P-51D of 2nd Air Commando Group Big Gas Bird nose art #45, pilot: Spann
The 2nd Air Commando Group was one of three composite groups established to support deep penetration missions behind enemy lines in Burma. Unlike the 1st Air Commando Group, which initially organized as a “mini air force” with mixed aircraft types in each squadron, the 2nd ACG was structured with dedicated squadrons from the outset. Its composition included:
Two fighter squadrons equipped with P-51 Mustangs.
Three liaison groups operating Stinson L-5 Sentinel aircraft.
One transport unit using Douglas C-47 Skytrains.
The group deployed to India between September and November 1944, participating in the final stages of the Burma campaign. One of its early missions was Operation Grubworm (December 5, 1944 – January 5, 1945), in response to a request from General Chiang Kai-Shek for the repatriation of Chinese troops fighting in Burma. The 2nd ACG’s 317 Troop Carrier Squadron played a role in airlifting the Chinese 14th and 22nd Divisions back to China.
As the Japanese began their retreat, the group arrived just as Allied forces began their reconquest of Burma. British troops crossed the Chindwin River in mid-November 1944 and advanced towards Mandalay and Rangoon. The 2nd ACG supported these operations by dropping supplies to Allied troops in the Chindwin Valley. In February 1945, the group’s fighter squadrons assisted in crossing the Irrawaddy River. Additionally, after the airfield at Meiktila was captured, both the 1st and 2nd ACGs airlifted a brigade of the British 17th Division from Palel, effectively cutting off Japanese troops in Mandalay from those in Rangoon.
Mandalay fell in late March 1945, and the group subsequently supported the advance on Rangoon, including dropping Gurkha paratroops during the final attack on the city, which fell in May 1945. Following the completion of the main Burma campaign, the 2nd ACG’s units were reassigned to other commands. The remaining elements of the group returned to the United States by November 1945, where the group was inactivated.