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THE 464TH Troop Carrier Wing

The 464th designation came into being when the 464th Bomb Group (H) was constituted at Wendover Field, Utah on 19 May, 1943. Equipped with the B-24 Liberator, the group moved to the Mediterranean and joined the Fifteenth Air Force in the air war over Europe where it earned the Distinguished Unit Citation. When World war II ended, the 464th designation was inactivated. It came back into the Air Force when the 464th Troop Carrier Wing was activated at Fort Benning, Georgia with C-119s.

On September 16, 1954 the 464th Troop Carrier Wing moved to Pope from Lawson Field, an Air Force Base next to Ft. Benning, Georgia. The group's mission was supporting the Army's airborne forces, including the famous 82nd Airborne Division which was based next door at Ft. Bragg.

In the late 1950's the 464th traded in its Dollar Nineteens for Fairchild C-123 Providers, twin-engine transports with excellent short-field landing characteristics. That Pope was home to a C-123 wing was appropriate, since the Provider was a powered version of the CG-20 glider Chase Aircraft had developed for the Army Air Forces during World War II. But the C-123 was destined for a short association with the Air Force as the newer and considerably faster C-130 was taking Tactical Air Command by storm. By 1960 the 464th at Pope was the only wing in the Air Force still flying the C-123, and the Providers were already set up to go to the reserves.

The MacKay Trophy was established in 1911 by Clarence H. MacKay, who was head of the Postal Telegraph-Commercial Cable Companies. It is administered by the National Aeronautic Association of the U.S.A. and is awarded yearly by the U.S. Air Force for the most meritorious flight of the year by an Air Force person(s) or organization.
1964 - 464th Troop Carrier Wing, Tactical Air Command

But something was brewing in Southeast Asia, where the Communist government of North Vietnam was busy promoting revolution among its brothers in the non-Communist South. A major guerrilla war had developed and the United States under President John F. Kennedy was determined to help. A counterinsurgency panel meeting in Saigon had determined that a lack of airlift was a major short-coming of the South Vietnamese military. The C-123s at Pope were seen as the ideal airplanes for the kind of flying necessary in the rugged boondocks of South Vietnam.

From December, 1961 until the spring of 1963 the 464th rotated aircraft and crews from Pope to Tan Son Nhut and Da Nang for airlift duties in South Vietnam. Popularly referred to as MULE TRAIN, after the military codeword for the first squadron to be deployed, the Pope C-123 mission was the first conventional US Air Force unit to see action in Vietnam. MULE TRAIN crews functioned like bush pilots in a rugged land where few runways were paved and where every Viet Cong with a rifle took potshots at every airplane they saw.

In the spring of 1963 the C-123 mission in Vietnam was permanently assigned to PACAF and the Pope crews were replaced by PCS personnel taken from the Air Force at large, though one squadron transferred as a unit from TAC to PACAF and from Pope to Da Nang. Most of Pope's C-123s went to Vietnam while the rest moved to Hurlburt Field, Florida and the 464th began converting to the newest version of the C-130 Hercules , the E-model.

In the spring of 1964 Pope crews flew their first operational C-130 mission as they airlifted relief supplies to earthquake victims in Alaska. A few weeks later the 464th began rotating aircraft and crews to Evreux-Fauville AB, France where TAC had established two rotational squadrons to replace the 317th Troop Carrier Wing, which had transferred back to the United States and to TAC. In the summer of 1964 the 464th was tasked to provide a contingent of C-130Es to JTF LEO, a United States Strike Command mission in the Republic of the Congo, where a Marxist-led rebellion was underway against the goverment. LEO crews flew airlift missions in support of government forces, including white mercenaries led by Major Mike Hoare, a Rhodesian soldier of fortune who had fought with the British Chindits in Burma during World War II.

At a farewell party for 5th Commando commander, (L) Colonel Mike Hoare poses with Congolese Generals and his successor, Major John Peters

Thanks to the LEO force, the government forces began making headway against the rebels, who retaliated by taking whites hostage in areas they controlled. In November, 1964 464th crews on rotation to France flew the famous DRAGON ROUGE rescue mission to free the hostages. The TAC C-130 crews airlifted Belgian paratroopers to Africa from Belgium, then airdropped and airlanded them on the Sabenas Airport at Stanleyville on November 24, 1964. Two days later, on Thanksgiving Day, a second operation known as DRAGON NOIR freed hostages held in the town of Paulis. For their part in the mission, the Pope crews were awarded the MacKay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of the year by USAF aircraft.

