- 332d Fighter Group
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 332d Fighter Group
caption=
dates= October1942 —October1945
country= USA
allegiance=
branch=United States Army Air Forces
type=
role= Bomber escorts
size=
command_structure=12th Air Force (February 1944—May 1944)
15th Air Force (May 1944—April 1945)
garrison=
garrison_label=
nickname=The "Red Tails"
patron=
motto="Spit Fire"
colors=
colors_label=
march=
mascot=
equipment=
equipment_label=
battles=
anniversaries=
decorations=Distinguished Unit Citation
battle_honours=
disbanded=
commander1=
commander1_label=
commander2=
commander2_label=
commander3=
commander3_label=
notable_commanders=Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=
identification_symbol_2=
identification_symbol_2_label=
identification_symbol_3=
identification_symbol_3_label=
identification_symbol_4=
identification_symbol_4_label=
aircraft_attack=
aircraft_bomber=
aircraft_electronic=
aircraft_fighter=P-39 Airacobra P-47 Thunderbolt P-51 Mustang
aircraft_helicopter=
aircraft_interceptor=
aircraft_patrol=
aircraft_recon=
aircraft_trainer=
aircraft_transport=The 332nd Fighter Group was a unit of the U.S. Twelfth andFifteenth Air Force s based inItaly duringWorld War II . It was composed of black pilots and ground support personnel trained atTuskegee ,Alabama , and the members of the group became collectively known as theTuskegee Airmen .Reportedly, in order to become a pilot, blacks had to achieve high test scores and be college educated. Those standards were higher than those set for white pilots, and to the surprise of the Army, far more applicants surpassed the requirements than were required to fill available roles. The unit served in action with distinction.
Group heritage
The group was formed in October 1942, originally composed of the 100th, 301st, and
302d Fighter Squadron s. Subsequently the independent99th Fighter Squadron was added in May 1944.Upon arrival in Italy in December 1943, the group was based first at Montecorvino, then successively Capodichino, Ramitelli Airfield, and Cattolica. The 332d flew four fighter aircraft types in combat: the Bell
P-39 Airacobra , CurtissP-40 Warhawk , RepublicP-47 Thunderbolt , and North AmericanP-51 Mustang .Except for a period in late 1944, the 332d was led in combat by Colonel
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. , a 1936West Point graduate.In a year and a half of combat operations, the "Red Tails" (so named for the group identification tail markings on their aircraft) gained a reputation as bomber escorts. A commonly held belief that the 332rd Fighter Group never lost to German fighters any B-17s or
B-24 s it was escorting is now under investigation, as Air Force records indicate that at least twenty-five bombers were lost to enemy fire, cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070401/ap_on_re_us/tuskegee_airmen;_ylt=AvoHInwQBl4JGBT3n0d6aI2s0NUE| title = Report: Tuskegee Airmen lost 25 bombers| format = | work = | publisher = Associated Press| accessdate = 1 Apr | accessyear = 2007] but the group's record is nonetheless distinguished in that regard. Its four fighter squadrons are credited with 112 aerial victories, cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/numbered_studies/1039707.pdf| title = USAF Historical Study 85| format = | work = | publisher = AFHRA Maxwell AFB| accessdate = 16 Feb | accessyear = 2007] cite web | last = Haulman | first =Dr. Daniel L. | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070207-059.pdf| title = 109 Victories: Aerial Victory Credits of the Tuskegee Airmen| format = | work = | publisher = AFHRA Maxwell AFB| accessdate = 16 Feb | accessyear = 2007] including three German jets. Three of the Tuskegee Airmen earned four aerial victory credits each: 1st Lt. Lee A. Archer of the 302d Fighter Squadron, Capt. Edward L. Toppins of the 99th Fighter Squadron, and Captain Joseph D. Elsberry of the 301st Fighter Squadron. cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/02bios/archer02.htm| title = Lee A. "Buddy" Archer, Jr.| format = | work = | publisher = Air University| accessdate = 16 Feb | accessyear = 2007]At the end of the war, more than 70 Red Tail pilots had been killed or were missing in action.
The 332nd Fighter Group was re-designated the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group and reactivated in 1998. In 2005 it became the 332nd Air Expeditionary Operations Group and was made the flying component of the
332d Air Expeditionary Wing in Iraq.Group history and organization
Constituted as the 332nd Fighter Group on
4 July 1942 and activated on13 October 1942 . It trained withP-39 andP-40 aircraft, then moved to Italy, arriving early in February 1944, where it had the veteran 99th Fighter Squadron assigned in May. The 332nd began operations with the tacticalTwelfth Air Force on5 February , and used P-39's to escort convoys, protect harbors, and fly armed reconnaissance missions. It converted toP-47 Thunderbolt s during April and May 1944, then changed toP-51 Mustang s in June.From May 1944 to April 1945 the 332nd FG operated with the strategic
Fifteenth Air Force , primarily engaged in protecting bombers that struck such objectives as oil refineries, factories, airfields, and marshalling yards in Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece. Its planes also made strafing attacks on airdromes, railroads, highways, bridges, river traffic, troop concentrations, radar facilities, power stations, and other targets.The group received a
Distinguished Unit Citation for a mission on24 March 1945 when it escorted B-17's during a raid on a tank factory atBerlin , fought off the interceptors that attacked the formation, then strafed transportation targets while flying back to its base in Italy. The group was reduced to the standard three fighter squadrons onMarch 6 ,1945 , with the inactivation of the 302nd FS.The 332nd FG returned to the United States in October 1945 and was inactivated on
October 19 .quadrons
*99th FS:
1 May 1944 -19 October 1945
*100th FS:13 October 1942 -19 October 1945
*301st FS:13 October 1942 -19 October 1945
*302d FS:13 October 1942 -6 March 1945 tations
*Tuskegee, Ala, 13 Oct 1942
*Selfridge Field, Mich, 29 Mar 1943
*Oscoda, Mich, 12 Apr 1943
*Selfridge Field, Mich, 9 Jul-22 Dec 1943
*Montecorvino, Italy, 3 Feb 1944
*Capodichino, Italy, 15 Apr 1944
*Ramitelli Airfield, Italy, 28 May 1944
*Cattolica, Italy, c. 4 May 1945
*Lucera, Italy, c. 18 Jul-Sep 1945
*Camp Kilmer, NJ, 17-19 Oct 1945Group Commanders
*Lt Col Sam W Westbrook Jr, 19 Oct 1942
*Col Robert R Selway Jr, 16 May 1943
*Col Benjamin O Davis Jr, 8 Oct 1943
*Maj George S Roberts, 3 Nov 1944
*Col Benjamin O Davis Jr, 24 Dec 1944
*Maj George S Roberts, 9 Jun 1945-unkn.Campaigns
*American Theater
*Air Combat, EAME Theater
*Rome-Arno; Normandy
*Northern France
*Southern France
*North Apennines
*Rhineland
*Central Europe
*Po ValleyDecorations
* Germany, 24 March 1945
Insignia
* Shield: Azure on a fess nebule or, a panther passant sable armed and incensed gules.
* Motto: Spit Fire. (Approved 15 Jan 1943.)Notes
References
* Chris Bucholtz and Jim Laurier, "332nd Fighter Group - Tuskegee Airmen" (Aviation Elite Units), ISBN 1846030447
ources
* [http://libraryautomation.com/nymas/usaaf5.html Maurer Maurer - Air Force Combat Units of World War II - Part 5]
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