VIEW FROM THE TOP >> A night to remember

By Col. Mark Vlahos
314th Airlift Wing vice commander


On the night of June 6, Team Little Rock will hold a Dining-In to celebrate the 64th Anniversary of Operation Overlord or D-Day. This event is exactly two weeks away, and I encourage all military and civilian government employees to attend. Our Team Little Rock Combat Airlift roots can be directly tied to the Airborne invasion--Operation Neptune--that secured the flanks of the five American and British landing beaches.

At approximately 11 p.m. on the night of May 5, 1944, 60 C-47 aircraft from the 314th Troop Carrier Group took off from Saltby Air Field in Leicester, England and began circling as they formed up as part of an American 850-plane formation with some gliders in tow.

Once the formation was assembled, a southern heading was established with a destination of the Cherbourg Peninsula in France. At this time, the 314th TCG consisted of the 32nd, 50th, 61st, and 62nd Troop Carrier Squadrons ... three of which are still assigned to Little Rock AFB today.

At 2:08 a.m. on the June 6, 1944, at an altitude of 500 to 700 feet, the 62nd hit Drop Zone November, just west of Sainte-Mère-Église. The 314 TCG carried paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division whose mission was to secure the right flank of the American landing beaches.

At the head of the 314th TCG formation was the 62nd Troop Carrier Squadron and flying in the number-2 plane that night was a young pilot named Jack Downhill. Jack Downhill is now 86 years old and lives outside Los Angeles, Calif. He will be our guest speaker for the Team Little Rock Dining In. We are truly honored to have this living hero as our guest speaker, just his presence will truly make this a night to remember. I’ve met Jack at a couple of previous Yacht Club reunions.

He is quite an impressive man and I know you will enjoy listening to his stories from that day ... D-Day. Jack Downhill rose to command the 62nd in 1946 and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. With our World War II veterans passing away at the rate of over 1,600 per day, we are fast losing the greatest generation.

After dropping men and equipment, the 314th TCG C-47s continued crossing the Cotentin Peninsula on their way back to England. Of the 60 C-47s flown by the 314th TCG that night, anti-aircraft fire destroyed one plane and damaged 16.

Of the 850 American troop carrier planes involved in the mission, all but 21 planes returned to base.

Of the 400-plane British formation only eight failed to return.

On the morning of June 7th, 39 aircraft from the 314th TCG took off to resupply the paratroopers dropped the night before.
One plane was destroyed, 24 damaged and 2 did not return to base. The men flying over France those two nights were part of something bigger than they ever could have imagined ... the rest is history.

I hope you enjoyed this small slice from our Combat Airlift history. I believe it is important to know your heritage and withhold the high standards that those before us set, so those coming after us will too.

Our heritage continues today, as every combat mission flown by a C-130 can trace its roots in some way to Little Rock Air Force Base. Let’s continue to focus on Job One everyday . . . fixing and flying safe airplanes . . . and make Jack Downhill proud.