In April, 1965 Pope was the launching point for an airlift of the 82nd Airborne Division Ready Force to San Isidro Airfield at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic as the United States intervened when rebels overthrew the government. A force of 140 TAC and MATS C-130s took off from Pope to drop the 82nd on the airfield, but the mission was changed to airland when word reached Washington that the airfield was in friendly hands.

Lockheed C-130E “Hercules” assigned to the 464th Troop Carrier Wing line up at Stanleyville, Republic of the Congo Nov. 24, 1964 during Operation Dragon Rouge, a mission to rescue American and Belgian citizens held hostage during a civil war. The 464th TCW received the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of 1964.

In the spring of 1965 Pope crews returned to Southeast Asia as the 464th provided a squadron of C-130Es for rotational duty with the 315th Air Division in PACAF as part of Project TWO BUCK. A few weeks later, in early September, 1965 the entire 779th TCS deployed to tiny Mactan Island to open a new C-130 base as part of SIXTEEN BUCK. Once again, Pope and the 464th were heavily involved in the war in South Vietnam.

In December, 1965 the 776th TCS transferred to PACAF along with several TAC C-130 squadrons. Pope became an RTU for C-130 crewmembers on their way to overseas assignments at Clark and CCK air bases. The 779th returned from Mactan after being replaced by the 463rd TCW from Langely, and began converting into the new C-130 special operations mission which eventually came to be known as Combat Talon . Pope became a testing ground for new airlift techniques.

A C-130 of JTF Leo lands

In response to the TET attacks in Vietnam in 1968, Pope crews returned to Southeast Asia as TAC sent additional C-130 squadrons to reinforce those permanently assigned to PACAF. Pope crews participated in supply drops to Khe Sanh, and in the A Shau Valley.

In 1971 the 464th was inactivated (on paper) and replaced by the designation of the 317th Tactical Airlift Wing, the unit that had been at Lockbourne and was inactivated as its older C-130As transferred to the reserves. Pope crews returned to Southeast Asia in the spring of 1972 for AWADS airdrop missions. After the Vietnam War, the tactical airlift mission transferred from TAC to MAC, and Pope became a MAC base. Since that time the base has continued to play a large role in United States policy.

The revolt in the Congo had less to do with Cold War politics than it did with post-colonial incompetence. Following the withdrawal of Belgian colonial rule, the Congo had seen constant turmoil. The Simba (Swahili word for lion) revolt began as an isolated reaction to government misrule, but quickly spread. By the fall of 1964 the Simba rebels controlled almost half of the Congo. On August 5 Simba rebels seized control of the city of Stanleyville and took over 1600 foreign hostages. The ANC (ArmŽe Nationale Congolaise - the Congolese government troops) had 1500 men garrisoning Stanleyville, but fled when "attacked" by about 40 Simba rebels led by witch doctors waving palm branches. The government troops left behind a stockpile of weapons, including rifles, mortars, and armored cars. This allowed even the jeunesse - the youth gangs - to arm themselves with more than spears and machetes. The victorious Simbas celebrated with the traditional tribal ratissage - a ceremonial cannibalism.

Stanleyville was a large, modern city, with over 300,000 inhabitants. The foreigners living there included missionaries, merchants, teachers, doctors, and the Embassy or Consulate staffs and their families from many countries. The Simba rebels were especially bitter towards the American and Belgian inhabitants, blaming them for the ills of the country. Many of the foreigners were rounded up and held in the Central Prison and the local jail; as time dragged on, the Simbas moved them around, and many ended up at local hotels. The Americans were at various times held at the Sabena Guest House, the Hospital, and any of 6 local hotels. One of the Simba leaders, Christophe Gbenye, vowed that the hostages would be tied to oil barrels and set afire if any attempt was made to rescue them. The number of armed Simba rebels in and around Stanleyville was estimated at between 2,500 to 10,000.

L'Ommengang in the advance to Stanleyville

The Allied (Congo, American, and Belgian) governments negotiated with the rebels for 111 days. Several contingency plans were proposed, and the Dragon Rouge plan finalized, when it became obvious that the Simbas had no intention of releasing the hostages. Independent of the Dragon rescue plans (Blanc, Noir, Rouge, and Vert), the Congolese government organized a ground force to retake Simba-held areas and suppress the rebellion. This ground force was named L'Ommengang, after a Belgian Mardi Gras celebration, and led by Colonel Vandewalle. The force included ANC troops as well as the 5th Brigade of white mercenaries, led by Colonel Mike Hoare. The goal of Vandewalle's force was to drive north from Kamina towards Stanleyville and Paulis, liberating as many towns as possible from Simba control. The L'Ommengang force was well underway when Operation Dragon Rouge was launched. In fact, Hoare was ready to drive into Stanleyville regardless of any Allied airdrop.

