The 78th was formed originally at March Field California in January 1942, as one of the groups hived off the 1st Pursuit Group (at the time, the only group equipped with P-38s). The 78th in fact took pilots from the 1st PG and from the newly-formed 82nd PG. The two gourps, 82nd and 78th, operated next from Santa Ana Army Air Field until the end of January, when they moved to Hamilton Field north of San Francisco in Marin County. At this time they were operating a mix of a few P-38Ds and Es and some P-43s. In April they started getting P-38Fs direct from the factory, which they were losing at about one fatality a week as the pilots got to know the airplane. In mid-May, the 78th got its own organization, and Arman Peterson who had been with the 1st PG came to command the middle of May. The four P-38 groups ? 1st, 14th, 82nd and 78th, were to be the long-range escorts for 8th AF and form 8th Fighter Command (contrary to popular myth, the AAF always knew the bombers would need escort, despite what the bomber men said; they only fell back on that after effective long-distance P-38 fighters were removed in 1942 to go to North Africa).

On 1 December 1942, the 78th FG arrived at its new home at RAF Goxhill, Lincolnshire; a far, far cry from the climes they were used to Stateside. They began their stay at RAF Goxhill in the midst of a traditional English winter and encountered a country of fog-shrouded fenlands and driving rain. To make matters worse, RAF Goxhill?s living quarters left much to be desired and the facilities on offer could be described as serviceable at best. This, together with persistently poor weather, made the prospects of a Christmas spent away from the comfort of home and loved ones even bleaker, but this was wartime, and it was one of the many harsh realities these men would face during their time in the UK.
The 78th FG?s first commanding officer, leading them from the heat of Indiana to the clag of Lincolnshire, was Lieutenant Colonel Arman ?Pete? Peterson, a 28 year old hailing from Flagstaff, Arizona. Seeing the demoralising effect the living conditions had on his men even at this early stage of their deployment, Peterson arranged for 500 children to visit RAF Goxhill for a Christmas party (beginning a tradition that would continue in December 1943-44), to raise morale. That was just one small example of Peterson?s tremendous character and spirit that would make him a much loved and much respected leader of the 78th FG during this, arguably the Group?s most testing challenge to date. The men, it has been described, ?would have followed him anywhere.?

1943 began with a period of major change for the 78th FG. Whilst some of the Group deployed to RAF Chelveston to practise bomber escort missions with the 305th Bomb Group, the unit began the transition from P-38 Lightning to P-47C Thunderbolt. The Group?s Lightnings were redeployed to the North Africa campaign and only 15 of the Group?s original pilots remained at RAF Goxhill, including LTC Peterson. A new intake of Thunderbolt-trained pilots arrived from the USA and the remainder of the 78th FG?s airmen had to convert to the new type, a transition that was described as going from ?thoroughbreds to plough horses?.

The initial plan was for the 78th FG to be operational with the Thunderbolt by the end of March 1943, but this was delayed somewhat, primarily due to pilot training issues. The ?Jug?, as it was nicknamed, was a hell of an aircraft to get to grips with; there was an awful lot of power to harness and it was generally acknowledged that the Thunderbolt wasn?t the ideal air-to-air combat aircraft, though it was far from without merit.

However, positive news soon reached the Group ? it would be relocated to RAF Duxford in Cambridgeshire, a base rumoured to have a ?country club? atmosphere owing to its somewhat more developed infrastructure.

RAF Duxford ? named USAAF Station 357 during its tenure as home to the 78th Fighter Group ? was a far cry from the majority of hastily constructed USAAF bases, like RAF Goxhill, which had appeared in the countryside across East Anglia and the wider UK. The influx of American aircraft and personnel during 1942-43 necessitated the swift raising of air bases to accommodate the ever-increasing fighter, bomber and transport units, meaning that many of the newer air bases largely consisted of poor quality purpose-built prefabricated huts and barracks blocks with very little in the way of facilities, ?primitive? being the operative word here.

