South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command

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South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command (SCAT) was a joint command of U.S. military logistics units in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II. It contributed notably to the success of U.S. forces in the battles for Guadalcanal (1942-1943) and New Georgia (1943).

The operations of SCAT started as a response to developments in Guadalcanal, with the initial deployment of Marine Aircraft Group 25^[1] in August 1942 comprising VMJ-253 ^[2]. The composite transport group was then formally organized in November 1942. Other units in SCAT were VMR-152, VMR-153 and USAAF's 13th Troop Carrier Squadron. SCAT was dissolved in February 1945.

The nickname "Flying Boxcars" was widely used for the Douglas R4D aircraft flown by Marine units in SCAT, predating its attachment to the post-war C-119 aircraft.

[edit] Personnel

SCAT personnel who later became notable include:

• Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, commanded SCAT cargo handling units^[3] while in the U.S. Navy.
• David Douglas Duncan, photographer, who worked in the Pacific theater under SCAT orders.^[4]
• William K. Lanman, who became a millionaire benefactor of Yale University.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Marine Air Group 25, accessed at [1] August 2, 2006
2. ^ Jack McKillop, R4D, Douglas "Gooneybird" (section on Operational History) on Brown-Shoe Navy: U.S. Naval Aviation website accessed at [2] August 2, 2006
3. ^ Hove, Duane T. American Warriors: Five Presidents in the Pacific Theater of WWII, Burd Street Press, 2003 ISBN 1-57249-307-0; summary accessed at [3] August 2, 2006
4. ^ David Douglas Duncan Archive, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin, accessed at [4] August 2, 2006: includes a photo of Duncan taken by Richard Nixon

[edit] Further reading

• Capt. Robert Joseph Allen and 1st Lt. Otis Carney, The Story of SCAT: Part I and The Story of SCAT: Part II, in Air Transport magazine, December 1944 and January 1945, accessed at The DC3 Aviation Museum [5] and [6] August 2, 2006
• Capt. John M. Rentz, Marines in the Central Solomons (Ch.6, The Role of Aviation: pp. 141-145), USMC Monograph accessed at [7] August 2, 2006
• Maj.Gen. Norman J. Anderson and Col. William K. Snyder, SCAT, Marine Corps Gazette, September 1992 accessed at [8] August 2, 2006