ep 60: The Carpetbaggers

Episode 60 Cover Art

Episode 60 Cover ArtOne of the best-kept secrets of World War II was the CARPETBAGGERS, the code name for a joint OSS-8th Air Force covert ops unit. Assisting French underground groups in the European theater of operations, American Airmen flew agents and supplies to those resistance forces. They flew specially modified, black-painted Consolidated B-24 Liberators, Douglas C-47 Skytrains, Douglas A-26 Invaders, and British de Havilland Mosquitoes to carry out these clandestine operations.

They flew by night dropping spies and supplies during moonlit skies from late 1943 until the end of the war in Europe. They are among WWII’s unsung heroes.

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NOTES:

Carpetbaggers: Air Arm of the OSS in Europe
https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/carpetbaggers-the-air-arm-of-the-oss-in-europe/

U.S. Army Special Operations History
https://arsof-history.org/articles/pdf/v3n1_supplying_resistance.pdf

Harrington Aviation Museum
https://harringtonmuseum.org.uk/

American Air Museum in Britain – 492nd Bomb Group Carpetbaggers
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/4124

Chris and Jody are Air Force vets who enjoy military history and folklore. They have a podcast. They tell stories. They digress. A lot.

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