IX Troop Carrier Command

The mission of the IX Troop Carrier Command is to drop in the Cotentin Peninsula the paratroopers of the two U.S. Airborne Divisions, the 82nd and 101st. The aircraft used for this task are the C-47 and the gliders Waco CG-4A and Horsa.

The various Troop Carrier Groups are distributed on the different airfields of England from which they take off according to a very precise timetable.
From their starting points to the English coast, aerial corridors are marked out in order to guide the planes until the gathering point 'ELKO' preceding the crossing of the Channel. Then, the planes head south-west and leave the English coast at the Portland Bill headland. From this moment their flight level will have to be 500 feet.
Four minutes after having passed 'FLATBUSH' and the English coast, the navigation lights and the lights inside the planes are turned off, only formation lights and amber recognition lights remain. Heading is maintained for 57 miles to a point code named 'HOBOKEN' which is a ship in the North-west of Guernsey.
Over 'HOBOKEN' the planes change their course and move now towards south-east, towards the coast of the Cotentin peninsula. Amber lights are turned off and formation lights are turned to the lowest practicable intensity, the last part of the crossing begin.
The French coast is crossed over the point code named 'MULESHOE' for the 101st Airborne and over the point code named 'PEORIA' for the 82nd Airborne.

The crossing of the Cotentin peninsula will take less than 15 minutes. In a few moments, paratroopers will be dropped over their respective drop-zone, over Normandy.

Unit	Commanding officer	Airplane	Code	Station	Location	Sticks 06 June	Gliders 06 June	Gliders 07 June
52nd TCW	Brig. Gen. Harold L. Clark			Cottesmore
61st TCG	Col. Willis W. Mitchell	C-47		483	Barkston Heath	2/507th 3/507th
14th TCS	Major Lewis S. Frederick, Jr	C-47	3I	"	"
15th TCS	Major Lawrence C. McMurtry	C-47	Y9	"	"
53rd TCS	Major Howard M. Betts	C-47	3A	"	"
59th TCS	Major Marcus O. Owens, Jr	C-47	X5	"	"
313th TCG	Col. James J. Roberts, Jr	C-47		484	Folkingham	1/508th 3/508th
29th TCS	Lt Col. Quinn M. Corley	C-47	5X	"	"
47th TCS	Major Paul W. Stephens	C-47	N3	"	"
48th TCS	Major Edgar F. Stovall, Jr	C-47	Z7	"	"
49th TCS	Lt Col. Frank J. Lumsden	C-47	H2	"	"
314th TCG	Col. Clayton Stiles	C-47		538	Saltby	2/508th B/307th - HQ
32nd TCS	Major Halac G. Wilson	C-47	S2	"	"
50th TCS	Major Joseph H. McClure	C-47	2R	"	"
61st TCS	Major Campbell N. Smith	C-47	Q9	"	"
62nd TCS	Major Arthur E. Tappan	C-47	E5	"	"
315th TCG	Col. Hamish McLelland	C-47		493	Spanhoe	1/505th Plt/307th
34th TCS	Lt. Col. Donald G. Dekin	C-47	NM	"	"
43rd TCS	Lt. Col. Otto H. Peterson	C-47	UA	"	"
309th TCS	Lt Col. Smylie C. Stark	C-47	M6	"	"
310th TCS	Lt Col. Henry G. Hamby, Jr	C-47	4A	"	"
316th TCG	Col. Harvey A. Berger	C-47		489	Cottesmore	2/505th 3/505th
36th TCS	Major James L. Roberts	C-47	4C	"	"
37th TCS	Major Leonard C. Fletcher	C-47	W7	"	"
44th TCS	Major Benjamin F. Kendig	C-47	6E	"	"
45th TCS	Major Mars Lewis	C-47	T3	"	"