The U.S. Army Air Force activated
the 366 th
Fighter Group at Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, on June
10, 1943. At Richmond, and later at Bluethenthal
Air Field, North Carolina, the group trained its pilots for
combat in the P-47
Thunderbolt .
By December 1943, with basic training complete, the group
left for the war.
In January 1944, the Group arrived in England. For the next
several weeks, the Group’s pilots learned combat techniques from
experienced veterans of the air war with Nazi Germany. The group moved
to Thruxton, England, on March 1, 1944, and flew its first combat
mission as a group on March 14 with a fighter sweep along the French
coast. They then took part in operations designed to prepare the way
for the invasion of the Continent. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the group
flew fighter sweeps over Normandy attacking such targets as motor convoys
and gun emplacements. Three days later, the 366th served as the lead
air unit attacking German positions near St. Lo, France. The invasion
established an Allied foothold in Europe and soon the 366th Fighter Group
moved to a base on French soil becoming the first Army Air Force unit to
do so.
The group received a Distinguished
Unit Citation
for action on July 11, 1944: approaching the assigned target
– pillboxes in the vicinity of St. Lo – group pilots discovered
and enemy tank column unknown to Allied infantry; despite driving
rain and intense anti-aircraft fire, the group not only attacked
the assigned objectives but also severely damaged the enemy’s armored
force.
The group then followed Allied ground advances engaging
primarily in dive-bombing missions against enemy communications and
fortifications, periodically, moving to new bases in freshly conquered
territory, to remain close to the action. Among other operations,
the group:
- supported Allied armored columns during the breakthrough at
St Lo in July 1944;
- attacked flak positions near Eindhoven, Holland during Operation
Market Garden, the airborne landing in Holland in September 1944;
- flew armed reconnaissance missions over the the battle area
during the Battle of the Bulge in Dec 1944 – Jan 1945;
- and escorted bombers during the airborne assault across the
Rhine River in March 1945.
The 366th frequently attacked such targets as railroads, highways,
bridges, motor transports, gun emplacements, supply depots, and troops;
often escorted bombers that hit airfields, factories, and marshalling
yards; sometimes flew area patrols; and on occasion dropped leaflets.
The group flew its last mission, attacking the harbors at Kiel and Flensberg,
on May 3, 1945.
After Victory in Europe Day in May 1945, the group remained in
Germany as part of the occupation forces, staying at three different
bases until its inactivation on August 20, 1946. During its fourteen
months of fighting in the European Theater, the 366th Fighter Group earned
confirmed kills on 78 enemy aircraft. Today's 366th Wing flag carries
the six campaign streamers and the distinguished unit citation earned
by the 366th Fighter Group in World War II. The officially approved wing
emblem worn today reflects these honors as well. It displays a small escutcheon,
a small inner shield that contains six crosses.
