South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command


caption= SCAT insignia
dates= August 1942 - February 1945
country= United States
allegiance=
branch=
type= Transport
role= Assault support
size=
command_structure=
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname= SCAT
Flying Boxcars
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= World War II
* Battle of Guadalcanal
* Battle of New Georgia
aircraft_transport=
anniversaries=

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) [Sherrod "History of Marine Aviation in WWII", p. 152.] .

History

The operations of SCAT started as a response to developments in Guadalcanal, with the initial deployment of Marine Aircraft Group 25 ["Marine Air Group 25", accessed at [http://www.centercomp.com/cgi-bin/dc3/stories?1916] August 2, 2006 ] in August 1942 comprising VMJ-253 [Jack McKillop, "R4D, Douglas "Gooneybird" (section on Operational History) on Brown-Shoe Navy: U.S. Naval Aviation website accessed at [http://www.microworks.net/PACIFIC/aviation/r4d_gooneybird.htm] August 2, 2006] . 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.

Personnel

SCAT personnel who later became notable include:
* Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, commanded SCAT cargo handling units [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 [http://www.americanwarriorsfivepresidents.com/] August 2, 2006] while in the U.S. Navy.
* David Douglas Duncan, photographer, who worked in the Pacific theater under SCAT orders. [David Douglas Duncan Archive, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin, accessed at [http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/online/ddd/biography/biography4.html] August 2, 2006: includes a photo of Duncan taken by Richard Nixon]
* William K. Lanman, who became a millionaire benefactor of Yale University.

ee also

* List of inactive United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
* United States Marine Corps Aviation

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Sherrod, Robert. (1952). "History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II". Combat Forces Press. ISBN 0-933852-58-4.

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 [http://www.centercomp.com/cgi-bin/dc3/stories?1910] and [http://www.centercomp.com/cgi-bin/dc3/stories?1909] 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 [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-CSol/USMC-M-CSol-6.html] August 2, 2006
* Maj.Gen. Norman J. Anderson and Col. William K. Snyder, "SCAT", Marine Corps Gazette, September 1992 accessed at [http://www.centercomp.com/cgi-bin/dc3/stories?1908] August 2, 2006