354th Fighter Group
| 354th Fighter Group | ||
|---|---|---|
353rd Fighter Squadron FT | | |
| 355th Fighter Squadron | GQ | |
| 356th Fighter Squadron | AJ | |
| Aircraft flown | ||
| Fighter | Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 1944–1945 North American P-51 Mustang 1943–1945 | |
The 354th Fighter Group was an element of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Ninth Air Force during World War II.[1][2][3] The unit was known as the Pioneer Mustang Group and was the first to fly the P-51B Mustang in combat. The group served as bomber escort in the European theater of operations until D-Day, then moved to France to support the drive to Germany.
Training in the United States
The 354th Fighter Group was constituted on 12 November and activated on 15 November 1942, at
Deployment to Europe
The Group moved to RAF Boxted in England between October and November 1943 and was attached to the Ninth Air Force. The group was issued the new P-51B Mustang aircraft and was the first to use them in combat. These aircraft were used by the group throughout the war except for the period between November 1944 and February 1945 when they used the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
Although the group was intended for ground attack as the P51B had the high altitude performance Merlin, the 354th was ordered to fly as escort for long-range heavy bombers of the
The Group moved to
Major
The Group supported the
The Group moved to Cricqueville Airfield in France in June 1944, to Gael Airfield in August 1944, Orconte Airfield, in September 1944, and Rosieres En Haye Airfield, in December 1944.
The 354th received a second Distinguished Unit Citation for destroying a large number of enemy aircraft on the ground and in the air in support of the airborne attack on Holland in September 1944.
The Group participated in the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945 supporting ground forces and supported the
Return to the United States
The Group returned to
The 354th Fighter Group was redesignated
Notable pilots
- Glenn T. Eagleston was the leading ace of the 354th Fighter Group and a commander of the 353rd Fighter Squadron.[2] Eagleston was credited with 18.5 aerial victories, two probable, seven damaged, and five aircraft destroyed on the ground.[6]
- Reims, France.
- 353rd Fighter Squadronand the third leading ace in the 354th Fighter Group.
- Kenneth H. Dahlberg of the 353rd Fighter Squadron was credited with 14 aerial victories.[7] Dahlberg was shot down three times and was able to return to the 354th twice. On 14 February 1945, Dahlberg was downed for the third time, near Bitburg, and became a prisoner of war until May 1945.[7]
- Wallace N. Emmer was credited with 14 aerial victories. He was shot down on 9 August 1944, and later died in a German prisoner of war camp on 18 February 1945.
- Honolulu, Hawaii, and was America's first Chinese American fighter pilot.[8] He was killed in action over Blomberg, Germany, on 22 February 1944.
- Charles F. Gumm Jr. was a pilot with 355th Fighter Squadron. He became the first pilot to shoot down an enemy plane in the P-51 Mustang and was the first flying ace of the 354th Fighter Group.
- Air Force Logistics Command.
References
- ISBN 978-0-7643-2925-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78200-858-3.
- ^ History in the Sky: 354th Pioneer Mustang Fighter Group. Taylor Publishing Company. 1946.
- ^ LCCN 61060979.
- ^ "[2.0] The Merlin Mustangs". www.airvectors.net. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Factsheets : Colonel Glenn Todd Eagleston". Hill Air Force Base. 19 October 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ^ a b Robbins, Seth (27 March 2010). "Plane's remnants unearthed, and a pilot's tale emerges". Stars and Stripes (Online ed.).
- ^ Dean C. Sensui; Mun Charn Wong (1993). Wah Kau Kong: America's First Chinese-American Fighter Pilot.
External links
- "354th Fighter Group". America Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
.svg)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
