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27th Air Transport Group

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The 27th Air Transport Group and the 31st Air Transport Group were unique in the ETO and operated differently from other US Army Air Force units.
As the war progressed, it became apparent there was not a cohesive structure in place to serve the transportation, medevac and combat cargo needs across the theater. The logistics involved in supplying Patton’s drive across Europe was nothing short of miraculous. The 27th ATG started life in the 8th Air Force to handle ferry and transport services. It ultimately ended up under the 302nd Transport Wing, along with the 31st ATG, under USSTAF, serving the supply and transport needs of the European Theater of Operations (ETO) and beyond. The 31st ATG was formed under the 9th Air Force. The 27th ATG was made up of the 86th, 87th, 320th, and 321st Transport Squadrons, and the 310th, 311th, 312th, 325th and the 2920th (Provisional) Ferrying Squadrons. By late 1944 the 311th and 312th were functioning as C-47 transport squadrons. There were also two Service Squadrons, the 519th and the 520th.

Structure

Part of
  • US Strategic Air Forces Service Command

    US Strategic Air Forces Service Command

    Command

  • 302nd Transport Wing

    302nd Transport Wing

    Wing
    302d wing carried cargo and passengers within Great Britain and, later, to and from continental Europe, beginning in December 1943. Cargo included medical ...

  • Headquarters (Eighth Air Force)

    Headquarters (Eighth Air Force)

    Headquarters
    8th Air Force Headquarters opened in London under the command of General Carl A Spaatz on 19 June 1942. It oversaw all Commands, Wings and Groups engaged in the Strategic Bombing Campaign until February 1944, when it became US Strategic Air Forces in...

Encompassing
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Previously was
Not yet known
Became
Not yet known

Stations

Station Location Date
Based Abbots Ripton
Based Burtonwood
Based Cranford
Based Heston
Based Kenley
Based Langford Lodge
Based Prestwick
Based St Mawgan
Based Troston
Based Warton

Connections

People

  • Charles Agbashian

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 27th Air Transport Group
    Died Non-Battle (DNB) - Killed on Take Off in a P-38 when he shut off fuel switch instead of booster pump.

  • Mario Agnese

    Military | Sergeant | Engineer | 27th Air Transport Group
    Crashed shortly after take off due to the mechanical failure of an engine on local flight on 4 Mar 1944 in B-26C #41-34893. Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Vernon Albrecht

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 27th Air Transport Group
    Killed in Action (KIA). Crashed on landing after returning from a mercy mission to France.

  • Cecil Allen

    Military | Technical Sergeant | 27th Air Transport Group
    Killed in Action (KIA)

  • John Allen

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 27th Air Transport Group
    Killed in Action (KIA) A/C crashed into the Irish Sea for unknown reasons.

  • Keith Allen

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 27th Air Transport Group
    Col Allen flew with a special undercover group led by Col. Bernt Belchen to drop supplies into Norway. He was mistakenly shot down attempting a landing in Norway, by the Russians. They thought he was a German plane. He mistakenly flew over their...

  • Milton Anderson

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Fighter Pilot | 27th Air Transport Group
    Assigned to 61FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 310FRS, 27ATG, 9AF USAAF. Awards: WWII Victory, EAME. Post War: Remained in USAF till retirement Oct 68.

  • Jimmie Andrews

    Military | Flight Officer | Fighter Pilot | 27th Air Transport Group
    Assigned to 487FS, 352FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 310th Ferry Squadron, 27th Air Transport Group, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to Base Air Depot 2, 8AF USAAF. Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Bertram Astrove

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 27th Air Transport Group
    16 November 1943 serving on transit group while on ferrying flight in P47 42-8384, become lost in snow storm and hit hill in Ayrshire. RTD. AM

  • William Bavin

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 27th Air Transport Group
    KIA. A-20B # 41-3386 PH

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Aircraft

  • 44-14350 'Connie II'

    P-51 Mustang
    Assigned to 336FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return on bomber escort to Swinemunde, coolant leak caused abandonment Mon, Denmark 12-Mar-45, pilot Maj John D Mcfarlane EVD.

  • 43-12425

    P-51 Mustang
    One of several fighters assigned to the 310th Ferry Squadron for use as a hack plane.

  • 43-6623 'Spare Parts'

    P-51 Mustang

  • 42-22758

    P-47 Thunderbolt
    Crashed at Pendle Hill, Clitheroe, Lancashire on 6th February 1944. See more at : http://laituk.org/P-47%2042-22758.htm

  • P3757

    Hurricane
    18th Aug 1940 F/O Hartland de Montarville Molson [Montreal, Quebec], slightly injured in landing accident at RAF Station Hornchurch, Essex in Hurricane Mk I P3757 coded YO*G. ...

  • X7454 'Wee Willy'

    Dominie
    De Havilland DH89 Dominie X7454, impressed into RAF service, one of 6 Dominies transferred to the 8th AF USAAF. ...

  • X7522

    Dominie
    De Havilland DH89 Dominie X7522, impressed into RAF service, one of 6 Dominies transferred to the 8th AF USAAF. ...

  • X7523

    Dominie
    De Havilland DH89 Dominie X7523, impressed into RAF service, one of 6 Dominies transferred to the 8th AF USAAF. ...

  • V4724

    Dominie
    De Havilland DH89 Dominie V4724, impressed into RAF service, one of 6 Dominies transferred to the 8th AF USAAF. ...

  • X7403

    Dominie
    De Havilland DH89 Dominie X7403, impressed into RAF service, one of 6 Dominies transferred to the 8th AF USAAF. ...

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Citations

Commendation from General Spaatz for operations during the Battle of The Bulge: "With great satisfaction I desire to commend the Air Service Command and the 302nd Transport Wing. In particular, the effective manner in which they met an emergency on December 24th in transporting troops from Istres to (Destination was classified but was s forward air strip near Verdun.) The late hour when this project was received, the collection and dispatching of aircraft, and the accomplishment of the mission in minimum time reveals a high degree of organization and management. The manner which the mission was performed reflects not only on Air Service Command, but the Air Forces in Europe at large. The 302nd Transport Wing is commanded by Colonel Martin A. Bateman of Camden, South Carolina."

Air Force
8th
Type
Service or support
Type category
Transport
Nicknames
Not yet known
Motto
Not yet known
Insignia
Not yet known
Aircraft used
  • B-26 Marauder
  • C-47 Skytrain
  • C-53 Skytrooper
  • UC-64/64A Norseman

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
25 April 2022 15:46:37 27ATG Changes to citations, description, air forces and aircraft types
Sources

References
Gooney Birds & Ferry Tales, The 27th Air Transport Group in WW2 by Jon A. Maguire, Schiffer Publishing 1998
Gooney Bird Driver, by Jon A Maguire, Elm Grove Publishing, 2019
The Mighty Eighth, by Roger Freeman, Doubleday 1970
Date Contributor Update
01 September 2017 13:51:53 general ira snapsorter Changes to unit part of associations, person associations and aircraft associations
Sources

Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia.

Updates and amendments to associations from:
- www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/documents/US-units-June-44.doc
List supplied courtesy of Mr Phil Grinton from California, February 2004. From the website of the D-Day Museum, Portsmouth (www.ddaymuseum.co.uk).
Date Contributor Update
22 October 2014 20:49:30 Cater Changes to type, air forces and aircraft types
Sources

By my site about the 302 transport wing.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:44 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Units in the UK from ETOUSA Station List, as transcribed by Lt. Col. Philip Grinton (US Army, Retired) and extracted by IWM; air division data from L.D. Underwood, based on the 8th Air Force Strength Report of 6th August 1944, as published in 'The 8th Air Force Yearbook' by Lt. Col. John H Woolnough (1980)

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