RAF Duxford, however, was a different story entirely. Its pre-World War Two construction meant that the main infrastructure and barrack blocks were long-standing permanent buildings in the main, giving the based personnel access to heated and well-kept facilities that would have been considered something of a luxury. Indeed, Duxford was referred to as the ?country club? of the European Theatre of Operations, with one former resident, Clark Clemons, commenting in an interview that, ?When you pulled up in front of the Club, it was like the Grand Hotel?! The 78th Fighter Group even staged monthly parties, to which the local ladies of Cambridgeshire were cordially invited!
The 1,700 men of the 78th FG arrived at RAF Duxford on 24 March. The Group consisted of three Fighter Squadrons ? the 82nd, 83rd and 84th ? flying some 75 P-47C Thunderbolts between them at the commencement of their residence at Duxford. The vast grass field at Duxford enabled the 78th FG to develop its own unique take-off pattern, with up to eight Thunderbolts departing abreast one another at once; quite a staggering thought when you consider the size and power of the P-47!

The 78th FG commenced combat operations from RAF Duxford on 13 April 1943, with the 83rd FS, led by the irrepressible LTC Peterson, leading a 12 Thunderbolt fighter sweep of the Dunkirk-Sangatte area alongside two squadrons from the 4th FG. Less than five hours after landing at RAF Duxford after this first sortie, Peterson took his men back up with another sweep of the St. Omer area, however, the Luftwaffe would not engage the 78th FG until 15 April, when 15 Fw190s came to blows with Thunderbolts over Ostend; three ?190s were destroyed during this dogfight, with Major Don Blakeslee credited with the first Thunderbolt ?kill? of World War Two.

























































Similar sweeps over enemy territory were conducted throughout April and May, the latter being an intense month with 22 combat sorties flown. These sweeps were ordinarily fairly short, hour-or-so flights to penetrate enemy defences and sorties were flown over the coastal areas of France, Belgium and Holland, with areas covered including Bruges, Calais, Dunkirk, The Hague, Le Touquet, St. Omer and Ostend, amongst others.

The 78th FG also began flying bomber escort missions ? sorties of fundamental importance to the USAAF?s mission in Europe ? early on during their time at RAF Duxford, with their first mission of this nature taking place on 4 May 1943. It was on one of these bomber escort sorties that the 78th FG suffered both its first victories and losses. On 14 May 1943, the Group ? consisting of three squadrons of 16 Thunderbolts each, led by the newly promoted Colonel Peterson ? was engaged by more than 20 Fw190s and Me 109s whilst flying as bomber escort to a raid on the Antwerp region. The 78th FG claimed two destroyed Fw190s that day, with a further two ?probable? kills and four enemy aircraft damaged, at a cost of three 83rd FS pilots shot down ? although there were no casualties on this occasion.

Showing tremendous resilience, one of the downed airmen, Captain McTaggart, managed to head south across the Pyrenees, evading capture and finding refuge in Spain. CPT Adamina was shot down by Luftwaffe fighters but became possibly the only pilot to ever successfully ditch a Thunderbolt in the process.

The ?Duxford Eagles?, as they were known, continued to fly bomber escort missions throughout the 1943-45 period, flying alongside their ?Heavy Friends? all the way to targets in Antwerp, Brussels, Le Bourget, Lille, St. Nazaire, St. Omer, Stuttgart and many others. These bombing raids also targeted V-1 sites and airfields, meaning that the 78th FG?s contribution to the protection of these large-scale raids was pivotal to the outcome of the war; mission by mission, Germany?s iron grip on Europe was being weakened. Closer to home, the Group continued to undertake fighter sweeps, primarily across the north European coastal area, as well as performing UK coastal patrols, all the while seeking to take the fight to the Luftwaffe and challenge air superiority over northern Europe.

Meanwhile, RAF Duxford was visited by a host of dignitaries and ?celebrities?, including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Viscount Trenchard, Air Secretary Archibald Sinclair, Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, Bob Hope, Frances Langford, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Cagney and others. It was one of the crown jewels of the USAAF 8th AAF and the Duxford name became known even in the USA ? it remains one of the most famous and well-known airfields in the world.

In June 1943, P-47D Thunderbolts with long-range fuel tanks came into operation, enabling the Group to escort Allied bombers on longer-range missions deep into the heart of mainland Europe. On 1 July 1943, tragedy struck the 78th FG. During a fighter sweep of the Le Touquet-Abbeville-Rotterdam-Hague area, COL Peterson and his men were engaged by I./JG 1, resulting in four Fw190s destroyed and a further five damaged. The Group recovered to RAF Duxford and it was only during the post-flight debrief that it became apparent that Peterson was not amongst the returning pilots.

