56th Operations Group
56th Operations Group | |
---|---|
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Col. Matthew R. “Scout” Johnston |
Insignia | |
56th Operations Gp emblem[note 1] | |
56th Fighter Group emblem (approved 4 April 1942)[1] |
The 56th Operations Group is a unit of the United States Air Force, and the flying component of the 56th Fighter Wing.
The
Overview
The 56th Operations Group is the second largest Operations Group in the United States Air Force with 13 separate reporting organizations (second only to the 55th Operations Group in Offutt Air Force Base, NE).
In fiscal year 2006, the 56th Operations Group flew 37,000 sorties and 50,000 hours while graduating 484 F-16 students.[4] With huge spaces in the western Arizona desert and clear weather skies for most of the year, Luke AFB and its ranges have been an important training asset for the United States Air Force for many years. This is likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future.
Aircraft assigned to the 56 OG are tail coded "LF", for "Luke Field".
Mission
The mission of the 56 OG is to train Air Battle Managers, command and control operators,
Components
- 56th Operations Support Squadron, a non-flying squadron, the 56 OSS controls all airfield activities at Luke.
- 56th Training Squadron, a non-flying squadron, the 56 TS provides academic, simulator, and live-mission ground training in support of the F-16 and F-35 training mission.[5]
- 61st Fighter Squadron, ("Top Dogs"), the first fighter squadron to receive F-35A Lightning II aircraft at Luke AFB, Arizona. The 61 FS currently operates F-35A Lightning IIs for aircrew training of USAF pilots since its reactivation 2014.
- 62d Fighter Squadron, ("Spikes"), flies the F-35A Lightning II aircraft to conduct the formal training unit mission.
- 63d Fighter Squadron, ("Panthers") reactivated in August 2016 as F-35A training unit.
- 308th Fighter Squadron, ("Emerald Knights", Tailband: Green & White (checkerboard)), wears the dark green and white checkerboard fin band. The 308 FS currently operates F-35A Lightning IIs for pilot training for the Royal Netherlands Air Force's and the Royal Danish Air Force's pilots since its reactivation 2018.
- 309th Fighter Squadron, ("Wild Ducks", Tailband: Blue & White), flies F-16C and F-16D aircraft drawn from production Blocks 25 and 42 conducting F-16 crew training for active duty USAF pilots.
- 310th Fighter Squadron, ("Top Hats", Tailband: Green & Yellow), reactivated in June 2023 as F-35A training unit.[6]
- 312th Fighter Squadron, reactivated in June 2023 as F-35A training unit.
- 425th Fighter Squadron, ("Black Widows", Tailband: Red & Black), wear a red/black fin band and are unique in USAF assigned combat aircraft as they also wear the Lions head insignia of the Singapore Air Force in place of the USAF 'star and bar'.
- 173d Fighter Wing(ANG).
- 607th Air Control Squadron, ("Venom"), operates the Control and Reporting center which consists of the AN/TYQ-23A(v1) tactical air operations module, AN/TPS-75 mobile ground radar, AN/TSQ-147 JTIDS Module, and the AN/TRC-215 remote radio suite. This squadron trains all ground C2 operators to provide multi-domain command and control for 14 Air Control Squadrons.
History
- For additional history, see 56th Fighter Wing
(Except where noted, this material prior to 1958 is extracted from Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
Origins
The group was activated as the 56th Pursuit Group on 15 January 1941 at the
- 61st Pursuit Squadron
- 62d Pursuit Squadron
- 63d Pursuit Squadron
Staffed by a cadre drawn from other units at nearby
World War II
On 10 December 1941, in the immediate aftermath of the
In mid-January 1942 the 56th PG shifted to air defense of New York City, with its headquarters at Bendix AAF, New Jersey, and its squadrons assigned respectively to Bridgeport, Connecticut; Bendix; and Farmingdale, New York. In April 1942 it received a full complement of new P-40F Warhawks to replace its makeshift equipment.
