Jungle Skippers
Research Report
Jungle Skippers: The 317th Troop Carrier Group in the Southwest Pacific and Their Legacy
John D. Poole
Copyright Date: Mar. 1, 2017
Published by: Air University Press
Pages: 107
OPEN ACCESS
https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep13878
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  1. Front Matter
    Front Matter (pp. i-iv)
  2. Table of Contents
    Table of Contents (pp. v-vi)
  3. List of Illustrations
    List of Illustrations (pp. vii-viii)
  4. About the Author
    About the Author (pp. ix-x)
  5. Acknowledgments
    Acknowledgments (pp. xi-xii)
  6. Abstract
    Abstract (pp. xiii-xiv)
  7. Chapter 1 Introduction
    Chapter 1 Introduction (pp. 1-10)

    No student of strategy or history can fully grasp the triumph of Gen Douglas MacArthur, wading ashore at Luzon in October 1944 to utter his immortal words, “I have returned,” without an understanding of the events that brought him there. Seventy years later, we can identify 1943 in the Southwest Pacific as a turning point in the war. The road to General MacArthur’s iconic return began that year in New Guinea, where a small outpost of Australian troops valiantly defended a grass landing strip in the mountains from an overwhelming enemy force while unarmed transports braved hostile fire to deliver...

  8. Chapter 2 Wau—January 1943: Airland
    Chapter 2 Wau—January 1943: Airland (pp. 11-46)

    Tuesday, 5 January 1943, 0000 hours, 1st Lt Joseph C. Ford III, commander of the 39th Troop Carrier Squadron (TCS), taxied into position on Runway 14 at Hamilton Field, California in the northwest corner of the San Francisco Bay. He brought his C-47 to a stop on the left side of the runway. His copilot, 2nd Lt Frank S. Monk, and crew chief, Sgt Ward W. Solterbeck, helped him set the mixture, the propeller pitch, and flaps for takeoff, while his wingman, 2nd Lt Joseph L. Dunkelberger, taxied into position on his right.¹ Ford locked the brakes and advanced the...

  9. Chapter 3 Nadzab—September 1943: Airdrop
    Chapter 3 Nadzab—September 1943: Airdrop (pp. 47-70)

    Friday, 20 August 1943: 2nd Lt Claude J. “Joe” Salisbury, from Springville, Utah, looked out toward the horizon as his transport departed from their base at Garbutt Field at Townsville, Australia. His pilot, 1st Lt John F. Yoder, from Aransas Pass, Texas, set a heading of true north. Lieutenant Salisbury could see the brilliant hues of the Great Barrier Reef passing beneath their C-47. Soon, the colors faded into the “infinite dark blue” of the Coral Sea. Port Moresby was four hours away.¹

    After the Battle of Wau, the 317th TCG returned to Australia rejoining the ground echelon that had...

  10. Chapter 4 Conclusion
    Chapter 4 Conclusion (pp. 71-84)

    The central argument coursing through this thesis is that the convergence of opportunity, capability and conditions enabled the 317th TCG to employ airland and airdrop to make a successful contribution beyond the immediate battlefield. This chapter analyzes the opportunities, capabilities, conditions, and contributions examined in the earlier chapters on the 317th TCG’s actions in the Battle of Wau and the assault at Nadzab. From this analysis, this chapter suggests some implications. Ultimately, this chapter answers, “What were the long-term impacts of the 317th TCG’s experience in the southwest Pacific during World War II?”

    Regarding opportunity, the situational context and the...

  11. Bibliography
    Bibliography (pp. 85-90)
  12. Back Matter
    Back Matter (pp. 91-91)