As a testament to the regard Peterson was held in amongst the Group, his comrades refuelled their Thunderbolts and returned to the skies shortly thereafter to look for their missing leader ? no one had given the order for them to do so. In a memo to the 78th FG Headquarters on 8 July 1943, Major John H. MacVeach described the immediate response to Peterson?s failure to return from combat:

?As soon as it was definitely ascertained that Colonel Peterson was missing, a search party was organised consisting of four flights of four P-47s each led by Major Roberts and Captain Irvin of the 84th Fighter Squadron and Major Stone and Captain Davis of the 83rd Fighter Squadron? These sixteen a/c combed an area 60 miles east of Felixstowe where the fix had been taken on the plane which the North Weal [sic] and Duxford Sector Controllers believed to be ?Kingpost? (Colonel Peterson?s call sign) but which all the pilots were sure was Major Robert?s plane since he answered for ?Kingpost? when no reply was forthcoming from Colonel Peterson to an appeal for advice from Lt Hunt whose a/c had been damaged by flak. Besides the 16 above mentioned a/c the ASR sent out a Walrus with 6 Spits from the 277th Squadron at Martlsham [sic] and the 12th and 16th Groups also sent out searching parties. Nothing of interest was observed by any of these parties. The weather over channel was 10/10 low cloud with ceiling at about 500 feet.?

COL Arman Peterson had been shot down in his Thunderbolt, which he?d named Flagari after his home town, during combat with I./JG 1 near Ouddorp on Goeree-Overflakkee, Holland. He had bailed out from his stricken aircraft but his parachute had been torn and he was killed on landing at Oostdijk in the vollage of Ouddorp. Peterson?s loss hit RAF Duxford hard. Morale plummeted and even popular comedian Bob Hope struggled to raise a chuckle from his audience when he visited the air base two days later.

For the 78th FG, the war continued despite the airmen?s mourning for their lost leader; perhaps the greatest honour bestowed upon the late Colonel was the way in which his boys rallied themselves and drew themselves forth into the conflict, his leadership forever leaving its mark on them.

On 30 July 1943, the ?Duxford Eagles? became the first American combat unit to enter its victories into double figures. Captain London would also become the first American ?ace? of the European Theatre of Operations. The Group?s successes didn?t, however, come without cost, with the downing of new commanding officer LTC Melvin McNickle on the same date, who became a prisoner of war ? he was the Group?s second CO to be lost in less than one month, and MAJ James J. Stone Jr took over command of the Group the following day.

January 1944 summoned in a new role for the 78th FG, as it began ground strafing of German forces (including Luftwaffe He-177s and Ju-188s destined to attack London); the pilots also engaged Me-163 and Me-262 jets for the first time. The following month, the Group participated in extensive raids against ball-bearing and aircraft production plants during the 20-25 February ?Big Week?, during which RAF Duxford?s contribution was no less than one tenth of the fighter support, with the Group destroying 16 Luftwaffe aircraft in combat.



























The 78th FG would go on to play a major role in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, both in the lead up to the invasion and on D-Day itself. In the five days prior to the invasion, the Group flew six bomber escort missions over Europe, all of which passed without concern. On D-Day itself, the ?Duxford Eagles? were part of an early 36-squadron strong fighter escort for bomber raids on coastal defences, troop concentrations and lines of communication, later breaking off from the heavies and strafing German positions on their way back to the UK, doing considerable damage.

The Thunderbolts of the 78th FG were involved in numerous subsequent sorties in the Normandy region, attacking locomotives, industrial military sites, ammunition dumps and myriad other military targets. The 84th FS dive-bombed Alencon, the 83rd FS engaged Fw190s (and downed two) near Mayonne and the Group later flew an evening patrol over northern France in support of the ongoing invasion. The 78th FG had been just a minor part of the 1,880 8th AAF fighter sorties flown that day, but its contribution to the invasion cannot be downplayed.

