I have just stumbled across this http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a425597.pdf. It is a report entitled: "The Secret Air War over France" - USSAF Special Operations Units in the French Campaign of 1944 By Major Bernard V Moore II I apologise if it is in the wrong place but as it concerns Air, Secrets etc I was difficult to choose. ABSTRACT This paper presents an historical account of the operations of United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) special operations units in the French campaign of 1944. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it is intended to be a brief history of the creation, development and combat record of these units. Second, it is intended for use as an example of the utility and effectiveness of air force special operations in high intensity conventional warfare. The narrative basically begins in early 1943, as the Western Allies began making plans for the cross-Channel invasion of Normandy. At the request of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the USAAF commands in the United Kingdom and North Africa secretly organized a small number of special operations squadrons for use in covert operations over France. Their overall mission was to provide specialized airlift for clandestine warfare activities intended to support the conventional ground forces during the critical days and weeks immediately after DDay. From October 1943 through September 1944, these squadrons flew thousands of clandestine missions, parachuting guerrilla warfare teams and intelligence agents deep behind German lines, dropping weapons, ammunition, explosives and other supplies to French resistance fighters, and extracting teams from enemy territory. The USAAF squadrons, operating in conjunction with similar British squadrons, enabled American and British special forces and French irregular units to operate with great effectiveness in the vulnerable rear areas behind German lines. The author shows that the USAAF special operations units made a significant contribution to the decisive Allied victory in the French campaign by providing essential support for a wide range of Allied special operations and covert intelligence activities. The combat record of USAAF special operations units in France demonstrated and validated the important and unique role of Air Force Special Operations Forces in high intensity conventional warfare. I hope someone finds it interesting TD
There is an abundance of aviation history in the US Aichives....its just a case of locating them in the libraries. This one is a particularly interesting account of the USAAF supporting clandestine activities in occupied France. Have a look at the Harrington Museum website..(.USAAF Harrington,Northants) for a good account of the operations of Carpetbagger squadrons.....It was a Liberator of one of these squadrons that dropped Violet Szabo into France,south east of Limoges.
Bit of a side track, but I am new to the site. Does anyone know anything about Station 61, Gaines Hall, as this had a similar function for SOE. (My father served there, but is now deceased, and I was trying to find further information.) Cheers.
Hi Tetley Your best bet is to contact member Jedburgh22, thats if he doesn't find your post himself. He is the forums SOE expert. You can search for him via the 'member' button on the top of the top and send him a PM (personal message) TD
