Pathfinders went in First

  The concept of the Pathfinders emerged at the end of summer 1943 after meetings held in Comiso, Sicily between Colonel James Gavin, Commanding Officer of the 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Major Bernard 'Boy' Wilson, Commanding Officer of the British 21^st Independent Parachute Company and Lt. Col. Joel L. Crouch who, by this time, was A-3 of the 52^nd Troop Carrier Wing. Initially it was conceived that they would establish and train personnel for one mission only, Normandy operations, and that all personnel would be assigned to the Pathfinder school on « temporary duty ».

  During the nights of 13 and 14 September 1943, aircraft from the 52^nd Troop Carrier Wing dropped paratroopers of the 82^nd A/B Division near Salerno to help and reinforce the Fifth Army.
Three aircraft of the 52^nd TCW Hq (4 C-47 and 1 C-53 type aircraft are assigned to the Hq by this time) were used as Pathfinder aircraft for each drop. On 13 & 14 september, Lt. Col. Joel L. Crouch was at the controls of the lead pathfinder aircraft. On the night of September 13 to 14, Colonel Harold L. Clark was co-pilot and, on the night of September 14 to 15, Lt. Col. Dick R. Petty held this position. The first night they dropped elements of the 504^th Parachute Infantry Regiment while, the second night, it was elements of the 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

  It was the first time that pathfinders were used in combat and the first aircraft to drop pathfinders was Douglas C-53D #42-68810 assigned to the 52^nd Troop Carrier Wing Hq.

  In March 1944 Lt. Col. Joel L. Crouch will be in charge of the IX Troop Carrier Command Pathfinder School which was formed and established at North Witham airfield. It was from this base that the 20 Pathfinder aircraft took off during the night 5 / 6 June 1944 to deliver paratroopers from the 101^st and 82^nd A/B divisions to mark the DZs which will be used by the main force, 30 minutes later.

Neptune - The Tactical Air Plan

  Published on May 2, 1944 the IX Troop Carrier Command Tactical Air Plan for Operation Neptune give the task to the IX Troop Carrier Command to deliver the two American Airborne divisions, 82^nd A/B and 101^st A/B, in the Cotentin Peninsula to protect the west flank of the landings area.

IX Troop Carrier Command Tactical Air Plan for Operation NEPTUNE

  The Order of Battle of the IX Troop Carrier Command, always in the Tactical Air Plan, include the Pathfinder unit as part of the Hq IX TCC. Pathfinders were not a separate unit and pathfinder teams were made of men who voluntered or were choosen to be part of these teams and were from the 101^st and 82^nd A/B divisions. After the jump of the main body the men of the pathfinder teams were to return to their parent unit.

  The same Tactical Air Plan for Operation Neptune explain the use and role of Pathfinder aircraft and Pathfinder teams. Field order #1, Hq IX TCC, published on May 31, 1944 confirm the use of Pathfinder aircraft and that they will be in the first serials of the invasion.

  Appendix D1 to IX T.C.C. F.O. #1 or Time schedule for the missions list also Pathfinder aircraft as the lead aircraft of the IX Troop Carrier Command for operation Neptune.

  A last minute change was made and a Serial 6a was included. Two pathfinder teams will be dropped on DZ 'C' with the task to mark the LZ 'E' which will be used by the first glider mission. Time over DZ for this serial 6a : 00:27 BDST

  Of course, on D-Day, Lt. Col. Joel L. Crouch was in the left seat of the first Pathfinder aircraft to take off, at 21:54 BDST from North Witham. After an uneventful flight over the Channel, he crossed the west coast of the Cotentin Peninsula at 00:06 BDST and dropped his troops from the 101^st A/B division at 00:16 BDST, four minutes ahead of schedule.
  This aircraft was the FIRST aircraft of the IX Troop Carrier Command to fly and drop paratroopers of the 101^st A/B division over Normandy. The Lead Aircraft !

  Aircraft flown by Lt. Col. Joel L. Crouch and his crew was C-47A-20-DK #42-93098. The aircraft, like the 19 other pathfinder aicraft and serial leaders of the main wave, was equiped with navigational aids, Radar SCR-717, British Gee and Rebecca system.

Her crew was : Pilot : Lt. Col. Joel L. CROUCH Co-pilot : Capt. Vito S. PEDONE Navigator : Capt. William K. CULP Radio Operator : Cpl. Harold E. COONROD Crew Chief : S/Sgt Edward F. LAURENDEAU Surgeon : Capt. Edward E. CANNON

Back row, L to R : William K. Culp ( N ) – Joel L. Crouch ( P ) – Harold E. Coonrod ( RO ) – Vito S. Pedone ( CP )
Front row : Edward E. Cannon ( MC ) – Edward F. Laurendeau ( CC )

Take off of the first aircraft of the IX TCC over Normandy on D-Day

  The twenty pathfinder aircraft left the English coast at the waypoint coded Flatbush and the Channel crossing was carried out, according to David Hamilton, one of the pilots, in close formation and about fifty feet above the waves in order to avoid detection by German radar.
The SCR-717 radar was used to pass equidistant between the islands of Guernsey and Alderney and confirm the Initial Point of entry to the Normandy coast. This same radar was used by pathfinder Aircraft #4 to locate the destroyer HMS Tartar, next to which she would make her forced landing after her mission had aborted.
The aircraft also used the GEE system to guide themselves to their drop zone using hyperbolas emitted from ground stations in England. Visual confirmation was made at the time of the drop.

Check points in the Channel and details of approaches using the GEE system

  After the drop, pathfinder aicraft went back to North Witham but, you can see in the following document that, for each serial, one aircraft came back more than two hours after the two others. Each serial leader had go and land at Northolt for a debriefing before returning to North Witham.

6 June 1944 - OPREP B Pathfinder Troop Carrier Group

  After the mission, all the men of the aircrew were awarded an Air Medal by General Order #39, Hq IX Troop Carrier Command, issued July 6, 1944 except pilots who were serial leaders and were awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross by General Order #179, Hq Ninth Air Force, issued July 14, 1944.

  Documents used for this article

	IX T.C.C Tactical Air Plan for Operation Neptune 2 May 1944			Field Order #1 - 31 May 1944			Appendix D1 to F.O.#1 - 31 May 1944 Time Schedule - Missions Albany, Boston, Chicago, Detroit
	H-Hour Minus Four & a Half			IX Trop Carrier Command Pathfinder Flash Reports			Mission summary of Gee result
	Pathfinder Troop Carrier OPREP "B"			Report on the mission of the Pathfinder Aircraft			Sea rescue - Ditching of Chalk #4
	General Order #39 - Hq IX Troop Carrier Command			General Order #179 - Hq Ninth Air Force

  Epilogue: Now you may have the opportunity, by going on the internet or during discussions among enthusiasts, to read or hear that a particular aircraft was the lead aircraft during the Normandy invasion and that she has been restored to flying condition. And the name "That's All Brother" will be put forward.
You have here all the necessary and official documentation to prove to these people that what they are saying is false and that ten C-47s of the Troop Carrier Command flew over Normandy before her. And the first one being Pathfinder aircraft #42-93098.

Patrick Elie    October 2025