56th Fighter Group
Statistics
General
- First Mission: 13th April 1943
- Last Mission: 21st April 1945
- Total Missions: 447
- A/C MIA: 128
- E/A Claims: 674½ air - 332 ground.
- Component Squadrons: 61st, 62nd and 63rd Fighter Squadrons
Combat Aircraft
- P47C: February 1943 - April 1943
- P47D: June 1943 - March 1945 (blocks 1 to 30)
- P47M: January 1945 - September 1945
Stations
- Kings Cliffe: 13th January 1943 - 5th April 1943
- Horsham St Faiths: 5th April 1943 - 8th July 1943
- Halesworth: 8th July 1943 - 18th April 1944
- Boxted: 18th July 1944 - 9th September 1945
- Little Walden: 9th September 1945 - 10th October 1945
Group COs
- Col Hubert A Zemke: 1st September 1942 - 30th October 1943
- Col Robert B Landry: 30th October 1943 - 11th January 1944
- Col Hubert A Zemke: 19th January 1944 - 12th August 1944
- Col David C Shilling: 12th August 1944 - 27th January 1945
- Lt Col Lucian A Dade Jr: 27th January 1945 - August 1945
- Lt Col Donald D Renwick: August 1945 - October 1945
Major Awards
Two Distinguished Unit Citations:
- 20th February 1944: 9th March 1944 destroying 98 e/a.
- 18th September 1944: Holland in support of airborne forces.
Claims to Fame
- Destroyed more enemy aircraft in air combat than any other US 8th Army Air Force Fighter Group.
- Had more fighter aces than any other US 8th Army Air Force Fighter Group.
- Top scoring fighter aces, Gabby Gabreski and Robert Johnson flew with the 56th.
- First unit to fly the P47 Thunderbolt.
- Only US 8th Army Air Force group to fly P47 Thunderbolts throughout hostilities.