Adriel N. Williams
| Adriel N. Williams | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
August 11, 1916 Shelby County, Kentucky |
| Died | July 8, 2004 (aged 87) San Antonio, Texas |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1939–1968 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Awards | Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, French Croix de Guerre, The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant |
Brigadier General Adriel Newton Williams (August 11, 1916 – July 8, 2004) was a retired United States Air Force Brigadier General who was Director of Transportation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
Williams was born 1916 in Shelby County, Kentucky. He graduated from Shelbyville High School, 1933 and from Eastern Kentucky University in 1938. After graduation, he entered the "West Point of the Air" Randolph Field, Texas, for pilot training and received his pilot wings in 1939 at Kelly Field, Texas.
Williams was assigned as commanding officer of the First Transport Squadron in March 1942, and in the next nine months commanded the squadron at Patterson Field, Ohio, General Mitchell Field, in Milwaukee, and Pope Field, Fort Bragg. Following this assignment he became commander of the 436th Troop Carrier Group and remained as such throughout the remainder of World War II. This group pioneered in the early assault glider operations, participating in all major airborne assault operations in the European Theater. These included the Normandy invasion (D-Day), of southern France, the Nijmegen-Eindhoven, the Netherlands operation, resupply to the beleaguered 101st in Bastogne, and the crossing of the Rhine.
Following V-E Day, Williams returned to the United States with the 436th Troop Carrier Group, where the unit was to be reequipped with C-46s for duty in the Pacific theater. However, the war ended while the changes were being made and the 436th Troop Carrier Group was inactivated. Williams was then assigned as commander of the 434th Troop Carrier Group, located at George Army Air Field, Lawrenceville, Illinois, and later Greenville Air Base, South Carolina. He remained as commander until the 434th Group was inactivated in summer of 1947.
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