Operation Dragon Rouge was planned and executed by a truly multi-national force. The Belgian paratroops were flown in American (Airforce) planes, using a British and then a Congolese base to stage from. The air support consisted of B-26's flown by Cuban exile pilots trained and operated by the CIA (many of them Bay of Pigs veterans). The L'Ommengang force was a mixture as well, with British, French, Belgian, German, Italian, South African, and Rhodesian mercenaries fighting alongside the Congolese troops.

Defending the airfield at Stanleyville

The first B-26's flew over the airfield just before 0600 on November 24. They drew no fire, and so flew off in search of other targets. The first wave of paracommandos followed, dropping onto the airfield and the golf course. The units formed up and began to secure the airfield. Several platoons were allocated to secure the Control Tower, which the Simbas defended. Others struggled to clear the barricades from the tarmac - the Simbas had placed 50 gallon drums filled with oil and water on the runway, as well as old cars which had the wheels removed. Almost immediately the paras came under fire from the jungle surrounding the airfield. By 0700 the runway was clear, and the air landing troops began to arrive.

First evacuees from the massacre at Stanleyville, 24 November

The air landing troops included the recon elements, with their armored jeeps and AS-24's - large motorized tricycles that could carry 3-4 men and weapons. Colonel Laurent organized the lead elements and headed into town.

A Belgian woman in hysterics as she is transported to a departing C-130

In Stanleyville, meanwhile, the Simbas had begun to round up the hostages. As the planes flew overhead, they herded them into the streets. The Simba's command structure broke down, and everyone had conflicting orders. Some Simbas wanted to kill the hostages immediately, while others wanted to use them as a human shield while they moved north out of town. Gbenye was already in flight, and nowhere to be found (his car had been ambushed by the paras near the Sabena Guest House, but he was not in it). At 0740 the paras reached the city limits and pressed towards the central hotels and prison. At 0745 the Simbas opened fire on the hostages, killing 18 of them. Most, however, were able to run or hide. At 0750 the paras reached the massacre site, and began killing Simbas. For the next several hours the paras rescued hostages, exchanged fire with Simbas, and secured portions of the city.

Wounded hostages receive medical aid.

Vandewalle's force had been on the move all night, moving towards Stanleyville along the jungle roads. The column was ambushed three times, and had trouble crossing one of the rivers south of the city. At 1100 the lead elements reached the city, and linked up with the paras. A stiff fight ensued for the Ketele Military Camp, which was eventually secured. As the mercs and ANC troops fought their way through the city, the paras fell back to the airfield, which was coming under increasing fire. Hostages continued to pour in. The wounded were treated, and loaded onto C-130 transports that shuttled them out. By that afternoon over 1600 hostages (men, women, and children) had been evacuated by air. The last Simba attack against the airfield was at 1745, complete with a mortar barrage and a charge across the runway by 150 Simbas led by a witch doctor. They suffered the same fate as the others.

A C-130 roars in low over Stanleyville before returning to Leopoldville

The planners did not feel that the operation had been a total success. The fact that even one hostage was killed weighed heavily. The final statistics were astonishing: 33 hostages were killed, while over 1600 were rescued. 28 more bodies would be found later, south of the Congo River, bringing the total hostages killed to 61. The Belgians lost 2 paras killed and 5 injured or wounded. Simba casualties were unknown, but probably high. World reaction was predictable. Demonstrations were held in Moscow, Prague, Nairobi, and Cairo, denouncing "American imperialism." The mob in Cairo managed to burn the JFK Library (all 270,000 volumes) to the ground in a brilliant display of self indulgence. The Simba revolt lasted barely another three months, as Vandewalle's force continued to clean up northeastern Congo. Gbenye eventually ended up in a Nairobi bar, spewing bile at any who would listen about "Yankee stooges" and the like. The point remained - a handful of dedicated men had risked their lives to rescue noncombatants and succeeded. The 340 Paracommandos were given a hero's parade in Brussels on December 1.

Additional Sources:

www.globalsecurity.org
worldatwar.net/chandelle/v2/v2n3
www.geocities.com/Pentagon/7963
www.army.mil
www-cgsc.army.mi
msgduty.info
www.nasm.si.edu
www.carolinaflyer.com
simulationsworkshop.tripod.com