443d Troop Carrier Group The 443d Troop Carrier Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit . Its last assignment was with 443d Airlift Wing , being inactivated at Donaldson Air Force Base , South Carolina on 8 January 1953 . Formed during World War II , the group deployed to the China - Burma - India Theater of Operations in 1944 and using C - 47 ' s and sometimes gliders to transport Allied troops , evacuate wounded personnel , and haul supplies and material , including gasoline , oil , signal and engineering equipment , medicine rations , and ammunition . The Group ' s missions were concerned primarily with support for Allied forces that were driving southward through Burma , but the 443d also made flights to China . It moved to China in Aug . 1945 and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for transporting men from Chihkiang to Nanking in September . 1945 . History . World War II . The 443d Troop Carrier Group was established on 25 May 1943 and activated on 1 October as a Troop Carrier unit , being equipped with the C - 47 / C - 53 Skytrain at Sedalia AAF , Missouri . Once training was completed the group transferred to Tenth Air Force in India , in February 1944 in the China Burma India Theater . When the 443d arrived in India Combat Cargo Groups were being organized , and the group ' s personnel and aircraft were assigned to the 1st Combat Cargo Group . New squadrons were assigned and the group used C - 47 ' s and sometimes gliders to transport Allied troops , evacuate wounded personnel , and haul supplies and materiel , including gasoline , oil , signal and engineering equipment , medicine , rations , and ammunition . The group ' s missions were concerned primarily with support for Allied forces that were driving southward through Burma but the 443rd also made many flights to China . When General Joseph Stilwell was ready to begin the retaking of Burma , his forces were to fight across the northern Burmese mountains to the village of Naga . From there they would head down the Hukawng Valley toward the Japanese stronghold at Mogaung , then they would head to Myitkyina . At the same time Generalissimo Chiang Kai - Shek , would attack Burma from China ' s western mountainous border . British General Orde Wingate and his " Chindits " were ready to begin their push into Burma with a goal of establishing permanent areas of occupation behind Japanese lines . British General William Slim was to bring his troops from Arakan , India into Burma . The final objective of this three pronged attack was the town Myitkyina . All these operations were to be largely supplied by air - support provided by the 443d and the 177th wing of the Royal Air Force . It was reassigned to Fourteenth Air Force in January and moved to China in August 1945 , and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for transporting a Chinese army of more than 30 , 000 men from Chihkiang to Nanking in September 1945 . Returned to the US in December and inactivated on 26 December 1945 . Cold War . Trained as a Reserve troop carrier unit under supervision of the 2596th Air Force Reserve Training Center , June 1949 – April 1951 . The 443d was brought to active duty at Donaldson AFB , South Carolina on 9 August 1951 as a training wing by Tactical Air Command . For almost two years , the 443d participated in tactical exercises in operations , training troop carrier aircrews using C - 46 Commandos for assignment to the Far East and worked closely with other troop carrier groups to test and evaluate new troop carrier doctrine and procedures . With the end of the Korean War , the 443d was inactivated on 8 June 1953 .