Us Official Photographs

MAIN CAPTION-These six army Air Force officers of the Troop Carrier

MAIN CAPTION - These six army Air Force officers of the Troop Carrier Command, who participated in the biggest mass movement by air ever undertaken in the Southwest Pacific, have just returned to the United States for new assignments. With them they brought these photographs, except for the group picture. Their command, flying night and day, transported an entire division of troops with complete fighting equipment from Australia to New Guinea, making possible the successful Papuan campaign. During the battle of the Bismarck Sea, the Troop Carrier Command was as busy as the combat crews. All the bombs and gasoline for the medium bombers and fighters were flown from Port Moresby to an advanced base in order to allow these planes to have a longer range in the fight than otherwise would have been possible. Captured Japanese air strip. Note damaged Zeros in background, bomb craters in foreground. "The troops we were transporting knew they would go into action as soon as they landed," says Major Vandiver. "Back in Australia they practiced setting up their guns fast in order to be ready. When they landed the Japanese were waiting for them with snipers, or in Zeros coming in to strafe the field. One time the boys got out, immediately put up their anti-aircraft guns, and within a minute shot down two Zeros that came in to strafe the field. It was mostly patrol action in the Papuan campaign with small groups of men fighting other small groups. You talked in a whisper to keep the enemy from hearing you. Whenever the bushes rattled, the best thing to do was to spray them with machine gun fire."