56th Fighter Group

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 56th Fighter Group


caption=P-47D 44-19770, 61st Fighter Squadron, 56th FG
dates= December 16, 1941 - October 18, 1945
country= United States of America
allegiance=
branch= United States Army Air Forces
type= Fighter group
role= Air Superiority
size= 75-100 P-47 aircraft, 1000 personnel
command_structure=65th Fighter Wing Eighth Air Force
current_commander=
garrison=RAF Halesworth RAF Boxted
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=Hubert A. Zemke David C. Schilling
nickname=
patron=
motto= "Cave Tonitrum" - Beware the Thunderbolt
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=DUC: February 20 - March 9, 1944 DUC: September 18, 1944 447 group missions
anniversaries=The 56th Fighter Group was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War and as the 56th Operations Group, is a current unit of the United States Air Force. Created in 1941 as part of the expansion of the AAF immediately prior to World War II, the 56th FG was the first fighter group to receive and operate the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter. The current USAF group flies F-16 Fighting Falcons.

Credited by the Air Force Historical Research Agency with the destruction of 665.5 aircraft in air-to-air combat, the 56th Fighter Group had more air-to-air kills than any other fighter group in the Eighth Air Force, was the top-scoring P-47 group during World War II, and recorded the second-highest number of air-to-air kills of any USAAF fighter group. cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/numbered_studies/1039707.pdf | title = USAF Historical Study 85: USAF Credits for Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II| format = | work = | publisher = Office of Air Force History, AFHRA| accessdate = 14 Oct| accessyear = 2006, 556-563.] The 56th also claimed 311 fighters destroyed on the ground. [cite book
author=Roger A. Freeman
chapter=
title=The Mighty Eighth
editor=
publisher=Motorbooks International
id= ISBN 0-87938-638-X
year=1993| pages=, 242.]

After World War II the 56th FG served as part of the 56th Fighter Wing of the USAF before being deactivated February 1, 1961, for the next thirty years. Reactivated on November 1, 1991, as the flying group of the 56th Fighter Wing, the 56th OG conducted F-16 transition training at MacDill AFB, Florida, until its inactivation January 4, 1994. The group was reactivated at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, on April 1, 1994, and with eight fighter squadrons, provides F-16 crew training for pilots from USAF, Taiwan, and Singapore. cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/wings_groups_pages/0056og.asp| title = 56th Operations Group| format = | work = | publisher = AFHRA| accessdate = 12 Mar| accessyear = 2007]

Creation of the 56th Fighter Group

Organization

(Except where noted, this material is from the official USAF group history by Maurer Maurer.) cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://libraryautomation.com/nymas/usaaf4.html| title = Air Force Combat Units of World War II-Part 4| format = | work = | publisher = New York Military Affairs Symposium| accessdate = 12 Mar| accessyear = 2007]

Constituted by Headquarters USAAF as 56th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on November 20, 1940, the group was activated on January 15, 1941, at Savannah Army Air Base, Georgia. The 56th PG was assigned three fighter squadrons:
*61st Pursuit Squadron
*62d Pursuit Squadron
*63d Pursuit Squadron

Staffed by a cadre drawn from other units at nearby Hunter AAB the 56th PG organized as a combat unit with a high turnover in personnel. On May 26, 1941, the group relocated to Morris AAF, Charlotte, North Carolina, where it received 3 P-39's and 10 P-36's, and trained, participated in training maneuvers, served as an air defense organization, and functioned as an operational training unit (OTU). During maneuvers in October 1941 it received 10 new P-39s and performed well in an air defense role. [cite book
author=Roger A. Freeman
chapter=
title=Wolfpack Warriors: The Story of World War II's Most Successful Fighter Outfit
editor=
publisher=Grub Street, London
id= ISBN 1904010938
year=2004| pages=, 10.]

On December 10, 1941, in the immediate aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 56th FG moved to Wilmington AAB, North Carolina for air defense duties, with its 61st FS based at Charleston AAB, South Carolina. It received 24 newly-commissioned 2nd lieutenant pilots in December and set up a makeshift assessment school using fiv types of obsolete fighter aircraft, including P-35s and P-43s. [Freeman, "Wolfpack Warriors", 11.]

