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Wings of Hope -- The 92nd Bombardment Group and the Green Project

  • Published
  • By Jim O'Connell
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Historian
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Even though the fighting in Europe ended when Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, the 92nd Bombardment Group still had much work to do. Now that the fighting was over, the hundreds of thousands of troops still in Europe just wanted to go home. The only way to avoid a mutiny was to get those troops home as quickly as possible. Because of that need, the group's mission changed from using their aircraft as machines of war to using them as wings of hope. The "Fame's Favored Few" adjusted their role to make a difference in the war effort.

At the end of World War II, there were approximately three million American troops scattered throughout Europe and North Africa. Of that number, initial planning estimates required the redeployment of one and one-half million troops from the European Theater of Operations to the Pacific Theater. Shortly after V-E Day, that number was revised to 408,000 servicemen. Additionally, the planning staffs identified another 600,000 troops who were eligible for rotation home for discharge. After several years of mobilizing and flowing troops and equipment into Europe, the logistical system was thrown into reverse to cope with the enormous redeployment and demobilization of the United States military.

Acknowledging that the redeployment quotas were impossible to meet with traditional Air Transport Command assets alone, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, and his staff looked to nontraditional methods of air transportation. His staff decided to employ the ETO's considerable heavy bomber resources in the redeployment effort.

Home was no longer a word mentioned in hushed, loving and unbelieving tones; it was tangible once more, a fact, and a concrete reality. To solidify that reality, General Eisenhower's staff selected two B-17 groups from the 40th Bombardment Wing to augment the redeployment effort as part of Project Green. The 92nd Bombardment Group and the 384th Bombardment Group were picked because each had impressive war records which revealed the highest level of dedication and commitment.. The staff believed that the unit's would carry out their duties with precision and the highest measure of safety.

To accomplish that task, the headquarters staff established several assembly areas for personnel destined for rotation to the United States. Embarkation points capable of handling 60,000 troops were built at LeHavre, Antwerp, Marseilles and Casablanca.

The Green Project was the US Army Air Corps' solution to expedite the return of solders. It called for the round-the-clock airlift of troops. The 92nd BG's role was to fly troops from Istres, France, to Casablanca, Morocco, the initial leg of their journey home. From Casablanca, Air Transport Command's aircraft completed the journey and flew the troops to the United States. A secondary task of the Green Project for the 92nd BG included flying French citizens who had been in exile during the war on the return leg back to Istres. Prior to departing for Istres, the groups' B-17s were retrofitted as passenger aircraft capable of carrying thirty passengers. They were stripped of all armament and turrets and had benches installed in the waist and bomb bay.

To begin the transition for shuttling troops, two convoys with over 500 vehicles left Podington, England, for their new home at Istres during the last week of May. The vehicles, packed with crates and personal belongs, crossed the English Channel in LCTs from Southampton to LeHavre. The first convoy arrived to Istres on 5 June. By the second week of June, the second convoy arrived with the majority of the 92nd's ground personnel. In the midst of those convoy arrivals, an average of 20 aircraft from each group arrived each day. The transfer was slow due to the poor condition of the field and installation at Istres. On 1 June, the entire 327th Bombardment Squadron led by Lieutenant Colonel James Smyrl departed for Port Lyautey, Casablanca.

While Southern France is known for its natural beauty, the 92nd's new home was situated on a field just outside of Istres which was an open plain of dust and stone. The level wasteland offered no protection against the mistral, a northerly wind the blows on the average of 110 days a year. When that wind blew, the air was saturated with a fine dust that permeated everywhere.

The field was used as a German battle headquarters and for fighter and reconnaissance units. The German's mined the field and destroyed everything on site. The removal of the mines left three major problem areas - sanitation, living quarters and dust. Sanitation facilities were non-existent. The hard ground prevented tent stakes from being driven into the ground. When a mistral swept over the field, 35 percent of the tents were flown down. Dust was omnipresent and created a major source of discomfort for all personnel and wreaked havoc with the aircraft. Over the course of the group's stay at Istres, the three major issues were dust contamination of the engines, difficulty of cylinder changes because of the dust, and the vast number of tire changes due to the rocky ground. The 92nd's B-17s experienced an average of 40 flat tires per day due to the roughness of the runway which had not been fully repaired by the engineers.

