{"id":387,"date":"2026-05-09T15:00:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T14:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southwestairfields.teknicode.uk\/?page_id=387"},"modified":"2026-05-09T16:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:46:09","slug":"441st-troop-carrier-group","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/southwestairfields.teknicode.uk\/?page_id=387","title":{"rendered":"441st Troop Carrier Group"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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441st Troop Carrier Group<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Merryfield and the 441st Troop Carrier Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of the following information has come from a publication that the 441st TCG commissioned during July 1944 with E Goodman & Son Ltd, The Phoenix Press, Taunton, Somerset, England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This document gives the perfect example for the historian to understand the make up of a Troop Carrier Group of the 9th Troop Carrier Command during WW2. Plus the number of service personnel involved in an average Troop Carrier Squadron and the independent nature of how each squadron existed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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A scanned copy of this booklet has been in Robin\u2019s collection since 2004 when Donald M Stonestrom, who had been a Navigator with the 100 TCSq, went to the trouble to dismantle his personal copy and scan it page by page for him.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Merryfield, situated at Ilton, near Ilminster in Somerset, is still operational as a satellite airfield for Yeovilton, where the Royal Navy\u2019s Fleet Air Arm are based and training helicopter pilots. The airfield has a long history and was also very busy in the 1950s when the RAF operated Vampires and Meteors there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The photograph below of Merryfield airfield Circa 1964.  Has come courtesy of Mac Hawkins, from his book \u201cSomerset at War\u201d First published during 1988.  In this book on pages 154 and 155 there is a considerable amount of additional information about  this wartime airfield. <\/p>\n\n\n

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The 441st TCGp arrived there during April 1944 at the same time as the 439th TCGp and the 440th TCGp moved onto Upottery and Exeter airfields respectively. These three groups were attached to the 50th Troop Carrier Wing that had moved its headquarters to Redhayes House near Clyst Honiton, in readiness for the D-Day invasion. This attractive country house was situated just a mile or so from Exeter airfield. (Exeter Airport).<\/p>\n\n\n

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The great thing about this information is that it was written during the summer of 1944, so has not been subject to change with the passing of time.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Dedication above refers to those who lost their lives whilst operating out of Merryfield<\/p>\n\n\n

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One of the very interesting facts that emerges is that the group headquarters refer themselves as a squadron. but unlike the four squadrons that were attached too the group the HQ squadron had no aircraft of their own. So in common with all the other troop carrier groups any pilots including the C.O. with in the H.Q squadron needed to requisition aircraft from one of the attached squadrons. In the case of the 441st TCGp this included the 99th Troop Carrier Squadron \u2014 100th TCSq\u2013 301st TCSq\u2013 302nd TCSq. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0All are featured in this booklet.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Picture 1 P-X personnel \u2013 2 Cryptographic Section \u2013 3 & 4 Link Trainer dept \u2014 5 Group and Squadron personnel dept \u2014 6 Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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1 Glider Mechanics           2 Communications Section              3 Radio Operators          4 Operations Dept<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

19<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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1 Supply and Transportation Debts \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02 Glider Mechanics \u00a0\u00a03 Medical Personnel \u00a0\u00a04 Ordnance Dept \u00a0\u00a0\u00a05 Engineering dept<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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1 Engineering Dept \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02 Medical section \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03 Squadron cooks \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04 Operations Dept \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a05 Parachute Dept<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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1 Orderly Room \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02 Transport Dept \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03 Comm Dept \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04 Glider Pilots<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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1 Squadron Supply \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02 Tech Supply \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03 S-2 Section \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04 Power Pilots<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting to note the cartoon caption \u201cI thought they said P47\u2033 This has to be a reference to the open day by the 439th TCGp at Upottery during July 1944 when Col Young the 439th Group Commander, gave a dramatic demonstration of fighter evasion involving a P47 Thundebolt fighter whilst he was piloting \u00a0a C47. \u00a0This event is referred to in Col Charles H Young\u2019s book<\/p>\n\n\n

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301st Squadron continued<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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1 S-2 Section \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02 Operations Dept \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03 Staff Officers \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04 Power Pilots<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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1 Communication Section \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02 Transportation Dept \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03 Medical Section \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04 Squadron Cooks \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a05 Parachute Dept<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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1 Glider Pilots \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02 \u00a0Orderly Room \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03 Squadron Supply \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04 Radar Section<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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The sketch below is a light hearted account of nights out, trying to charm local ladies and touring local public houses around Merryfield airfield. \u00a0Older Locals will recognize \u00a0the ports of call: \u00a0Wyndham Arms Ilton, Lamb and Lion Hambridge, Bell Inn Curry Rival and the Rock Inn featured in a photo above (four Yanks and a none drinker). Over seventy years later two of the pubs are still open.<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

441st Troop Carrier Group Merryfield and the 441st Troop Carrier Group. The majority of the following information has come from a publication that the 441st TCG commissioned during July 1944 with E Goodman & Son Ltd, The Phoenix Press, Taunton, Somerset, England. This document gives the perfect example for the historian to understand the make […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-387","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwestairfields.teknicode.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwestairfields.teknicode.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwestairfields.teknicode.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwestairfields.teknicode.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwestairfields.teknicode.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=387"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/southwestairfields.teknicode.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":448,"href":"https:\/\/southwestairfields.teknicode.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/387\/revisions\/448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwestairfields.teknicode.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}