314th Airlift Wing History & Heritage

In this episode of the 314th AW History & Heritage Podcast, host Mr. Christopher Ashwell, Wing Historian for the 314th Airlift Wing, takes listeners on a gripping journey back to 1944 to explore the 314th Troop Carrier Group's pivotal and heroic role in Operation Overlord during World War II. From their intensive preparations at RAF Saltby in England to the high-stakes execution of Mission Bos...

In the autumn of 1950, UN forces were relentlessly pushing the collapsing North Korean People's Army northward following the breakout from the Pusan Perimeter. Seeking total annihilation of the fleeing forces and desperate to rescue a group of American POWs—survivors of the brutal Tiger Death March—military planners devised a daring trap. The strategy required dropping an airborne force deep behin...

In the brutal winter of December 1950, deep in the frozen mountains of North Korea, over 30,000 United Nations troops found themselves trapped and facing annihilation. Surrounded by more than 120,000 enemy soldiers at the Chosin Reservoir, their only path to survival was a narrow mountain road blocked by a 1,500-foot-deep gorge where a crucial bridge had been destroyed. With no way to repair it fr...

In 1968, the "Year of Shock" in Vietnam, the difference between life and death for besieged US Marines was a 40-foot aluminum tube: the C-130 Hercules. But to the troops on the ground, these vital aircraft were known as "Mortar Magnets" for the intense enemy fire they drew upon landing. This episode tells the incredible true stories of two 314th Tactical Airlift Wing C-130 crews who flew into the...

In the heart of World War II, a routine transport flight with 4 members of an aircrew from the 61st Troop Carrier Squadron, 314th Troop Carrier Group along with 26 Army Air Forces nurses and medics on board is swallowed by a ferocious storm and thrown tragically off course. Their plane crash-lands deep within the treacherous, snow-covered mountains of Albania, a land occupied by German forces and...

Welcome to the very first episode of the 314th AW History & Heritage Podcast! Ever wonder what forges a warrior? Go behind the scenes and discover the "Enduring Ethos"—the unshakeable spirit and core values that define the legendary Herk Nation. Join us as we explore the DNA of the 314th Airlift Wing, from its historic roots to its critical modern-day mission. This is the story of how generati...

Step into the cockpit of an unarmed C-47 Skytrain and fly alongside the unsung heroes of World War II. In this episode, we uncover the incredible story of the 314th Troop Carrier Group, the men who flew directly into the storm of combat to deliver paratroopers and supplies, all without armor or guns. At the heart of this story is their commander, Colonel Clayton Stiles. Discover how his unique bac...