There would be no respite for the 78th FG, as its pilots continued to support the Allied advance into France. Indeed, 10 June 1944 was one of the costliest days in the Group?s history at RAF Duxford, with 10 pilots lost in combat, including MAJ Harold E. Stump, Commanding Officer of the 84th FS. 1st Lieutenant Robert L. Baker was killed when his Thunderbolt exploded after he took a direct flak hit to his under-wing ordnance. 2nd Lieutenant Richard S. Kuehner?s P-47 crashed and exploded after hitting a pole on his bomb run. MAJ Stump, Captain William F. Hunt and 2LT Daniel T. Loyd were shot down when they were bounced by approximately 20 Me 109s, reportedly painted in Allied markings. Loyd crash landed was murdered in cold blood by the SS.

1LT Robert J. McIntosh and 1LT James F. Casey were shot down and taken prisoner, while 1LT Vincent J. Masa was killed when he too was shot down. MAJ Donald W. McLeod was downed, but evaded capture and later sought refuge with the French Resistance. 1LT Herbert L. Boyle crash landed his damaged Thunderbolt at RAF Manston on the way home. Later that day, 2LT Francis J. Kochanek and 1LT William M. McDermott collided near Southminster. Kochanek bailed out, suffering only a broken ankle, whilst McDermott was trapped in his Thunderbolt and was killed on impact with the ground. Morale took a major hit when the news of these losses filtered through; it had been a period of intense activity already, and victory was still far from certain. The casualties only hammered home that message. Throughout June and July 1944, the 78th FG flew 45 missions, counting the cost heavily.

The 78th FG was credited with downing the first Lufwaffe jet fighter claimed by an Allied aircraft on 28 August 1944, and its accolades continued in September with the Group earning the Distinguished Unit (presidential) Citation for flak-busting activities during the Arnhem and Nijmegen invasions of Holland, during which it played an important role.























Text from here - http://www.globalaviationresource.com/v2/2013/05/15/remembering-the-mighty-eighth-pt-3-history-78th-fighter-group-the-duxford-eagles/

In December 1944, the 78th FG converted to the P-51D Mustang, flying its first operational sortie with the new type on 29 December. The Mustang brought with it improved manoeuvrability, speed and agility, making it a stronger ? albeit less rugged ? fighter. The year ended with the destruction of the Group?s 440th enemy aircraft. However, in February 1945, the Group suffered its costliest month to date with 18 pilots lost. Although a foothold had been established in mainland Europe and Hitler?s defeat was beginning to look inevitable, the combat remained intense and there was no let up for the Group.

P-51B-5-NA Mustang (s/n 43-6593) was originally a 352nd Fighter Group aircraft. She was declared 'War Weary' and used by the 78th Fighter Group for transition training during the switch from P-47 Thunderbolts to P-51 Mustangs.Later convertd to a two seater.( see further below)

As the Allies advanced into central Europe, the 78th FG was able to penetrate further into occupied territory. Indeed, on 16 April 1945, Mustangs from RAF Duxford operating over Czechoslovakia destroyed a staggering 135 enemy aircraft, and damaged 89 on the ground, making a new 8th AAF record.

The 78th FG continued to support the Allied advance with unfaltering valour until performing its final operation on 25 April 1945, flying in support of an RAF bombing raid on Hitler?s Berchtesgaden mountaintop lair. 13 days later, the German Army surrendered ? the war was over, and the 78th FG had forged its own path in history, one which will forever be associated with the UK and Duxford. For the ?Duxford Eagles?, the 338 confirmed air kills and 358 ground kills during 450 operations had not come without great cost.

The Group had lost 97 pilots between 1942 and VE-Day on 8 May 1945. A further 17 had been killed in accidents. 66 men had been downed over enemy territory and became prisoners of war, whilst 16 had managed to evade capture in enemy territory until liberations in 1944-45. The 78th FG?s sacrifice is remembered in one of the glass panels outside the American Air Museum, Duxford, depicting an aircraft for each loss the Group suffered during the 1943-45 conflict.

In June 1945, the Group began to leave Duxford; some headed for the occupational air force, others were Pacific-bound, and for some lucky men, home beckoned after a long, gruelling three years. Most of the Americans had left RAF Duxford by August 1945, after which the airfield was held on Care and Maintenance.































Below 7th July 45




As usual right click & save as for photo details.
Regards Duggy

Thanks Again Duggy!