The 33d Troop Carrier Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, redesignated as the Air Mobility Command Test and Evaluation Squadron. It is assigned to the Air Mobility Command. During the Second World War the squadron with the 374th Troop Carrier Group, based at Nielson Field, Luzon, Philippines. It was last activated on 1 October 1994.
History Formation and training On 14 February 1942, the 33d Transport Squadron was activated at Middletown Air Depot, Pennsylvania and became a unit of the 315th Transport Group. The original cadre was selected from the 2nd Transport Squadron, with First Lieutenant Elmer F. Estrumse, from the 6th Transport Squadron, in command. Shortly after activation, the squadron began to operate with Douglas C-39s, loaned by the 2nd Transport Squadron, hauling cargo from Middletown to widely scattered points in the United States and Newfoundland, Haiti, Cuba, and other foreign air fields. The squadron's first plane, a Douglas C-53 Skytrooper, was assigned during the first week of June 1942.
On 17 June 1942, the squadron moved to Bowman Field, Kentucky. An influx of personnel increased the organization from a cadre to approximately half its T/O strength. The organization continued to haul cargo to diverse points while at Bowman Field, and, in addition, instituted an extensive training program for both flying and ground personnel. Training for pilots and enlisted men began for the operation of Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft. In early July 1942, the squadron was redesignated the 33rd Troop Carrier Squadron.
On 3 August 1942, the squadron moved from Bowman Field, Kentucky to the Florence Army Air Field, South Carolina. The movement was completed on 5 August. The squadron began to gather its required strength of pilots and enlisted man as combat crews, and its allotted quota of aircraft. An intensive overseas training program was immediately undertaken. Flying personnel engaged in night flying and dropped paratroopers in southern maneuvers. Ground personnel were given infantry and commando training. While at Florence, the number of aircraft in the unit was raised to a maximum of thirteen. The squadron sustained its first loss of personnel when Sergeant Joseph Archembault died on 29 August 1942, at Florence, S.C., as a result of injuries received in a motor vehicle accident.
In September 1942, seventy-two officers and enlisted men formed an air echelon and departed for Hamilton Field, California, for overseas transition training. Two weeks later, on 20 October 1942, the ground echelon departed Florence by rail, arriving at its destination, Pittsburg, California, on 27 October 1942.
On 18 October 1942, the air echelon, under the command of Captain Eugene R. Jackson, departed Hamilton Field with thirteen planes headed for the Southwest Pacific. Upon arrival at Canton Island, the evening of 21 October 1942, ten planes and crews assisted for two days in the search for Eddie Rickenbacker, whose Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress had ditched in the Pacific. The ground echelon departed the Golden Gate early on the morning of 3 November 1942 aboard the War Shipping Administration transport ; arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on 22 November where it remained for four days, arriving at Brisbane, Australia on 1 December.
Operations from Australia The first elements of the air echelon arrived in the Southwest Pacific Theater on 25 October 1942. Seven of the squadron's planes and crews were delayed at New Caledonia until 29 November 1942 to ferry personnel and supplies to Guadalcanal and New Hebrides Islands, using Tontouta Airfield as a base. Wounded personnel were returned from Guadalcanal. Here the squadron sustained its first casualties in the Southwest Pacific Area. On 8 November 1942, a C-47 with S/Sgt. Pilot Ray V. Hensman at the controls, was seen to burst into flame after takeoff, as it passed over the northerly end of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, then in the hands of the Japanese. It has been struck by enemy ground fire. Two weeks later, on 22 November 1942, another plane was totally demolished in a take-off crash at New Hebrides carrying a load of hand grenades. the crew was seriously injured, but there were no fatalities. On 29 November, the five remaining planes departed Tontouta, joining the rest of the air echelon at Wards Airfield, Port Moresby, New Guinea on 2 December 1942.
The remaining six planes continued on to Brisbane, Queensland, thence to Cairns Airport, Queensland, and operated from there and New Guinea until 10 December 1942 when they were sent to their permanent station in New Guinea. On the first of November these six planes began to operate from Port Moresby in support of the Papua and Buna New Guinea action.
The ground echelon arrived at Brisbane on 1 December. Billeted at Camp Doomben, three weeks elapsed during which training was continued (hikes, drill, weapons instructions, etc.) The squadron embarked on the supply ship SS Isaac Coles on 21 December. There were no troop facilities on board, and the men slept in one of the holds on strips of plywood laid on the floor. Strict smoking orders were enforced since there were thousands of tons of live ammunition, torpedoes, and bombs on board. After a seven-day strenuous trip, Port Moresby was reached on 28 December 1942. The meeting of the air and ground echelons was a never-to-be-forgotten moment. The ground echelon was informed that although an area had been assigned, no camp had been established. The air echelon had slept in the planes, eating cold C-rations or eating occasionally at Camp Arcadia whose small kitchen appeared to be the only one on the island. The men immediately set up pup tents and prepared sites for permanent quarters to be put up as soon as the pyramidal tents would be unloaded from the boat.
