Among Heroes: Tales of the Jungle Skippers

Formed just two months after Pearl Harbor and rushed to the Pacific by General MacArthur, the 317th Troop Carrier Group entered combat at Wau, New Guinea just one week after landing in Australia. For over two and a half years the men of the 317th flew their unarmed transports over enemy-held territory while living in the hot, humid, disease-infested jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines; many times subjected to Japanese bombings and ground attacks. Their reputation of getting the job done at all costs resulted in the Group being chosen by the 5th AF’s General Kenney as the Troop Carrier Group to drop paratroopers in the SWPA; participating in all five major parachute drops in the Pacific: Nadzab, Noemfoor, Tagaytay Ridge, Corregidor and Aparri. These stories, told by the men themselves, chronicle the actions of both the air crews and the often forgotten men on the ground; during and immediately following the war in the Pacific.