In May 1942 it was redesignated the 56th Fighter Group and its component squadrons were redesignated as fighter squadrons. The 56th FG received its first operational P-47B's from nearby Republic Aviation in June, in which it began training for combat. One of its most notable pilots, Major Robert S. Johnson, noted that during this "break-in" phase, in addition to numerous non-fatal training accidents 18 pilots of the 56th FG were killed and 41 aircraft destroyed in crashes, many as a result of the wholly inadequate airfield at nearby Stratford, on Long Island Sound.[9] Group headquarters shifted to Bridgeport in July, joined by the 63rd FS in September, and the 62nd FS received its P-47s in July at Bradley Field, Connecticut.
Four fighter groups sent to England in the summer of 1942 as part of the
The 56th Fighter Group sailed from New York on the RMS Queen Elizabeth on 6 January 1943. Arriving at
The 56th was one of three P-47 groups in England, and the only one to previously train on the Thunderbolt. The
At the end of three months of breaking in new equipment, trouble-shooting performance problems with their new airplanes, and training in the British tactics and procedures adopted by the VIII Fighter Command, the group moved to a new base at
Camouflage, unit markings, and radio call signs
The three component squadrons, the 61st, 62d, and 63d Fighter Squadrons, flew P-47C (blocks 2 and 5) from February 1943 to April 1943, P-47D (blocks 1 through 30) from June 1943 to March 1945, and P-47Ms from January 1945 to 10 October 1945. All 130 P-47M models served with the 56th FG before it redeployed from the UK.
The P-47C and P-47D aircraft received by the 56th FG were finished in factory-applied
The USAAF ended the factory-applied camouflage on all aircraft produced after 13 February 1944, and the first unpainted block 21 "razorback" canopy and block 25 "bubble-top" canopy models arrived in May.[14][15] The first "silver" aircraft, 42-26044, was left uncamouflaged, given the name Silver Lady, and flown in combat by Capt. James Carter and Major Les Smith of the 61st FS. The first bubbletops, dubbed "Superbolts", were assigned to the group and squadron commanders until more became available.[16]
The 56th applied field camouflage to most but not all of these replacement fighters. Most bubbletops were given an RAF-style "shadow-shading" (disruptive) pattern of "RAF green" (a shade similar to olive drab) overlaid on light sea gray (another RAF shade) on upper surfaces, while most razorbacks were field-painted in overall dark OD on upper and light gray on lower surfaces. Shadow shading, however, appeared in a variety of schemes and colors, adding to the distinction of the group's aircraft.
When P-47M's appeared in January 1945, each squadron adopted an individual camouflage scheme on upper surfaces while lower surfaces of the fighters were left unpainted. The 61st used a
VIII Fighter Command assigned the 56th Fighter Group two-letter squadron identification codes to be painted on the fuselages of its fighters, and each squadron assigned its aircraft individual letter identifiers. (The letters chosen for the 56th had previously been assigned to the
On 23 April 1944, VIII Fighter Command changed its system of radio call signs to reduce confusion when the fighter groups, now numbering a hundred or more fighters in their inventories, deployed two groups on escort missions ("A group" and "B Group"). Station call signs (RAF Halesworth's was STURDY, and RAF Boxted's DOGDAY) were unchanged, but all previous call signs were discontinued. In 1945 provision was also made for a C Group on missions (usually only 8 to 12 fighters) and all fighters assigned to a C Group mission used the common call sign.
- Operations Identification Data
61st Fighter Sqdn | 62d Fighter Sqdn | 63d Fighter Sqdn | ||
Squadron Code | HV | LM | UN | |
Squadron color | red | yellow | light blue | |
Radio call signs | 61st FS | 62d FS | 63d FS | Group |
prior to 23 April 1944,[17] A Group | KEYWORTH | WOODFIRE | POSTGATE | YARDSTICK |
B Group | HALSTED | GROUNDHOG | NORTHGROVE | ASHLAND |
after 23 April 1944, A Group | Whippet | Platform | Daily | Fairbank |
B Group | Household | Icejug | Yorker | Subway |
C Group | -- | -- | -- | Pantile |
Like all Allied aircraft flying over the continent, the 56th applied alternating 18-inch (460 mm) black and white bands, known as "invasion stripes", to the rear fuselage and wings of its fighters just prior to
Combat operations and tactics
1943
P-47s of VIII Fighter Command performed three types of missions during 1943, all normally in group strength of 40–48 fighters, based on similar operations used by the Royal Air Force:
- Circus – a heavy escort of a small group of bombers as a diversionary tactic to draw German fighter reaction away from the main strike,
- Rodeo – large-scale fighter sweeps through areas of German fighter reaction, to provoke an engagement, and
- Ramrod – bomber support (escort) of heavy bomber strikes, either during penetration or withdrawal of the bomber force.
The 56th FG sent its four most experienced pilots[18][19] to Debden in early April 1943 to gain experience before the group's first mission, which occurred 13 April 1943. Its first combat and casualties occurred 29 April, when Capt. John E. McClure and 1st Lt. Winston W. "Bill" Garth of the 62nd FS became POWs.[20] The 56th flew 24 missions and 900 sorties (almost entirely Rodeo fighter sweeps and Circus diversions) in April and May, losing a total of 3 aircraft to enemy action. Its first Ramrod bomber escort mission occurred 13 May, to Saint-Omer, France.
In June the group staged out of a forward base at
In July the 56th FG was moved from its comfortable quarters at Horsham St. Faith to a much-less improved installation at RAF Halesworth, along the coast of Suffolk, both to be nearer to German-occupied territory and to allow Horsham St. Faith to be completed as a heavy bomber base. On 12 August it used partially filled and unpressurized 200-gallon ferry tanks as jettisonable fuel tanks for the first time in combat, escorting bombers headed for Bonn, Germany. In its first four months of missions, the 56th Group shot down 9 aircraft and lost 10.
The 56th provided penetration support on 17 August 1943, for B-17s of the 4th Bomb Wing headed for
When the Eighth Air Force resumed deep penetration bombing missions between 2 and 14 October, the 56th FG shot down 37 Germans while losing just one Thunderbolt. Its radius of action had been considerably augmented on 31 August by the installation of new belly drop tank shackles on its P-47s that permitted use of 75-gallon steel drop tanks. The Thunderbolts were also modified to pressurize the tanks above 20,000 feet (6,100 m) by feeding vented air from the instrument vacuum pump into them, and became the norm for future operations, with range further extended periodically by the use of tanks of increasingly larger size. The use of wing tank pylons did not begin until May 1944 and because of its negative effect on maneuvering performance, was not preferred.
The addition of belly shackles also enabled the P-47 to carry bombs, and on a mission on 25 November both the 56th and 78th Fighter Groups bombed airfields in France, escorted by P-47s of the 353rd and 356th Groups. The 56th dropped from a horizontal attitude with mixed results, but the dive-bombing technique used by the 78th FG was particularly successful; the missions led to the subsequent development of the P-47 as a fighter-bomber, which became its primary role in the ETO.
Although bomber missions were cut back and contacts with German aircraft were sporadic for the remainder of the year, the 56th FG shot down 81 more Germans, including 23 on 26 November (for a single loss) and 17 on 11 December (2 lost). These actions was particularly effective in that the 56th destroyed large formations of Bf 110 "Zerstörers", twin-engined fighters that specialized in attacking bombers, without being drawn away by the more numerous single-engined fighter top cover. During its first seven months in combat the 56th FG shot down 167 aircraft[2] (more than the 4th and 78th FGs combined),[22] and lost 33 of its own to all causes.[20] Ten of its pilots had become aces, and two (Capt. Walker M. Mahurin and 1st Lt. Robert S. Johnson) were double-aces (10 kills).
1944 up to D-Day
The longer range and agility of the
On 11 January the 56th flew its first double-group mission, protecting bombers flying to targets in central Germany. Dispatching 72 fighters, the force was divided into an "A Group" and a "B Group", both with three squadron formations, each squadron with 12 fighters. At the direction of Army Air Forces chief General
The 56th Fighter Group won a
The campaign also resulted in highly publicized speculation of which among the emerging P-47 and P-51 aces would break the U.S. World War I record of 26 destroyed by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker. Pilots of the 56th who became well-known figures included Hub Zemke, Bud Mahurin, Bob Johnson, Jerry Johnson, and Gabby Gabreski, with Bob Johnson being the first to break Rickenbacker's mark on 8 May (as a result of which he was immediately grounded from further combat). Mahurin and Jerry Johnson were both shot down on 27 March, with Johnson being captured. Although Mahurin successfully returned to Allied territory, his knowledge of the French Resistance ended his combat tour.
On 15 April 1944, Operation Jackpot was initiated by VIII Fighter Command, a planned series of strafing attacks against specific German airfields. The hazardous nature of the airfield attacks can be demonstrated by comparing them to the mission of 13 April (which marked the first anniversary of the 56th FG in combat) just two days prior. Escorting bombers that day, VIII Fighter Command's 676 Lightnings, Mustangs, and Thunderbolts achieved 18 air-to-air kills against just 6 losses, while the airfield strafing mission had losses of 33 of the 616 fighters involved.
The Eighth Air Force needed Halesworth for a new
The emergence of the P-51 as the long-range escort fighter of choice in the Eighth Air Force sharply reduced combat contacts for the P-47 groups, including the 56th. After splitting almost 550 victories with the P-47s in the Big Week-Berlin campaign, the five veteran groups of Mustangs totally dominated air-to-air combat in April, their 310 kills outscoring the Thunderbolts 6 to 1. Kills for the 56th FG dropped from 85 in March to just 18 in April. The situation was aggravated by the completion of tours of its veteran pilots, but was partially rectified by the recruitment of volunteer bomber pilots who had completed tours and by the invitation to six pilots of the Polish Air Force, serving with the RAF, to join Gabreski's 61st FS.[26]
In a search for ways of increasing its air-to-air effectiveness, Col. Zemke devised a tactic later dubbed the "Zemke fan" to enhance the flexibility of escorts. Instead of flying close escort with the bombers, his concept called for the group to rendezvous at an easily found landmark in its escort zone, from which it would break up into individual flights and fan out in a 180° arc, maintaining contact to respond to attacks on the bomber stream.
On 12 May, the "Zemke fan" was tried for the first time and proved successful in initiating contacts. Although the engagements resulted in 18 kills for the 56th FG, both of Zemke's wingmen were shot down by Luftwaffe ace Major
The battle on 12 May was also notable in that 1st Lt. Robert J. Rankin,[27] responding to Zemke's call for help, shot down five German fighters during the action, becoming the group's first "Ace in a day". The feat was repeated on 7 July by Capt. Fred J. Christensen, on 23 December by Col. David C. Schilling, and on 14 January 1945, by Capt. Felix D. Williamson.
The modified tactics were put into effect on an escort mission the morning of 22 May, when the 61st FS attacked a large number of Fw 190s of JG 11 over Höperhöfen airfield near Rotenburg an der Wümme and shot down 11 without loss. (meant here is Rotenburg-Wümme airfield. There were at least two losses, C.B. Nale, HV-J near Süderwalsede and R. Heineman, HV-N, near Westerwalsede) In a second mission that afternoon, the 56th was part of a 4-group Thunderbolt raid against a railroad bridge at Hasselt, Belgium, dropping 500-pound bombs at varying altitudes and using level, glide-bombing, and dive-bombing tactics, trying to determine the most effective means of using the P-47 as a fighter-bomber.
Summer and autumn 1944
On the evening of 5 June 1944, all the P-47s of the group had their fuselages and wings painted with distinctive "invasion stripes" (see Camouflage, unit markings, and radio call signs above). Beginning at 0400 on 6 June, the 56th FG flew 16 group missions in two days in support of the
The invasion marked a change in mission priorities for the 56th FG. While the group continued to contribute to bomber escort missions, its primary tasks became ground attack, first in attacking roads and railways, then in supporting the advance of Allied armies after the breakout of 25 July. Strafing attacks in July cost the 56th FG two veteran squadron commanders and aces: Capt. Joe Egan was killed on 19 July and the next day Lt. Col. Gabby Gabreski was forced to crashland in Germany and became a prisoner of war. Gabreski had matched Johnson's 27 victories on 27 June, then exceeded it on 5 July to tie the USAAF Pacific Theater's top ace Major Richard Bong for most victories in the USAAF at 28 (Bong went on to score 40).
Command of the 56th Fighter Group passed to Lt. Col.
On 17 September the group along with the other remaining P-47 groups of VIII Fighter Command flew ground attack missions protecting the
The 56th FG carried out other missions in conjunction with Operation Market Garden until 23 September. On 21 September, assigned a patrol sector between Deventer and Lochem to protect a resupply mission to Arnhem, the group attacked and destroyed 15 of a group of 22 Fw 190 aircraft. However, the 56th had been late arriving in its patrol area and had encountered the German fighters after they had already attacked RAF Stirlings of 38 Group, shooting down 15.[31]
On 15 September, operational control of VIII Fighter Command's three fighter wings was placed directly under the headquarters of the bomb divisions, removing a layer of command, with a wing controlled by each division. After this date, the 56th Fighter Group's primary duty was protection of the B-24s of the 2nd Bomb Division based in East Anglia. On 1 November 1944, the 56th FG had its first encounter with Me 262 jets, resulting in a kill shared with another group.
During the Battle of the Bulge, the 56th FG engaged over 40 Luftwaffe fighters attempting to attack U.S. bombers supporting Allied ground forces on 23 December 1944. The 56th shot down 32 to become the first U.S. fighter group to be credited with more than 800 aircraft destroyed in both the air and strafing attacks, with group commander Schilling shooting down 5.[32]
Final operations
The end of 1944 saw the 56th become the sole remaining group of P-47 Thunderbolts in the Eighth Air Force, as the 353rd FG converted to Mustangs on 2 October, the 356th FG on 20 November, and the 78th FG on 29 December. Beginning 3 January 1945, the 56th began receiving the P-47M, built to be the fastest Allied piston-driven fighter.
The 61st Fighter Squadron received the first
The advent of the German jet threat and the belief by Allied intelligence that it used low grade (high flash point) fuels that resisted ignition by .50-caliber strikes led to the development of new ammunition for American fighters. The experimental round, called the T48, used a concentrated incendiary compound and had a muzzle velocity of 3,400 feet (1,000 m) per second, which was 20% greater than existing ammunition. The 56th FG was chosen to test the new ammunition in February 1945 but the teething problems of the P-47M postponed the tests until the mechanical problems were resolved. In April the 56th began airfield strafing attacks using the T-48 round, culminating in an attack on Eggebek airfield, in which the T48 was used extensively.[36][37] The success of the tests resulted in the standardization of the new round as the M23 incendiary, issued to all groups but too late to see combat.
Colonel Schilling's extended tour ended 27 January and command of the group passed to Lt. Col. Lucian A. Dade, who had been one of the group's original pilots as a second lieutenant and had served as squadron commander, operations officer, and deputy commander of the group. During his duty as operations officer, "Pete" Dade had been forbidden to fly combat missions by Zemke and was still on his first combat tour after two years in theater. This led to some distrust of his ability as an aggressive leader among the pilots, although as one historian noted, Zemke and Schilling were "hard acts to follow".[38] Despite this Dade led 49 fighters to Eggebek on 13 April, locating 150 to 200 aircraft parked on the field and two nearby satellite strips.
Employing the 62nd FS at 15,000 feet (4,600 m) as top cover, the 61st FS orbited at 10,000 feet (3,000 m) while the 63rd FS dove on the field, its first pass to suppress ground fire, and then completed 140 individual passes on the fields, claiming 44 destroyed. The 61st then attacked, making 94 passes and claiming 25 destroyed, followed by the 62nd, making 105 and claiming 26. One Thunderbolt (P-47M 44-21134 UN: P, Teacher's Pet, 1st Lt. William R. Hoffman, 63rd FS) was shot down and the pilot killed when his parachute did not open in time. The totals for the day were 339 passes, 95 aircraft destroyed and another 95 damaged, and more than 78,000 rounds of ammunition expended. 2nd Lt. Randall Murphy of the 63rd FS, using T48 ammunition, was credited after a review of his gun camera film with 10 planes destroyed, the high mark for the group.
On 16 April, during another strafing mission, the final P-47 of the 56th FG went down (P-47M 44-21230, LM: A, Capt. Edward W. Appel, 62nd FS) but its pilot successfully returned to Allied lines, and on 21 April the group flew its final combat mission. Freeman's statistical summary lists 447 group missions; 19,391 sorties; 64,302 hours of combat flight time; 128 P-47s shot down (85 by ground fire); 44 P-47s destroyed in ETO accidents; 18 pilots awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (Col. Schilling twice); and 28 awards of the Silver Star. Three of the original group pilots—Dade, deputy commander and subsequent group commander Lt. Col. Donald D. Renwick, and operations officer Major James R. Carter—were assigned to the group at the end of the war.[39]
Aerial victory claims
Capt. Walter V. Cook C, 62d Fighter Squadron, flying P-47C 41-6343 (LM-W Little Cookie), claimed the first aerial victory by a 56th pilot on 12 June 1943, over
The 56th Fighter Group had 677½ claims credited by the Eighth Air Force for German aircraft destroyed in air-to-air combat. U.S. Air Force Historical Study No. 85 recognizes 674.5 aerial victories for the 56th. This total is the second highest among USAAF fighter groups in the
Of the air-to-air totals, 4.5 were Me 262 jets. 2d Lt. Walter Groce of the 63d FS shared a credit on 1 November 1944, with a P-51 pilot of the 352d FG for one of the first Me 262 jets shot down. P-47Ms accounted for four: Maj. George Bostwick and 2d Lt. Edwin M. Crosthwait, 63d FS on 25 March 1945, over
Among the various units of the 56th, the 61st Fighter Squadron had the most victories, 232 shot down by 68 pilots. The 62d Fighter Squadron was credited with 219.5 kills by 79 pilots, the 63d Fighter Squadron with 174.25 kills by 64 pilots, and group headquarters with 39.75 kills by 4 pilots.[2]
- Aerial victories by unit and period
Unit | Jun–Dec 1943 | Jan–Jun 1944 | Jul–Dec 1944 | Jan–Apr 1945 | Unit Total |
61st FS | 60 | 141 | 29 | 2 | 232 |
62d FS | 43 ½ | 87 | 69 | 20 | 219 ½ |
63d FS | 48 | 56 ¾ | 50½ | 19 | 174 ¼ |
Grp HQ | 15 ½ | 15 ¼ | 9 | 0 | 39 ¾ |
Period Tot | 167 | 300 | 157 ½ | 41 | 665 ½ |
Aces of the 56th Fighter Group
Counting only air-to-air victory claims registered while with the group (therefore discounting air-to-ground claims), the 56th produced 39 aces, the second-most of any ETO fighter group (the 354th Fighter Group of the Ninth Air Force and the 357th Fighter Group, flying P-51s, each had 42).
Pilot | Sqdrn | Credits | Casualty Status | Personal Aircraft |
Lt. Col. Francis S. "Gabby" Gabreski | 61 | 28 | POW 20 July 1944 |
|
Major Robert S. Johnson | 62 |
27 | All Hell, Lucky, Double Lucky, Penrod & Sam | |
Col. David C. Schilling | Grp | 22.5 | Whack, Hairless Joe | |
Capt. Fred J. Christensen Jr. |
62 |
21.5 | "Boche Buster"-Rozzie Geth, Miss Fire-Rozzie Geth II | |
Major Walker M. "Bud" Mahurin | 63 |
19.75 | Evaded 27 March 1944 | "Spirit of Atlantic City, N.J." |
Major Gerald W. "Jerry" Johnson | 62 |
16.5 | POW 27 March 1944 | In the Mood – "Jackson County, Michigan, Fighter" |
Col. Hubert A. "Hub" Zemke | Grp | 15.25 | POW | Happy Warrior – "Oregon's Britannia" |
Capt. Joseph H. Powers Jr. | 62 |
14.5 | Powers' Girl | |
Capt. Felix D. "Willie" Williamson | 62 |
13 | Willie | |
Major Leroy A. Schreiber | 62 |
12 | KIA 15 April 1944 | |
Major James C. Stewart | 61 | 11.5 | ||
Major Paul A. Conger | 62 |
11.5 | Hollywood High Hatter – "Redondo Beach, California" | |
Capt. Michael J. Quirk | 62 |
11 | POW 9 September 1944 | |
1st Lt. Robert J. "Shorty" Rankin | 61 | 10 | ||
Sqd. Ldr. Boleslaw M. Gladych |
61 | 10 | Pengie and four successors | |
1st Lt. Stanley D. "Fats" Morrill | 62 |
9 | Died when assisting in rescue of B24 bomber crews that collided over Henham, Suffolk, 29 March 1944 | Fats-Btfsplk, Debt Collector |
Major Michael J. Jackson | 62 |
8 | Teddy | |
Major George E. Bostwick | 63 |
8¹ | Ugly Duckling | |
1st Lt. Glen D. Schiltz Jr. | 63 |
8 | Pam | |
Capt. Robert A. Lamb | 61 | 7 | Jackie | |
Major Leslie C. Smith | 61 | 7 | Silver Lady | |
1st Lt. Frank W. Klibbe | 61 | 7 | Little Chief-Anderson, Indiana | |
1st Lt. Robert J. Keen | 61 | 7 | Ice Cold Kattie | |
2nd Lt. Billy G. Edens | 62 |
7 | POW 9 September 1944 |
|
1st Lt. John H. "Lucky" Truluck, Jr. | 63 |
7 | Lady Jane | |
Capt. Mark L. Moseley | 62 |
6.5 | Sylvia | |
Major James R. Carter | 61 | 6 | Silver Lady | |
Capt. Walter V. Cook | 62 |
6 | Little Cookie | |
Capt. Cameron M. Hart | 63 |
6 | ||
1st Lt. George F. Hall | 63 |
6 | ||
1st Lt. Frank E. McCauley | 61 | 5.5 | Rat Racer | |
Major Donovan F. "Dieppe" Smith | 61 | 5.5 | Ole Cock, Ole Cock II | |
Lt. Norman D. Gould | 62 | 5.5 | ||
Capt. Joseph H. Bennett | 61 | 5.5 | Ann II, Lucky | |
F.O. Evan O. McMinn | 61 | 5 | Killed in action 6 June 1944 | |
2nd Lt. Steven N. Gerick | 61 | 5 | ||
2nd Lt. Joe W. Icard | 62 |
5 | Killed in action 8 March 1944 | |
Major Harold E. "Bunny" Comstock | 63 |
5 | Happy Warrior | |
Capt. Joseph L. Egan, Jr. | 63 |
5 | Killed in action 19 July 1944 | Holy Joe |
Capt. John W. Vogt, Jr. |
63 |
5 | Lucky Little Devil | |
Capt. Eugene W. O'Neill Jr. | 62 |
5 |
SOURCE: USAF Historical Study 85. Nickname source Little Friends website and Freeman, 56th Fighter Group
¹Totals include one Me 262 jet shot down
Bases, commanders, and casualties
56th FG losses | |
---|---|
128 | P-47's lost in combat |
44 | P-47's lost in accidents |
10 | P-47's written off for battle damage |
84 | killed in action or missing in action |
30 | killed in accidents |
34 | captured |
27 | Wounded in action |
SOURCES: | |
Freeman, 56th Fighter Group p. 118 | |
Little Friends Archived 3 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine |
- 56th FG commanders
Group Commanders | Date of command |
Lt. Col. Davis D. Graves | December 1941 |
Col. John C. Crosthwaite | 1 June 1942 |
Col. Hubert A. Zemke | 16 September 1942 |
Col. Robert B. Landry | 30 October 1943 |
Col. Hubert A. Zemke | 19 January 1944 |
Col. David C. Schilling | 12 August 1944 |
Lt. Col. Lucian A. Dade, Jr. | 27 January 1945 |
Lt. Col. Donald D. Renwick | August 1945 |
(vacant, then inactivated) | 10 October 1945 |
Postwar history
Strategic Air Command
With the end of hostilities, the unit's aircraft went to depots in September 1945. The unit transferred stateside on 11 October 1945 on the RMS Queen Mary, arriving at New York, 16 October 1945 and was inactivated 18 October 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.[5]
The Group was reactivated on 1 May 1946 as a
Air Defense Command
On 15 August 1947, the
The group's responsibility grew in May 1951 when the
The group was inactivated along with the 56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 6 February 1952, as ADC converted its fighter force into a series of regional Air Defense Wings. This major reorganization of ADC responded to ADC's difficulty under the Wing/Base organizational structure in deploying
The group was redesignated the 56th Fighter Group (Air Defense) and replaced the
The 62d FIS moved to
During the Vietnam War, the parent 56th Air Commando Wing (later 56th Special Operations Wing) carried out unconventional warfare missions over various areas of Southeast Asia (Vietnam until mid-January 1973, Cambodia until 22 February, Laos until 15 August), although the group remained inactive.[65] While still inactive the group was redesignated 56th Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985.[citation needed]
56th Operations Group
The group was redesignated and activated in on 1 November 1991 as the 56th Operations Group and assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing at
The 56th was subsequently reactivated at
Lineage
- Constituted as 56th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940
- Activated on 15 January 1941
- Redesignated 56th Fighter Group on 15 May 1942
- Inactivated on 18 October 1945
- Activated on 1 May 1946
- Redesignated 56th Fighter-Interceptor Group on 20 January 1950
- Inactivated on 6 February 1952
- Redesignated 56th Fighter Group (Air Defense) on 20 June 1955
- Activated on 18 August 1955
- Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 February 1961
- Redesignated 56th Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985
- Redesignated 56th Operations Group on 28 October 1991
- Activated on 1 November 1991
- Inactivated on 4 January 1994
- Activated on 1 April 1994.
Assignments
|
|
Components
Operational Squadrons
- 21st Fighter Squadron: 8 August 1996 – present
- 61st Pursuit (later, 61st Fighter, 61st Fighter-Interceptor; 61st Fighter) Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 18 October 1945; 1 May 1946 – 6 February 1952; 1 November 1991 – 12 August 1993; 1 April 1994 – 27 August 2010; 27 October 2013 – present.
- 62d Pursuit (later, 62d Fighter; 62d Fighter-Interceptor; 62d Fighter) Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 18 October 1945; 1 May 1946 – 6 February 1952 (detached c. 28 December 1946-c. 10 April 1947 and c. 28 July 1950 – 6 February 1952); 18 August 1955 – 1 February 1961 (detached 1 August – 30 September 1959); 1 November 1991 – 14 May 1993; 1 April 1994 – present.
- 63d Pursuit (later, 63d Fighter; 63d Fighter-Interceptor; 63d Fighter) Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 18 October 1945; 1 May 1946 – 6 February 1952; 18 August 1955 – 8 January 1958; 1 November 1991 – 25 February 1993; 1 April 1994 – 22 May 2009.
- 72d Fighter Squadron: 1 November 1991 – 19 June 1992
- 136th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: attached 21 July 1951 – 6 February 1952
- 172d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: attached 1 May 1951 – 6 February 1952
- 308th Fighter Squadron: 1 April 1994 – 25 June 2015; 30 November 2018 – present
- 309th Fighter Squadron: 1 April 1994 – present
- 310th Fighter Squadron: 1 April 1994 – present
- 311th Fighter Squadron: 1 January – 26 September 1995.
- 312th Fighter Squadron: 2 June 2023 – present
- 425th Fighter Squadron: 1 April 1994 – present
- 461st Fighter Squadron: 1 April – 5 August 1994
- 550th Fighter Squadron: 1 April 1994 – 31 March 1995; 21 June 2017 – present
Support Units
- 56th USAF Infirmary (later 56th USAF Dispensary, 56th USAF Hospital), 18 August 1955 – 1 February 1961
- 56th Air Base Squadron, 18 August 1955 – 1 February 1961
- 56th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 18 August 1955 – 1 February 1961
- 56th Materiel Squadron, 18 August 1955 – 1 February 1961
- 56th Operations Support Squadron, 1 November 1991 – present
Stations
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Honors and campaigns
See also503d Air Service Group Support organization at Selfridge prior to Wing/Base organization
ReferencesNotes
Citations
BibliographyThis article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Further reading
External links
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