The unit was notified that it had become a part of the newly designated 374th Troop Carrier Group, pursuant to General Order No. 32, Hq. Fifth Air Force, 12 November 1942, which was being built up in Brisbane.
During this month, two of the six aircraft, with crews, were lost. Nine enlisted men had been killed and one officer and two enlisted men were missing. One loss was the result of an attack by Japanese Zeros, while the other crashed in the Owen Stanley Range. Of the latter, on 10 November 1942, "The Flying Dutchman,"Pacific Wrecks loaded with 20 Americans of the 126th Infantry Regiment crashed near Dobodura Airfield, New Guinea. Second Lieutenant George W. Vandervort and Sgt. Steven J. Pitch were killed, while Sgt. George R. Kershner, radio operator, was miraculously spared. Sgt. Kershner wandered through the New Guinea jungles for 38 days before he was rescued. Remains of Sgt. Pitch and nine infantrymen were recovered in July 1944.
During the month of January 1943, the war was brought to the men in the form of air raids. These raids resulted in little damage but they did manage to keep the men up most of the night. During these early months, a dispute arose as to who was commanding officer of the squadron. Captain Eugene R. Jackson had been placed in command of the air echelon at Hamilton Field by order of the I Troop Carrier Command at Indianapolis, Indiana. At about the same time, Captain Robert L. Ward was also assigned to the squadron at Florence and placed in command by order of the commanding officer of the 315th Troop Carrier Group. The issue was settled by the commanding officer, 314th Troop Carrier Group. His decision placed Captain Ward in command. His tenure of office was short due to the early promotion of Captain Jackson to major.
The air echelon had welcomed the arrival of the ground echelon for they had been flying daily, without rest, since their departure from the states. Now they would be able to get more rest because of the crew members who had come over with the ground echelon. Their exuberance was short lived for the battle for the Wau Airport was in process and all the unit's planes were busy flying in Australian troops until the Japanese were eventually driven out, in February.
It was during the height of this battle that another of our planes was lost to enemy action. On 1 February 1943, several flights of the squadron's planes reached the Wau airstrip simultaneously with 20 Japanese bombers and several fighters. The bombers dropped their loads on the strip and the fighters took after the squadron's aircraft. All escaped except for "Early Delivery," piloted by Lt. Robert H. Schwensen. The plane was last seen with two Zeros on its tail. Coincident with the Wau battle, the 33d planes were required to carry supplies to Kokoda, Dobodura, Buna, and dropping missions on the various battle fronts in Papua inaccessible to air strips. Casualties were usually evacuated on the return trips from these strips. The planes, upon approaching Wards Drome, would fly a distinctive colored streamer, indicating wounded aboard, and would be met immediately upon landing by American and Australian ambulances. For its vital part in the Papuan Campaign between 19 September 1942 and 22 December 1942, the 374th Troop Carrier Group was cited in par. III, War Department General Order No.3, 15 January 1943. Also included in citation, lID Co. 1/:21, 6 May 1943.
The 33rd continued to fly unprecedented numbers of troops and tons of supplies to Dobodura and Wau and Bulolo, where the enemy were being gradually pushed back into Salamau and Lae. To the Allied troops on the front lines of this sector, daily dropping missions kept them in supplies and ammunition.
Enemy activity over the Port Moresby area was being gradually reduced to hit and run night raids of one, two and occasionally three planes. Day raids were a thing of the past so personnel had become lax in the upkeep of their slit trenches. This proved to be unfortunate when at 1000 hours on 12 April 1943 forty odd Japanese bombers and sixty-five Zeroes raided Seven Mile Strip and Wards Drome. Personnel on the strip crowded into several culverts. The 33d suffered no damage to installations or equipment.
In July 1943, squadrons of the 375th Troop Carrier Group arrived. The 56th and 58th Troop Carrier Squadrons were attached to the 33d. These squadrons flew operational missions with the 374th Group, and under the guidance of the group's old pilots, built up experience and knowledge necessary for safe flying over the Owen Stanley Range and the southwest Pacific area in general. At the end of the month the 375th Group departed Moresby and moved to Dobodura. Ground and air operations against Lae and Salamua increased in tempo until the early weeks in September when Lae capitulated on the 16th. The group's planes were soon hauling equipment and personnel on a regular shuttle between Moresby and Lae.
Return to Australia In October 1943, the entire group moved to Australia. Headquarters and the 6th, 22d and 33d Squadrons went to Townsville and the 21st Squadron to Brisbane. The 33rd made a complete exchange of equipment with the 41st Troop Carrier Squadron of the 317th Troop Carrier Group at Townsville. They in turn moved into the 33d's area at Port Moresby, taking over the equipment left by the 33rd. Although still under the administrative control of the Fifth Air Force, the group was placed under the operational control of the Directorate of Air Transport.