In mid-January 1942 the 56th FG shifted to air defense of New York City, with its headquarters based 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. [ cite book
author=Robert S. Johnson
chapter=
title=Thunderbolt!
editor=
publisher=Honoribus Press
id= ISBN 1885354053
year=1958| pages=, 105.] 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 Bolero buildup had been transferred to the Twelfth Air Force to support the invasion of North Africa, leaving the U.S. VIII Fighter Command with a single fighter group. To rebuild the fighter forces, the 56th FG was assigned for overseas duty in England. Major Hubert A. Zemke, a pre-war Air Corps pilot with experience as a combat observer with the RAF and a P-40 instructor to the Soviet Air Force, became group commander on September 16, 1942. cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/89bios/zemke89.htm| title = Hubert "Hub" Zemke| format = | work = | publisher = Air University Eagle biographies| accessdate = 13 Mar| accessyear = 2007] The 56th FG was alerted for overseas deployment on Thanksgiving Day, ceased all air operations, and moved to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on December 28.

The 56th Fighter Group sailed from New York on the RMS Queen Elizabeth on January 6, 1943. Arriving at Gourock, Scotland, on January 11, the personnel of the 56th FG moved by train to their first station at RAF Kings Cliffe in Cambridgeshire to await arrival of new P-47C's in late January. Shortly after its arrival in the UK, the 61st Fighter Squadron received a new pilot, Captain Francis S. Gabreski who had been seconded to No. 315 Squadron RAF, a fighter squadron of Polish Air Force pilots, to acquire combat experience. Bad weather prevented the group from flying its new aircraft until February 10. [Johnson, "Thunderbolt!", 123.]

The 56th was one of three P-47 groups in England, and the only one to previously train on the Thunderbolt. The 4th Fighter Group at RAF Debden had been created the preceding September by incorporating the veteran RAF Eagle squadrons into the USAAF, and the newly-arrived 78th Fighter Group at RAF Goxhill had previously flown P-38 Lightnings. Consequently the 56th was the only group of the three to have confidence in their aircraft despite problems of compressibility in dives, and performance teething problems that included poor rate of climb, poor acceleration, numerous engine seizures to oil counterbalance seal failures, ignition system problems, radio interference, and lack of spare parts. [cite book
author=Roger A. Freeman
chapter=
title=Mighty Eighth War Manual
editor=
publisher=
id= ISBN 0-87938-513-8
year=1991| pages=, 189-190.]

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 RAF Horsham St. Faith on April 6, 1943, which had been a pre-war permanent RAF station. The 56th received ground support there from the attached 33d Service Group, commanded by Lt. Col. Douglas Pollard, and the 41st Service Squadron.

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 UK.

The P-47C and P-47D aircraft received by the 56th FG were finished in factory-applied olive drab (OD) with gray lower surfaces. Because the P-47 was the only radial engined allied fighter, the danger of other allied fighters mistaking it for the Fw 190 caused VIII Fighter Command to have 24-inch white cowl bands painted on the noses of P-47s after March 1943. Other rapid identification measures used were white banding on both the tail fin and horizontal stabilizers, and the use of oversized USAAF roundels on the undersides of both wings. cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.web-birds.com/8th/56/62nd/62nd_squadron.htm| title = 62nd Fighter Squadron| format = | work = | publisher = Web Birds.com| accessdate = 17 Mar| accessyear = 2007 "P-47D from the 62nd F.S., piloted by Maj. Mike Quirk" shows this clearly.] The USAAF ended the factory-applied camouflage on all aircraft produced after February 13, 1944, and the first unpainted block 21 "razorback" canopy and block 25 "bubble-top" canopy models arrived in May. [ cite book
author=Jerry Scutts
chapter=
title=Lion in the Sky: US 8th Air Force Fighter Operations 1942-45
editor=
publisher=Patrick Stephens
id= ISBN 0-85059-788-9
year=1987| pages=, 48.] [Freeman, "The Mighty Eighth", 291.] 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. [Roger A. Freeman (2000). "56th Fighter Group". Osprey. ISBN 1841760475, 83, 87.]

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 matte black color that faded to a dark purple. The 62d continued the green-and-gray shadow-shading pattern, while the 63d went to a shadow-shading pattern of "deep Mediterranean blue" (indigo) applied over sky blue. [Freeman, "The Mighty Eighth", 291.]

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 1st Fighter Group before it went to the Twelfth Air Force.) In early February 1944 the 56th replaced its white cowl bands with a different color for each squadron. This innovation lasted until mid-March, when VIII Fighter Command adopted a color system for all Eighth Air Force fighter groups. The 56th painted its noses red and later applied the squadron colors to the tail rudders of its Thunderbolts, an innovation that VIII Fighter Command also borrowed. The 56th discontinued use of squadron colors when it changed to P-47M's.