On June 15 at 7 a.m., the first three B-17s from the 325th Bombardment Squadron launched for the "Green Project." They carried 92 infantrymen on the 850 mile journey to Casablanca. The route flown from Istres followed the Spanish coast to Gibraltar then followed the Atlantic coast to Casablanca. Five and half-hours later, the aircraft touched down at their destination long enough to discharge their passengers bound for the US. In the meanwhile, Air Transport Command personnel rushed the soldiers to awaiting transport planes to take them back to the states. Without delay, the B-17s were back in the air on their way to Port Lyautey, thirty-five miles away. The next day, the aircraft returned to Istres with displaced French civilians. During the first week of operations, three aircraft were dispatched daily the first week and six were dispatch daily during the second week. In the month of June, 68 aircraft carried 2,039 US Army personnel and returned 311 civilians. All operations were carried out by the 325 BS, the only squadron functioning at Istres at that time. The 326th Bombardment Squadron did not join the party unit July 2. The 407th Bombardment Squadron arrived the following week.

Despite the dust, heat and poor field conditions, operations in July and August continued without any accidents of any sort marring the unit's operations. In July, the unit launched 282 B-17s starting 8,605 servicemen on their way home and repatriated 2,011 French citizens. In August, the 92nd dispatched 250 aircraft loaded with 7,360 passengers to Casablanca and returned with 2,354 French refugees.

After each flight, the B-17 crews issued the 92nd's version of a "Short Snorter" to each of the servicemen they transported to Africa. A Short Snorter is a banknote inscribed by people traveling together on an aircraft. The tradition was started by Alaskan Bush flyers in the 1920s and spread through the military and commercial aviation. In his article "Short Snorters of World War II, Paul McIivaine labeled a "Short Snorter" as "a piece of paper money circulated during war and/or in a combat zone and signed by friends and comrades. The writing commemorated events, dates, exploits, assignments, locations, people and/or related information." During World War II, Short Snorters were signed by flight crews and conveyed good luck to soldiers crossing the Atlantic. On the 92nd BG's version, the group paid its respects to the passengers and reminded them that they were flying with the "oldest bomber group in the ETO."

On Aug. 10, news flashed across the Air Forces Network announcing that the Japanese had decided to seek an immediate peace to with the Allies. The weeks following the announcement remained tense while waiting for the final word of the Japanese capitulation. Only when President Truman confirmed the Japanese surrender on the 1st of September, did the Airmen of the 92nd breathe a sigh of relief and finally set their sights on the Promised Land - home. The changeover of personnel was rapid. Only seven officers and twenty-two enlisted men remained with the 92nd in August 1942. The enlisted would depart shortly but the officers were essential or had volunteered to remain.

With the Japanese surrender came the end of the Green Project. The 92nd BG flew its last missions on September 9. Six B-17s launched with 180 soldiers bound for Casablanca and returned the following day with 113 repatriated French civilians. While the Green Project was originally scheduled through the winter, the division of 30 aircraft to the Pacific Theater following V-J Day abruptly brought the ferrying program to an end on 11 September. The transport aircraft operating between Casablanca and the United States were transferred to the Pacific for use in the evacuation of recently released American prisoners of war and the wounded.

During its three months of operation, the "Fame's Favored Few" flew a total of 19,935 servicemen on the first leg their air journey home and returned 5,672 French to their homeland. The project marked the first time heavy bombardment groups had been used for transport purposes. The success of the operation may be judged by the fact that no accident of any kind, not even a taxiing accident, marred the operations. The group remained in place during the winter months at Istres while men continued to return home. With only a skeleton staff remaining, the 92nd Bombardment Group was inactivated on 28 February 1946. The unit was activated again in August 1946 flying Boeing B-29s at Fort Worth Army Airfield, Texas. The 92d moved to Smoky Hill Army Airfield in Kansas in October 1946 before heading to its permanent Spokane home in the summer of 1947.