the invasion of North Africa in November 1942. For this campaign, he
personally led a mission of C-47s carrying paratroops of the British 2nd
Parachute Battalion. While the drop was successful, the ground forces
faced heavy ghting. He later commanded the 51st Troop Carrier Wing
and played a key role in the airborne portion of the invasion of Sicily in
July 1943.
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In February 1944, Williams was appointed commanding general of the
Ninth Troop Carrier Command. From his headquarters in England, he
oversaw the training and preparation for the massive airborne assault
in Normandy. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, he directed a colossal air
armada of over 1,000 C-47 transport aircraft and 900 gliders, delivering
paratroopers and equipment to support the Allied landings. His
leadership was crucial to the success of this complex and dangerous
operation, which involved ying at low altitudes through enemy re.
Williams’s command was also vital in other major operations, including:
- Operation Dragoon (August 1944): The airborne operations
preceding the Allied landings in southern France.
- Operation Market Garden (September 1944): The largest
daylight airborne operation of the war, aimed at securing bridges
in the Netherlands. The IX TCC ew some 1,200 aircraft and
gliders to transport the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.
- The Battle of the Bulge (December 1944): The Ninth Troop
Carrier Command shifted over 13,000 soldiers and thousands of
tons of supplies to the front in just four days, providing crucial
relief to isolated units, including the 101st Airborne Division at
Bastogne.
- Operation Varsity (March 1945): This was the largest single-
day airborne drop in history, where Williams directed an
operation involving approximately 1,600 transport aircraft
and 1,348 gliders to cross the Rhine River, dropping over 16,000
soldiers and their equipment directly into the midst of German
defenses.