South Pacific OPACCombat Air Transport Command (SCAT) was a joint command of US military logistics units in the Pacific Ocean theater of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. It contributed notably to the success of U.S. forces in the battles for

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the se ...

(1942–1943),

New Georgia New Georgia, with an area of , is the largest of the islands in Western Province, Solomon Islands, and the 200th-largest island in the world. Geography New Georgia island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most ...

(1943), and Bougainville (1943–1945), as well as the Allied air campaign against

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...

History

The organization of SCAT was a response to developments on

, following the initial deployment of Marine Aircraft Group 25 in September 1942, comprising the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

transport squadron VMJ-253 and Headquarters Squadron, MAG-25, which were soon joined by the 13th Troop Carrier Squadron,

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(USAAF). SCAT was formally organized around MAG-25 in late November 1942 at the direction of VAdm. Aubrey Fitch, and by the end of the Guadalcanal campaign it included VMJ-152 and SMS-25 of the Marine Corps and the USAAF

801st Medical Air Evacuation Squadron The 801st Medical Air Evacuation Squadron was a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) unit that provided aeromedical evacuation and support services to front-line units in the Pacific Theater of World War II. From the latter part of the Guadalca ...

. In 1943 SCAT was joined by VMJ-153 and the USAAF

403rd Troop Carrier Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

(including the 64th Troop Carrier Squadron and 63rd Troop Carrier Squadron). SCAT provided rapid transport of personnel and cargo, including munitions, food, replacement parts, and medical supplies, to and from forward areas. On rearward flights SCAT frequently provided

aeromedical evacuation Aeromedical evacuation (AE) usually refers to the use of military transport aircraft to carry wounded personnel. The first recorded British ambulance flight took place in 1917 in the Sinai peninsula some 30 miles south of El Arish when a R ...

of wounded or sick personnel. Aircraft typically included a flight nurse, corpsman, or

flight surgeon A flight surgeon is a military medical officer practicing in the clinical field of aviation medicine. Although the term "flight surgery" is considered improper by purists, it may occasionally be encountered. Flight surgeons are physicians (MD ...

as part of the crew. SOPAC Combat Air Transport Command was dissolved as its Army Air Forces troop carrier units departed in July 1944, although the Marines adopted the organizational title Solomons Combat Air Transport Command and continued to utilize the "SCAT" acronym. MAG-25, including the attached 13th Troop Carrier Squadron, was awarded the

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed ene ...

as part of the 1st Marine Division (Reinforced) for the Guadalcanal Campaign. SCAT received a

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Cor ...

for its operations in the South Pacific from December 1942 to July 1944. The nickname "Flying Boxcars" was widely used for the Douglas R4D aircraft flown by Marine Corps units in SCAT, predating its attachment to the post-war

Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechani ...

(R4Q) aircraft.

Personnel

Notable persons who had been associated with SCAT include: *

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

, 37th President of the United States, who served as officer-in-charge of SCAT forward detachments at Bougainville and Green Island while assigned to Headquarters Squadron-25. *

David Douglas Duncan David Douglas Duncan (January 23, 1916 – June 7, 2018) was an American photojournalist, known for his dramatic combat photographs, as well as for his extensive domestic photography of Pablo Picasso and his wife Jacqueline. Childhood and educ ...

, photographer, who covered SCAT while assigned to VMD-154.David Douglas Duncan Archive, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin, accessed a

2 August 2006: includes a photo of Duncan taken by Richard Nixon *

William K. Lanman Colonel William Kelsey Lanman Jr., (October 9, 1904 – March 26, 2001) was an American philanthropist and benefactor of Yale University. He served as an aviator in the United States Marine Corps from 1935 to 1955, and later took up real estate an ...

, executive officer of VMJ-153 and then MAG-25, who became a millionaire benefactor of

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Armstrong, William. (2017). ''Marine Air Group 25 and SCAT (Images of Aviation)''. Arcadia. . *Page, Evelyn, ed. (1989). ''The Story of Air Evacuation, 1942-1989''. Taylor Publishing Company. *Sherrod, Robert. (1952). ''History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II''. Combat Forces Press. . *Washburne, Seth. (2011). ''The Thirsty 13th: The U.S. Army Air Forces 13th Troop Carrier Squadron, 1940 - 1945''. Thirsty 13th LLC. {{ISBN, 0615396755.

History

Personnel

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

Further reading