440th Operations Group

The "detachment" in Italy participated in the invasion of southern France, dropping paratroops of the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment near Le Muy on 15 August and towing gliders carrying reinforcements to that area later in the day.

Meanwhile, those remaining in England continued to haul cargo, and on 10 August 1944 dropped supplies to an infantry battalion encircled at Mortain in northern France.

The air echelon moved to France on 11 September 1944, but returned immediately to England to participate in the airborne invasion of the Netherlands.

On 26 December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, the group hauled gliders filled with supplies for the 101st Airborne Division encircled at Bastogne.

The group transported food, clothing, medical supplies, gasoline, ammunition, and other cargo to the front lines and evacuated casualties to rear-zone hospitals.

Called to active duty on 1 May 1951 and inactivated four days later with its personnel and equipment being reassigned to other units as a result of the Korean War.

C-130s of the 440th Operations Group at Pope Air Force Base, N.C
Paratroopers prepare to drop from a C-130 of the 440th Operations Group
5 June 1944 photograph of C-47s of the 95th and 98th Troop Carrier Squadrons at RAF Exeter with freshly applied black/white invasion stripes to aid in aircraft identification from the ground. There was insufficient space to park all the aircraft on the concrete, so many were parked on grass turf.