A BREATHTAKING SPECTACLE – A written and pictorial history of IX TroopCarrier Command in England during WWII | Volume 1: The 52nd Troop Carrier Wing

In October, 1943, IX Troop Carrier Command was activated in England and assigned as a Tactical Air Support unit within the United States 9th Army Air Force. Within the space of less than five months, the Command boasted control of three Troop Carrier Wings that included a total of fourteen Troop Carrier Groups operating from bases across England. As the Allies prepared for the invasion of France, a day now most frequently referred to as “D-Day”, IX Troop Carrier Command increased in size, expanded in capabilities, and trained extensively with Airborne soldiers of both the U.S and Commonwealth forces. Instrumental in the delivery of Paratroopers and Glider forces across four major Airborne Operations carried out from bases in England, IX Troop Carrier Command was a vital weapon in waging war against the Germans, and an asset the Allies would have been lost without.

A Breathtaking Spectacle tells the story of the men and women of IX Troop Carrier Command from a point of view seldom heard before. It tells of their lives in England, their living conditions, and the daily stresses they endured in delivering Airborne forces, dropping supplies by parachute, evacuating critically wounded, and air-landing vital supplies to the front line on a near daily basis. Volume 1 of the three volume series focuses on Brigadier General Harold L. Clark’s 52nd Troop Carrier Wing, which contained some of the most experienced Troop Carrier Groups to operate in Europe in WWII. Read first-hand accounts from locals who remember their presence, from veterans themselves on their time in England, and of the losses each Group sustained both in training and in combat.