On April 23, 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 DataSOURCE: 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

SOURCE: Maurer Mauer

Honors and campaigns

56th Operations Group

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 56th Operations Group


caption= 56th Fighter Wing Shield
dates= April 1 1994
country= United States of America
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type= Training wing operations group
role= Fighter crew training
size= 8 F-16 Fighting Falcon squadrons 1 ground training squadron 1 operations support squadron 191 F-16 aircraft
233 instructor pilots
command_structure= 56th Fighter Wing Nineteenth Air Force
current_commander= Col. Robert P. Givens
garrison= Luke Air Force Base, Arizona
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
anniversaries=

The group was redesignated 56th Operations Group on October 28, 1991, and activated on November 1 as the flying component of the 56th Fighter Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It conducted F-16 transition training at MacDill until mid-1993, phasing down its operations until inactivated January 4, 1994. The 56th was subsequently reactivated at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, on April 1, 1994, where it replaced on paper the deactivating 58th Operations Group. It has provided F-16 training operations since and also conducted F-15E Strike Eagle combat crew training for a period between April 1994 and March 1995.

56 OG organization

The 56th Operations Group is the largest Operations Group in the United States Air Force with 13 separate reporting organizations. In fiscal year 2006, the 56th Operations Group flew 37,000 sorties and 50,000 hours while graduating 484 F-16 students. cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.luke.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=9921| title = Col. Robert P. Givens| format = | work = | publisher = Luke AFB Official site| accessdaymonth = 11 May | accessyear = 2008]

The 56th OG consists of eight component flying and two non-flying squadrons: cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.luke.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5003| title = 56th Operations Group Fact Sheet| format = | work = | publisher = Air Force Link - Luke AFB| accessdate = 12 Mar| accessyear = 2007]
*21st Fighter Squadron :The 21 FS ("Gamblers") trains F-16 pilots for the Taiwan Republic of China Air Force.
*308th Fighter Squadron :Formerly part of the 31st Fighter Wing, the 308 FS ("Emerald Knights") was the first squadron to operate the Block 42 F-16C/D.
*309th Fighter Squadron:Also a former 31st FW squadron, the 309 FS ("Wild Ducks") is a combat-ready F-16 squadron that conducts F-16 crew training for active duty USAF pilots.
*310th Fighter Squadron: The 310 FS ("Top Hats"), previously a part of the 58 FW, conducts training in night operations, Forward Air Control-Airborne in the F-16, and MANTIRN (Medium Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night) training.
*56th Operations Support Squadron :A non-flying squadron, the 56 OSS controls all airfield activities at Luke.
*56th Training Squadron:Also a non-flying squadron, the 56 TS provides academic, simulator and live-mission ground training in a large variety of F-16 related missions
*61st Fighter Squadron:The 61 FS ("Top Dogs") is a combat-ready F-16 squadron that conducts F-16 crew training for active duty USAF pilots.
*62d Fighter Squadron:The 62 FS ("Spikes") is a combat-ready F-16 squadron that conducts F-16 crew training for active duty USAF pilots.
*63d Fighter Squadron:The 63 FS ("Panthers") is a combat-ready F-16 squadron that conducts F-16 crew training for active duty USAF pilots.
*425th Fighter Squadron:The 425 FS ("Black Widows") provides F-16 crew training for the Republic of Singapore Air Force. The unit is unique in that its F-16's bear the lion's head roundel of the RSAF instead of the USAF star-and-bars insignia.

Honors

"Air Force Outstanding Unit Award"
*1 July 1994 to 30 June 1996
*1 July 1996 to 30 June 1998
*1 July 1998 to 30 June 2000
*1 July 2001 to 30 June 2003

56th Operations Group commanders

References

*cite book|author=Freeman, Roger A.|title=56th Fighter Group|year=2000|pages=|isbn=1-84176-047-5
*cite book|author=Freeman, Roger A.|title=The Mighty Eighth|year=1993|pages=|isbn=0-87938-638-X
*cite book|author=Freeman, Roger A.|title=The Mighty Eighth War Diary|year=1990|pages=|isbn=0-87938-495-6
*cite book|author=Freeman, Roger A.|title=The Mighty Eighth War Manual|year=1991|pages=|isbn=0-87938-513-8
*cite book|author=Freeman, Roger A.|title=Wolfpack Warriors: The Story of World War II's Most Successful Fighter Outfit|year=2004|pages=|isbn=1-904010-93-8
*cite book|author=Johnson, Robert S.|title=Thunderbolt!|year=1958|pages=|isbn=1-885453-05-3

External links

* [http://www.oneeighthairforce.org/portals/0/BFP47/little_chief.jpgPainting of 56th FG P-47 "Little Chief"]
* [http://www.halesworthairfieldmuseum.org.uk/56thgroup/ Halesworth Museum]
* [http://www.sharpshooter-maj.com/html/unit04.htm Luke Falcons] website of current 56th FW units