help, what air cargo group supplied infantry mindanoa 1945

[tom d. friedman]

my dad, at the time in 1945, captain martin m. friedman was a rifle company commander w/ the 31ST INFANTRY ( DIXIE) DIVISION COMPANY I. U.S. ARMY. dad related while fighting through the jungle interior of mindanoa, philippines that his company or battalion was supplied by air drop for 30 days!! rations, ammo, medical supplies etc, as there were no places to land & off load the cargo, hence air drops. dad landed at cotobato, fought up the interior through the upper agusan valley where his company liberated the town of malaybalay, then fought to butuan & was their up to the surrender.

my question is this.... what usaaf air transport / cargo unit supplied my dad & his men & what aircraft were used?? c-47?? c-46?? c-87?? i just find it amazing that the logistics of supplying ground troops from the air could be accomplished like that for 30 days in 1945, & in dense & rugged jungle terrain. perhaps some wix member's fathers flew these missions in support of my dad's rifle company & can give feedback. dad died 1 year ago in october age 92, so i'll never get the answer for the question i had been meaning to ask him. thanks all, tom

[RyanShort1]

It's possible that they were supplied by a combination of aircraft - as needed.
If you look at the front page of my website at www.lbirds.com you'll see a link to a video I found on YouTube that's related!

Ryan

[tom d. friedman]

thanks ryan!! that link gave me some great insight!!

[ktst97]

Steve Birdsall's "Flying Buccaneers" about the Fifth Air Force mentions the 54th Troop Carrier Wing with C-47s. He refers to C-47s repeatedly throughout the book, which contains a few photos of C-47s, but no other transports. He does mention using older B-17s as armed transports, and includes a photo of one B-17F converted to such use.

[tom d. friedman]

i'd love to see that b-17 transport!! i just can't fathom being supplied by air drop in 1945 for 30 days! today with gps technology nobody would blink an eye.

[jbell]

Hi Tom, My dad was a pilot with the 374th Troop Carrier Group, Fifth Air Force. He flew C-47's and C-46's, in the PTO. Just last night, I was reading of their history in a book I have. It was written by their Commanding Officer. I'll dig deeper and see if I can find any references to this timeline you mention..............Regards, John

[tom d. friedman]

john, i sure appreciate your efforts!! looking forward to see your results!! best, tom