394th Fighter Squadron
394th Fighter Squadron | |
---|---|
Distinguished Unit Citation Belgian Fourragere | |
Insignia | |
394th Fighter Squadron emblem (Approved 25 February 1944)[2] | |
Fuselage Code | 4N[1] |
The 394th Fighter Squadron is an inactive
The
.The squadron converted to Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in January 1945 and, with the new fighter, earned a second Distinguished Unit Citation for an attack on the headquarters of the Wehrmacht High Command of the West in March. The Belgian government also awarded the squadron the Belgian Fourragere for its support of operations in Belgium. Although scheduled to move to the Pacific theater in August 1945, with the surrender of Japan, the squadron returned to the United States, where it was inactivated.
History
Training in the United States
The
P-38 transition and combat operations from England
Having trained on single engine aircraft, the squadrons's pilots were surprised to find
On 9 May, the squadron flew its first combat mission, a fighter sweep over
On
By mid June
Operations on the European continent
Starting on 19 July, the 367th Group's forward echelon crossed the
On 22 August the group attacked three
The 394th received a
As Allied forces moved forward across France the squadron began leap-frogging to new bases. In early September they relocated at
In late October, as Ninth Air Force brought its medium bombers to bases in France, the 394th was bumped from its station for the second time by the 387th Bombardment Group, when it moved to Juvincourt Airfield (A-68), north of Reims.[3][20] Juvincourt was a former Luftwaffe base with permanent facilities, in contrast to the advanced landing grounds where the squadron had been based since moving to France.[21] The squadron attacked German strong points to aid the Allied push against the Siegfried Line throughout the fall of 1944.[3]
The German
Transition to the P-47 Thunderbolt
Early in 1945 desire to standardize the fighter-bombers in Ninth Air Force, the squadron transitioned into Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. Pilots flew Lightnings on combat missions while training at the same time with the Thunderbolt. Using the Thunderbolt the squadron was again cited in a Belgium Army Order of the Day, earning the Belgian Fourragere.[7]
The 394th received a second Distinguished Unit Citation for action on 19 March 1945. The 367th Group's target was the headquarters of Field Marshal Kesselring, the German Commander-ln-Chief, West,[note 4] at Ziegenburg near Bad Nauheim, Germany. The 394th would lead the attack at low level to achieve surprise, carrying a 1,000-pound bomb under each wing. The P-47s of the 392d Fighter Squadron would be similarly armed, but would dive bomb from a higher altitude. The bombs were equipped with time-delay fuses intended to crack the concrete roofs of the bunker. The 393rd Fighter Squadron carried napalm intended to seep into the bunkers and burn what remained. The attack was scheduled for a time that intelligence reports indicated would find senior staff and commanders at lunch, the only time they would not be in the reinforced tunnels underneath the castle that housed the headquarters. The target was located in mountainous terrain well defended by antiaircraft artillery. Moreover, to avoid alerting the Germans to the pending attack, photographic reconnaissance aircraft had avoided the area, so detailed target photography was not available. The day of the attack the castle was concealed by ground haze which caused the 394th squadron to stray off course at the last minute, preventing them from executing the attack as planned and reducing the element of surprise. Instead, the 392nd fighter squadron lead the attack, scoring direct hits on the castle.[22] Although senior German officers reached the underground bunkers and survived the attack, the group reduced the military complex to ruins, disrupting communications and the flow of intelligence at a critical time.[7]
The squadron struck tanks, trucks, flak positions, and other objectives in support of the assault across the Rhine late in March and the final allied operations in Germany.[3] It was commended by the commanding generals of XII Corps and the 11th Armored Division for the close air support the unit provided for their commands. On 10 April the squadron moved to Eschborn Airfield on the northwest side of Frankfurt, Germany. The 394th flew its last combat mission, a defensive patrol, one year after entering combat on 8 May.[23] During its combat tour, the squadron was credited with 23 air-to-air victories over enemy aircraft.[24]
Return to the United States and inactivation
All hostilities ceased
Lineage
- Constituted as the 394th Fighter Squadron on 26 May 1943
- Activated on 15 July 1943
- Inactivated on 7 November 1945[2]
Assignments
- 367th Fighter Group, 15 July 1943 – 7 November 1945[2]
Stations
|
|
Aircraft
- Bell P-39 Airacobra, 1943–1944
- Lockheed P-38 Lightning, 1944–1945
- Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1945[2]
Awards and campaigns
Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Distinguished Unit Citation |
25 August 1944 | [2] | |
Distinguished Unit Citation | 19 March 1945 | [2] | |
Belgian Fourragere | 6 June – 30 September 1944; 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | [2] |
Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Air Offensive, Europe | 8 May 1944 – 5 June 1944 | [2] | |
Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | [2] | |
Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | [2] | |
Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | [2] | |
Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | [2] | |
Central Europe | 8 May 1944 – 21 May 1945 | [2] | |
Air Combat, EAME Theater | 8 May 1944 – 11 May 1945 | [2] |
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Nicknamed for its unusual rolling motion in heavy weather. Groh, p. 23.
- ^ Maurer gives the location of the 394th as Sainte-Mère-Église, but this is the same airfield (A-6) called Beuzeville elsewhere. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 484–485, Groh, p. 59.
- ^ These claims were from an estimated 50 enemy aircraft engaged in the air and on the ground. Chickering, p. 79
- ^ Kesselring assumed command the day of the attack. American intelligence believed Field Marshall von Rundstedt was still in command. Groh, p. 136.
Citations
- ^ Watkins, p. 38
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 484–485
- ^ a b c d e f g h Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 252–254
- ^ Groh, p. 12
- ^ a b Chickering, p. 78
- ^ Groh, pp. 23–24
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Chickering, p. 79
- ^ Groh, p. 26
- ^ Groh, p. 31
- ^ Groh, pp. 50–51
- ^ Groh. p. 32
- ^ Groh. pp. 32–37
- ^ Groh, p. 42
- ^ Groh, p. 43
- ^ Groh, p. 46
- ^ Groh, p. 52
- ^ Groh, p. 59
- ^ Groh, p. 69
- ^ Groh, p. 72
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 274
- ^ Groh, pp. 98–99
- ^ Groh, p. 136
- ^ Groh, p. 158
- ^ Newton & Senning, p. 646
- ^ a b Anderson (station number)
- ^ a b c d e f g h Johnson (station number)
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- Chickering, Edwin S. (1998). "367th Fighter Group". Air Force Fifty. Air Force Association (compiler). Nashville, TN: Turner Publishing. ISBN 978-1-56311-409-0.
- Groh, Richard (1983). The Dynamite Gang: The 367th Fighter Group in World War II. World War II. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers. LCCN 83007241.
- Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. LCCN 61060979.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556.
- Newton, Wesely P. Jr.; Senning, Calvin F. (1963). "USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II, USAF Historical Study No. 85" (PDF). Research Studies Institute, USAF Historical Division, Air University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- Watkins, Robert (2008). Battle Colors. Vol. III Insignia and Markings of the Ninth Air Force in World War II. Atglen, PA: Shiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-2938-8.