2641st Special Group
The 2641st Special Group (Provisional) was a United States Army Air Forces special-operations unit that supplied Office of Strategic Services agents and resistance movements in occupied Europe during the final months of the Second World War.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The 2641st Special Group (Provisional) was a short-lived United States Army Air Forces formation assigned to the Fifteenth Air Force in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. It was created to conduct clandestine aviation missions in support of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), principally by inserting agents and delivering weapons, equipment, and other supplies to resistance and partisan organizations behind Axis lines in Italy and the Balkans. Its work formed part of the broader Allied effort to organize, sustain, and coordinate resistance activity during the closing phase of the European war. The group was formed in December 1944, initially operating under the designation 15th Special Group (Provisional). Headquarters authorization followed in January 1945, and the organization was redesignated the 2641st Special Group (Provisional) on 6 March 1945. Its attached flying units were the 885th Bombardment Squadron and the 859th Bombardment Squadron. The 885th operated both Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and Consolidated B-24 Liberators, while the 859th primarily flew B-24s. These aircraft were specially modified and generally painted black with minimal identifying markings to support covert night operations. The group’s principal operating base was initially Brindisi Airfield in Italy. Its final station was Rosignano Airfield, where it remained until inactivation. The bulk of its missions supported the 2677th Regiment OSS (Provisional) at Bari Airfield, with later operations extending toward Austria as Allied intelligence focused on the possibility of a German National Redoubt in the Alpine region. Crews specialized in low-level night navigation over mountainous terrain, descending into narrow valleys and approaching drop zones at very low altitude and near stall speed. The pilot, navigator, and bombardier had to coordinate closely, while the bombardier often relied on visual identification of the reception area during the final approach. The unit achieved a substantial operational tempo despite its limited lifespan. At the height of activity in February 1945, it reportedly delivered dozens of agents and more than two million pounds of weapons and supplies while operating on most days of the month. Hundreds of sorties were successfully completed, although many attempts were aborted because resistance reception teams were absent or could not signal the aircraft. The work was dangerous: aircraft and crews faced antiaircraft fire, fighter interception, difficult weather, rugged terrain, and the risks inherent in clandestine low-altitude flying. Seven aircraft and thirty-five airmen were lost during the group’s brief January-to-May operational period, and some surviving personnel became prisoners of war. The 2641st Special Group and its component squadrons received unit citations and other commendations. Its attached squadrons had earlier been recognized for support to the French Resistance, while the group itself received recognition for operations in the Po Valley during February 1945. The formation was inactivated on 20 May 1945, shortly after the defeat of Germany. It was therefore not a continuing commercial brand or operating enterprise, but a wartime military organization whose name identified a specialized operational command.
History
The formation that became the 2641st Special Group began operating on 17 December 1944 in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. It was organized around two attached bombardment squadrons, the 885th and 859th, whose aircraft and crews were adapted for clandestine support missions. General Orders No. 284 from Fifteenth Air Force headquarters formally authorized the 15th Special Group (Provisional) effective 20 January 1945, although the unit had already been functioning for several weeks. The group’s role was to provide air support to OSS activities in occupied Europe. Its crews carried agents into areas controlled or contested by Axis forces and dropped arms, ammunition, communications equipment, medical materials, and other supplies to resistance and partisan groups. The main effort supported the 2677th Regiment OSS (Provisional) operating from Bari, Italy. Missions were concentrated in Italy and the Balkans, and later planning and operations also addressed Austria because Allied authorities feared that German forces might attempt a final defense from fortified Alpine positions. The group’s aviation methods were unusually demanding. Its B-17 and B-24 aircraft were specially modified for clandestine work and commonly operated in black finishes with limited markings. Crews trained to fly at night and at very low altitude, often across mountainous country. At the target, aircraft descended into valleys and approached drop zones at near stall speed, depending on coordinated navigation, visual recognition, and signals from ground reception parties. Weather and the absence of reception signals frequently caused missions to be abandoned. During the group’s most active period in February 1945, it mounted operations at a very high rate. Available historical accounts describe the delivery of thirty-four agents and more than two million pounds of materiel during a month in which aircraft operated on twenty-six of twenty-eight days. Approximately 486 sortie attempts produced 354 successful sorties, with most unsuccessful missions attributed to a lack of reception at the intended drop zone. The effort involved forty-eight aircrews, thirty-four aircraft, and associated ground personnel. The organization was redesignated the 2641st Special Group (Provisional) on 6 March 1945. A unit citation for operations in the Po Valley on the night of 17–18 February 1945 was associated with the group, even though the formation carried the earlier 15th Special Group designation when the mission occurred. Its squadrons also carried honors from earlier resistance-support operations in France, including recognition connected with Operation Carpetbagger. These awards reflected both the strategic importance and the hazards of the missions. The cost was significant. During its short operational period, the group lost seven aircraft and thirty-five crew members to antiaircraft fire, enemy fighters, accidents, and other dangers of special operations. Some airmen were captured and held in German prisoner-of-war camps. The unit moved from Brindisi Airfield to Rosignano Airfield on 24 March 1945 and remained there until it was inactivated on 20 May 1945. Its dissolution followed the end of major combat in Europe and marked the conclusion of a temporary wartime command rather than a transition into a permanent organization.
- 1945
Formal authorization by Fifteenth Air Force
[1]Fifteenth Air Force General Orders No. 284 authorized the 15th Special Group (Provisional) effective 20 January 1945.
- 1945
Peak February operations
[1]At its operational peak, the group delivered agents and more than two million pounds of supplies, completing hundreds of sorties in support of resistance networks.
- 1945
Redesignation as the 2641st Special Group
[1]The provisional formation received the 2641st Special Group designation on 6 March 1945.
- 1945
Move to Rosignano Airfield
[1]The group relocated from Brindisi to Rosignano Airfield on 24 March 1945.
- 1945
Inactivation
[1]The 2641st Special Group (Provisional) was inactivated on 20 May 1945 after the end of the European campaign.
- 1944
Formation of the provisional special group
[1]The organization was formed at Brindisi Airfield on 17 December 1944 to conduct clandestine aviation support for OSS operations and European resistance movements.
Products and positioning
A specialized wartime aviation formation for clandestine support of Allied intelligence networks and European resistance movements.
Special-operations aircraft · 1944
B-17 Flying Fortress
The 885th Bombardment Squadron operated specially modified B-17 bombers for clandestine night missions. Within the group, the aircraft supported agent insertion and the delivery of resistance supplies rather than conventional strategic bombing.
Special-operations aircraft · 1944
B-24 Liberator
The B-24 was the principal aircraft type used by the 859th Bombardment Squadron and was also flown by the 885th. Modified Liberators performed low-level nighttime drops and clandestine transport missions over Italy and the Balkans.
Marketing campaigns
- 1945Po Valley operations
Italy
Both attached squadrons participated in a major night operation over Italy’s Po Valley on 17–18 February 1945, delivering support to resistance forces.
Outcome. The operation resulted in a unit citation associated with the Special Group.
- 1944Operation Carpetbagger support
France
The 859th and 885th squadrons had earlier supported Allied resistance activity in France under Operation Carpetbagger. Their missions included the delivery of agents and supplies to clandestine networks.
Outcome. Both squadrons received recognition for resistance-support operations, including the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/2641st-special-group · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled