364th Fighter Group (Second World War)

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History

The 364th Fighter Group (USAAF) entered combat as a fighter escort unit, protecting the Eighth Air Force's heavy bombers, but later added ground attack duties to its role.

The group was activated in the United States on 1 June 1943 and moved to Britain to join the Eighth Air Force in January-February 1944. The group began operations in March 1944 as a bomber escort unit, supporting the strategic bombing campaign. It continued to perform this role for the rest of the war, and was awarded a Distinguishd Unit Citiation for helping to protect a bomber forces heading to Frankfurt on 27 Decenber 1944.

As the war went on the group flew an increasing number of tactical missions, including dive-bombing and strafing attacks on German targets and fighter sweeps.

During the D-Day landings the group flew patrols over the Channel. It carried out ground attack missions in support of the fighting in Normandy, before converting to the P-51 Mustang. The tactical missions continued, and the group took part in Operation Market Garden in September 1944, the battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945) and the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945.

The group returned to the United States in November and was inactivated on 10 November 1945.

Books

Clean Sweep – VIII Fighter Command against the Luftwaffe, 1942-45, Thomas McKelvey Cleaver. Looks at the long, costly battle fought by VIII Fighter Command over Europe to protect the bombers of the 8th Air Force, combining detailed accounts of individual air battles with a wider look at the complex technological battle that saw the Americans slowly gain the edge over their German rivals, in particular with the arrival of the long range P-51B Mustang, going from a short range force to a massive technically skilled force equipped with large numbers of long range aircraft capable of reaching just about anywhere in Germany, leaving the Luftwaffe with nowhere to hide (Read Full Review)
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Aircraft

1943-Summer 1944: Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Summer 1944 onwards: North American P-51 Mustang

Timeline

25 May 1943 Constititued as 364th Fighter Group
1 June 1943 Activated
Jan-Feb 1944 To England and Eighth Air Force
March 1944 Combat debut
November 1945 To United States
10 November 1945 Inactivated

Commanders (with date of appointment)

Lt. Col Frederick C Grambo: 12 Jun 1943
Col Roy W Osborn: Mar 1944
Lt Col Joseph B McManus: c. 9 Sep 1944
Lt Col John W Lowell: c. 23 Oct 1944
Col Roy W Osborn; 2 Nov 1944
Lt Col Eugene P Roberts: 3 Jan-Nov 1945

Main Bases

Glendale, Calif: 1 Jun 1943
Van Nuys, Calif: 12 Aug 1943
Ontario AAFld, Calif: 11 Oct 1943
Santa Maria AAFld, Calif: c. 7 Dec 1943-c. 11 Jan 1944
Honington, England: Feb 1944-c. Nov 1945
Camp Kilmer: NJ, 9-10 Nov 1945

Component Units

383rd Fighter Squadron: 1943-45
384th Fighter Squadron: 1943-45
385th Fighter Squadron: 1943-45

Assigned To

1943-44: Los Angeles Fighter Wing; IV Fighter Command; Fourth Air Force
1944-September 1944: 67th Fighter Wing; VIII Fighter Command; Eighth Air Force
September 1944-1945: 67th Fighter Wing; 1st Air Division; Eighth Air Force

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (1 October 2014), 364th Fighter Group (Second World War), http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/USAAF/364th_Fighter_Group.html

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