Fighters or Freighters: United States Troop Carrier Aviation 1941-1945

Abstract

During the Second World War in Europe, U.S. Army Air Force (AAF) troop carrier units filled a dual role transporting the Army's airborne assault force and carrying theater cargo. Though the Americans had paid little attention to airborne warfare before 1940, German operations convinced Army leaders to create airborne units. AAF troop carrier groups initially lacked aircraft, a shortage that delayed the development of airborne operational expertise until after assaults in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. After D-Day's airborne missions, Allied ground commanders could not meet their supply needs due to transportation shortfalls and turned to troop carrier assets.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA275257

Entities

People

  • Lawrence M. Martin

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Air Transportation
  • Airlift Operations
  • Amphibious Operations
  • Commercial Aircraft
  • Employment
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Navigation
  • Personnel Management
  • Second World War
  • Students
  • Transport Aircraft
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
  • Strategic Security Studies