The organization continued to haul cargo to diverse points while at Bowman Field, and, in addition, instituted an extensive training program for both flying and ground personnel.

The squadron began to gather its required strength of pilots and enlisted man as combat crews, and its allotted quota of aircraft.

The squadron sustained its first loss of personnel when Sergeant Joseph Archembault died on 29 August 1942, at Florence, S.C., as a result of injuries received in a motor vehicle accident.

In September 1942, seventy-two officers and enlisted men formed an air echelon and departed for Hamilton Field, California, for overseas transition training.

On 18 October 1942, the air echelon, under the command of Captain Eugene R. Jackson, departed Hamilton Field with thirteen planes headed for the Southwest Pacific.

Upon arrival at Canton Island, the evening of 21 October 1942, ten planes and crews assisted for two days in the search for Eddie Rickenbacker, whose Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress had ditched in the Pacific.

Seven of the squadron's planes and crews were delayed at New Caledonia until 29 November 1942 to ferry personnel and supplies to Guadalcanal and New Hebrides Islands, using Tontouta Airfield as a base.

Pilot Ray V. Hensman at the controls, was seen to burst into flame after takeoff, as it passed over the northerly end of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, then in the hands of the Japanese.

Two weeks later, on 22 November 1942, another plane was totally demolished in a take-off crash at New Hebrides carrying a load of hand grenades.

On 29 November, the five remaining planes departed Tontouta, joining the rest of the air echelon at Wards Airfield, Port Moresby, New Guinea on 2 December 1942.

On the first of November these six planes began to operate from Port Moresby in support of the Papua and Buna New Guinea action.

The unit was notified that it had become a part of the newly designated 374th Troop Carrier Group, pursuant to General Order No.

Their exuberance was short lived for the battle for the Wau Airport was in process and all the unit's planes were busy flying in Australian troops until the Japanese were eventually driven out, in February.

The planes, upon approaching Wards Drome, would fly a distinctive colored streamer, indicating wounded aboard, and would be met immediately upon landing by American and Australian ambulances.

The 33rd continued to fly unprecedented numbers of troops and tons of supplies to Dobodura and Wau and Bulolo, where the enemy were being gradually pushed back into Salamau and Lae.

Enemy activity over the Port Moresby area was being gradually reduced to hit and run night raids of one, two and occasionally three planes.

This proved to be unfortunate when at 1000 hours on 12 April 1943 forty odd Japanese bombers and sixty-five Zeroes raided Seven Mile Strip and Wards Drome.

A heavy schedule of operations was undertaken by the group, and men and equipment were moved in a steady flow to all parts of Australia, especially Darwin, Northern Territory and other West Australian military establishments.

Here the group would take a load to one station, offload, reload and head on flying until darkness or weather forced the crew to remain overnight.

During the month, in cooperation with Graves Registration and ANGAU, a thorough air search was made of the area in which the "Flying Dutchman" crashed 10 November 1942 in a mountainous region east of Port Moresby.

The highlight of the Communications Section activities for the month was the opening of its Radio Operator's Training School under the supervision of Sgt.

While flying over Mindoro, W-588, piloted by 1st Lieutenant Frank R. Miller, was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire on 16 February.

During March 1945, the squadron flew an average of sixteen airplanes a day and logged over 4,000 hours, the equivalent of 600,000 airline miles.

The only other direct appointment made was in August 1942 at Florence, South Carolina, when Master Sergeant George Conley was commissioned a second lieutenant.

The excellent record of the squadron's aircraft during this period reflected Friedman's tireless efforts toward maintaining the desired degree of efficiency of maintenance.

Morale of the squadron nosedived since everyone had anticipated a much larger quota as the 374th Group was the original and oldest troop carrier organization in the Southwest Pacific Area.

Nielson Field became exceedingly congested, resulting in traffic blocks that kept aircraft attached to the squadron from getting off on time.

On 31 August the squadron lost a C-46 aircraft missing on a routine flight from Morotai, Halmahera to Nielson Field.

The Japanese acceptance of Allied surrender terms in August alerted the Intelligence Department to preparing maps to Formosa and Japan.

The aircraft that was listed as missing on a routine flight in August from Morotai, Halmahera to Manila was discovered on 25 September 7+1⁄2 miles from Del Monte Airfield, where it hit a mountain at very low altitude.