 464th atPantanella Airfield were reorganized into the517th Air Service Group.[7]
AfterV-E Day, the group was assigned to the Green Project, the movement of troops from Europe to the United States via the South Atlantic Transport Route. B-24s were modified with sealed bomb bays, removal of all defensive armament and internal fuselage equipped with seating to carry approximately 30 personnel. It was assigned toAir Transport Command atWaller Field,Trinidad. The group moved personnel fromNatal, Brazil andAtkinson Field,British Guiana toMorrison Field, Florida. It provided air transport until the end of July when the unit was inactivated.[1]
The group was redesignated the464th Troop Carrier Group and activated atLawson Air Force Base, Georgia. on 1 February 1953. It was assigned to the464th Troop Carrier Wing under theWing Base organization system.[1] The group replaced the434th Troop Carrier Group, a reserve unit that had been called to active duty for theKorean War. It took over the personnel andCurtiss C-46 Commando andFairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar aircraft of the 434th.
The unit provided tactical airlift of troops and cargo, participated in joint airborne training with Army forces, and took part in tactical exercises in the United States and overseas. The wing provided aeromedical airlift and flew humanitarian missions as required. The group was inactivated in 1957, whenTactical Air Command converted its flying wings to the dual deputy organization.,[note 2]
The group was redesignated the464th Tactical Airlift Group in inactive status on 31 July 1985.[8]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 8 July 1944 | Vienna, Austria, 464th Bombardment Group[1] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 24 August 1944 | Pardubice, Czechoslovakia, 464th Bombardment Group[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Rome-Arno | 10 April 1944 – 9 September 1944 | 464th Bombardment Group[1] |
| Southern France | 15 August 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 464th Bombardment Group[1] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 464th Bombardment Group[1] |
| North Apennines | 10 September 1944 – 4 April 1945 | 464th Bombardment Group[1] |
| Po Valley | 3 April 1945 – 8 May 1945 | 464th Bombardment Group[1] |
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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