8th Air Force Field Order 371

6 June 1944

Description

D-Day. Start of Operation Overlord.

Mission Details

Description: FIGHTER ESCORT

Notes: All 8th Air Force Fighter Groups and IX Fighter Command Fighter Groups take part. VIII Fighter command fulfils a threefold mission of escorting the bombers, attacking any German movement towards the beaches and protecting the vast fleet of ships laying just off the coast. The fighters fly a total of 1,880 sorties including fighter-bomber attacks on 17 bridges, 10 marshalling yards and a wide variety of other targets. Very little fighter opposition is encountered as the Luftwaffe has been almost annihilated in France. However the fighters do claim 26 destroyed and 8 damaged Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and another 4 destroyed and 9 damaged on the ground. The fighters also destroy 21 locomotives and 2 carloads of ammunition. 25 fighters are lost from a total of 555 P-38s, 414 P-47s and 750 P-51s.

Mission Statistics

  • People killed in action: 1
  • People wounded in action: 1
  • People missing in action: 24
  • Aircraft missing in action: 25
  • Aircraft damaged beyond repair: 2
  • Aircraft damaged: 14

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 496th Fighter Training Group 555th Fighter Training Squadron 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron 82nd Fighter Squadron Headquarters (496th Fighter Training Group)
  • Service Numbers: O-817923
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot
Commanding officers of Fighter Groups of the 8th Air Force, 1944. Printed caption on reverse: 'FORMAL PORTRAIT: They are, left to right, front row: Hub Zemke, 479th Grp, Roy Caviness, 361st Grp, Dave Schilling, 56th Grp, Everett Stewart, 355th Grp, Ben Rimermann, 353rd Grp, John Henry, 339th Grp, GT Crowell, Unk. REAR: James Maydon, 352nd Grp, WH Swanson, Unk, Joe McManus, 364th Grp, Calirborn Kinnard, 4th Grp, Philip Tukey, 356th Grp. Fred Gray, 78th Grp, Don Graham, 357th Grp. Date is unknown but it has
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron (78th Fighter Group) Headquarters (66th Fighter Wing)
  • Service Numbers: O-22327
  • Highest Rank: Brigadier General
  • Role/Job: Commanding Officer
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 55th Fighter Group 96th Bomb Group Headquarters (357th Fighter Group) Headquarters (55th Fighter Group)
  • Highest Rank: Brigadier General
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
Left to right: Captain Foy E. Higginbottom, Lieutenant Hubert "Bill" Davis and Lieutenant John A. Kirk, all pilots of the 83rd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, drink Coca-Cola outside a Nissen hut at Duxford air base. 1943-1945.
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 83rd Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-697200
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 83rd Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-799988
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Vee Gaile III
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Hun Buster
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter Squadron

Revisions

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham, 8th Air Force missions research database / Stan Bishop's 'Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces', the Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces and the work of Roger Freeman including the 'Mighty Eighth War Diary'.