Tracing roots

Members of the 76th Air Refueling Squadron recently got back to their roots during an off-station training mission to Mildenhall, England.  The 76th ARS, currently located in New Jersey, traces its lineage to the 435th Troop Carrier Group which was based at Royal Air Force Welford during World War II.  Lt. Col. Rick Berls, 76th ARS commander, learned that original art work based on the current patch was discovered and preserved at a military museum at the base.

Berls started researching the history of the 76th ARS before he took command more than a year ago.  He knew there was an organization in Europe (Ridgeway Military and Aviation Research Group) tracking its history.  He started talking about a trip last fall and created the vision of what he hoped to achieve. In short order it came to fruition.

RAF Welford is an active Royal Air Force station in Berkshire, England located about 50 miles from London.  The base was completed in 1942 and in 1943 the airfield was allocated to the Ninth Air Force IX Troop Carrier Command.  The 435th TCG flew C-47s which consisted of the 75th, 76th, 77th and 78th Troop Carrier Squadrons. 

During the cold war each flight crew specialty was individually trained.  The 435th Troop Carrier Group was unique and took part in the D-Day landings, the invasion of the south of France and the crossing of the Rhine.  On D-Day the group dropped troops from the 101st Airborne Division.  Later in the day it towed gliders to the same area to bring reinforcements to the paratroopers.  After the invasion the group operated as a transport unit, flying supplies into the beachhead and then to the advancing troops.  It also flew the wounded back from the front. 

The pilots flew unpressurized planes that were unarmed and slow in combat, said Don Summers, Chairman of the Ridgeway Military and Aviation Research Group.  It took a different kind of courage he said.  Welford, known as the Berkshire Downs, required the pilots to learn night flying at 400 feet surrounded by hills as high as 800 feet.  The pilots he said, were “unarmed, unaware, and unafraid.”  They were unaware, he said, because the pilots had to rely on command and control. 

The Troop Carrier Group dissolved in 1945 as the U.S. forces returned home at the end of the war.

In 1995, members of the Ridgeway Military and Aviation Research Group found the well-preserved insignia of the Troop Carrier Group in an old Maycrete hut. The insignia shows a stylized painting of Pegasus, the flying horse, carrying Airmen over the clouds and into battle, an idea taken from the story of the Greek legendary hero Bellerophon who rode Pegasus to defeat the monster Chimera; and everywhere the winged horse struck his hoof to the earth, an inspiring spring burst forth.

This unique example of American military wall art was rescued by the Ridgeway Military and Aviation Group and transported to the museum at RAF Welford.

Previously Berls had only seen the picture of the patch online and it was partially obstructed.  He said he was blown away when he saw it in person and seeing it “exceeded all expectations.”  This past year has been very busy for him as he assumed command but he works closely with Lt Col Jim Aaron, Director of Operations, and they share a desire to share history with the squadron.  Berl’s says the 76th ARS was tight before but learning more about the unit’s history has helped cohesiveness even more.  Berls said they all think it’s pretty cool to be a part of something larger than themselves.  “We can be proud of what we did,” he said.  Each Friday members wear the heritage patch as a tribute to their past.