U.S. TROOP-CARRIER PLANES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 102, 2 May 1944, Page 5

U.S. TROOP-CARRIER PLANES

RUGBY, April;. 30, Troop-carrying aircraft of the Ninth United States Air'Force .flew over 30,000 hours in April in a series of simultaneous dawn exercises over England. Throughout the month huge ghost-like 'fleets of tow planes and: gliders raced through darkness to at- I tack points and dropped hundreds of heavily-armed airborne assault troops, and in carefully co-ordinated' operations higher-flying C 47 aircraft dropped paratroops on the same objectives Towards the end of April aircraftof the Troop-Carrier Command carried out one of the most massive airborne operations of the war. The mission was a daybreak attack on a simulated enemy strong-point. It was carried out under battle conditions arid with splitsecond precision. Several hours before dawn the first C.47 transport planes unloaded Unit after unit of fully-armed paratroops, and simultaneously gliders came to earth with cargoes of soldiers, guns, and heavy demolition equipment.- As the troops stormed their objectives other gliders brought up fresh units and Supplies of food, ammunition, weapons, and medical equipment. By 10 a.m. the objectives were taken. During these operations the TroopCarrier Command pilots found that their most difficult task was to steer clear of the Allied bombers en route to the targets on the Continent— 8.0. W.