The Jungle Skippers were the squadrons of the 317 th Troop Carrier Group. They were the 39 th , 40 th , 41 st , and 46 th Troop Carrier Squadrons. They served in the South Pacific Theater of operations under the 5 th Air Force commanded by General George Kenny.
They went right to work flying troops and supplies from Australia to Port Moresby , New Guinea . Their baptism of fire came that same month in New Guinea . The Australians were desperately trying to hold on to a vital airstrip at Wau. The Japanese were close to over running the Aussies. The 317 th flew in much needed reinforcements, ammunition and artillery. The Wau airstrip was a difficult airstrip to land on even without a battle going on. The strip was uphill; it rose one foot for every twelve feet. To make matters worse there was a crescent shaped mountain at the end of the runway making a last minute go around impossible.
On the patch of the 317 th Troop Carrier Group are the words “I Gain by Hazard”. Each hazard they faced brought them more experience and expertise. Their crest shows a fist being put to the fire and speaks of their baptism of fire their first month in the Pacific.
From Port Morsby the Jungle Skippers moved to Finchhafen and then to Hollandia , New Guinea as the Japanese were pushed out of New Guinea. General McArthur had his eye on the Philippines and the Jungle Skippers would have a part in his return. They towed gliders and dropped paratroopers at Leyte in the Philippines . It was the 503 rd Parachute Regiment airdropped by the Jungle Skippers that secured Corregidor and led to the opening of Manila Bay.
In August of 1945, after the two atom bombs were dropped on Japan , the Japanese agreed to surrender. When word of this reached Allied Headquarters, arrangements were made to establish a secure communications link with Japan and set up the formal surrender. This surrender would take place in Tokyo Bay on the battleship Missouri in Sept. of 1945, sixty years ago this month. Six C-47 Jungle Skippers from the 41 st Troop Carrier Squadron flew the communications equipment from Okinawa to Japan to establish this communications link to Allied Headquarters. They were the first American aircraft to land in Japan since the war began.
Three Squadrons of the Jungle Skippers are still active today. The 46th was deactivated after the Korean War. The patches of the three remaining squadrons all speak of their experience in the Pacific during WW2.
The 39 th Troop Carrier Squadron, today's 39 th Airlift Squadron, are called the “Trailblazers”. Their patch displays a pioneer's covered wagon. Some of the WW2 airstrips were little more than grass clearings in the jungle or a hastily repaired captured airstrip. The first plane in was said to have pioneered the airstrip, and that pilot would share what he learned about the airstrip with the other flyers.
The 40 th Troop Carrier Squadron, today's 40 th Airlift Squadron, are called the “Screaming Eagles”. Their patch displays a diving eagle carrying a soldier firing a rifle. This goes back to that day at Wau , when those soldiers left their planes firing their weapons.
The 41 st Troop Carrier Squadron, today's 41 st Airlift Squadron, are called the “Black Cats”. Their patch displays a black cat carrying a kitten. Their name comes from the Black Cat Trail in New Guinea which they flew over so many times in support of the forward airfields. That kitten, secure in the black cats mouth, represents a WW2 two year safety record set by the 41 st . From Feb. 1942 until Feb.1944, the 41 st flew many hazardous missions without the loss of a single aircraft, passenger or crewmember. This is a real testimony to the skill of their pilots.
The name of the Jungle Skippers came about from a article written by a newspaper correspondent that was given a lift to the front lines on a 317 th C-47. Forward airstrips were not very visible at altitude and were kept that way to protect them from attack. The 317th pilot was given the map coordinates which would put him in the area, but he would have to fly low, both to be less visible to the enemy and to spot the airstrip. After spotting the strip he would come in at treetop level to spot any obstacles and size up his approach. He would then line up and make his landing. When this particular correspondent wrote his article, he started it by writing “I caught a hop on one of the jungle skipping airplanes of the 317 th Troop Carrier Group.” A copy of that article somehow reached Col. John Lackey the commander of the 317 th. He liked the term and soon the name “Jungle Skipper” began appearing on the fuselage of 317 th squadron aircraft. The Jungle Skippers kept the troops supplied with all that was needed from bombs to toothbrushes. They earned a reputation for getting the job done.
Over the years since WW2, the Troop Carrier Squadrons became Airlift Squadrons, their aircraft have changed and their locations have changed but their reputation for getting the job done has not. The 317th Airlift Group is at Dyess AFB Texas next to Abilene. The 39th and 40th are still deployed to Iraq and have been for the last 2000 days. The longest continuous deployment of an active duty unit in the Air Force today.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
