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339th Fighter Group

Group

  • Captain George Hrico, Captain Evan M

    Captain George Hrico, Captain Evan M "Johnny" Johnson, Major Archie A Tower and Lieutenant Richard E Krauss of the 339th Fighter Group in front of a P-51 Mustang (6N-W, serial number 44-14705) nicknamed "Boomerang", assigned to Lieutenant Dick Thieme. Image via James G Robinson. Written on slide casing: 'Cpt Hrico, Johnson, Tower & Krauss, 505 FS, Archie Tower.'

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  • Local residents, mostly women and children, visit Fowlmere air base where the 339th Fighter Group were stationed. Some of them clamber on P-51 Mustang (6N-C, serial number 44-72437), known as

    Local residents, mostly women and children, visit Fowlmere air base where the 339th Fighter Group were stationed. Some of them clamber on P-51 Mustang (6N-C, serial number 44-72437), known as "Pauline". 1944 -1945.

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  • Colonel John B. Henry, of the 339th Fighter Group, stands beside P-51 Mustang (6N-A, serial number 42-106676), known as

    Colonel John B. Henry, of the 339th Fighter Group, stands beside P-51 Mustang (6N-A, serial number 42-106676), known as "San Antone Rose" after Henry's home town of San Antonio, Texas. He is probably at Fowlmere air base, near Duxford, where the 339th Fighter Group were based between 5 April 1944 and 10 October 1945.

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  • P-51 Mustangs including (WR-A, serial number 44-15625) nicknamed

    P-51 Mustangs including (WR-A, serial number 44-15625) nicknamed "Man O' War" of the 355th Fighter Group and Mustangs of the 339th Fighter Group and the 353rd Fighter Group at Debden, home of the 4th Fighter Group. Taken on 23 March 45 by Edward Richie. Information from Mark Richie: "The 65th Fighter Wing had a meeting of all Group COs at Debden about the up coming Rhine River crossing operations. Pretty neat shots. Roger [Freeman] and I puzzled over the NMF C model with the Malcolm hood. D models were in all groups by then so finding a "new" C model with and Malcolm hood is kind of odd. No serial numbers show in rear view. Possible it is a photo recon kite. Tower logs for the day do not inventory individual a/c that attended. Pretty day . . ." Handwritten on slide case:" Co's aircraft 23/3/45 Richie"

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  • Staff- Sergeant Joe C Nicholas, a crew chief of the 339th Fighter Group works on a P-51 Mustang (6N-K, serial number 44-14734) nicknamed

    Staff- Sergeant Joe C Nicholas, a crew chief of the 339th Fighter Group works on a P-51 Mustang (6N-K, serial number 44-14734) nicknamed "Baby Mine", flown by Lieutenant Stephen C Ananian. Image via Stephen C Ananian, 339th Fighter Group. Written on slide casing: 'S/Sgt Joe C Nicholas c/c 414734 6N-K.'

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  • Lieutenant Stephen C Ananian a pilot of the 339th Fighter Group wearing the runway control officers' uniform of striped pyjama jacket and white baseball cap, on the runway at Fowlmere. Image via Stephen C Ananian, 339th Fighter Group. Written on slide casing: 'Steve Ananian 505 FS Pilot, runway control officer.'

    Lieutenant Stephen C Ananian a pilot of the 339th Fighter Group wearing the runway control officers' uniform of striped pyjama jacket and white baseball cap, on the runway at Fowlmere. Image via Stephen C Ananian, 339th Fighter Group. Written on slide casing: 'Steve Ananian 505 FS Pilot, runway control officer.'

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  • A P-51 Mustang (6N-C, serial number 44-72437) nicknamed

    A P-51 Mustang (6N-C, serial number 44-72437) nicknamed "Pauline" of the 339th Fighter Group, flown by Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph L. Thury. Image via Stephen C Ananian, 339th Fighter Group. Written on slide casing: 'Lt Col Joe Thury, 6N-C 472437.'

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  • P-51 Mustangs (5Q-O, serial number 42-106886) nicknamed

    P-51 Mustangs (5Q-O, serial number 42-106886) nicknamed "Swede" and (6N-O, serial number 44-14776) nicknamed "Arrow Head", of the 339th Fighter Group at Mount Farm. Image by Robert Astrella 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group. Written on slide casing: '339 FG Mount Farm.'

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  • A pilot and ground crewman of the 339th Fighter Group with a P-51 Mustang (5Q-O, serial number 44-15499) nicknamed

    A pilot and ground crewman of the 339th Fighter Group with a P-51 Mustang (5Q-O, serial number 44-15499) nicknamed "Punkie II". Lt. Robert V Blizzard, [Los Angeles CA], 504th Fighter Squadron. P-51D 44-15499 5Q-O "Punkie II". Pictured L-R are a.c.c. Sgt. William H Courtney, [Spokane WA]; Lt. Vern Blizzard and c.c. S/Sgt. Jesse L Russell, [Conroe TX].

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  • Captain George Hrico and Lieutenant Boyd O Jackson of the 339th Fighter Group with a P-51 Mustang. Image via James G Robinson. Written on slide casing: 'Cpt George Hrici and Lt Boyd O Jackson.'

    Captain George Hrico and Lieutenant Boyd O Jackson of the 339th Fighter Group with a P-51 Mustang. Image via James G Robinson. Written on slide casing: 'Cpt George Hrici and Lt Boyd O Jackson.'

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In the years before deployment to the UK, the Group had been designated as a Bombardment Group (Dive) and trained in A-24 and A-25 dive-bombers and P-39 Airacobras. When, in April 1944, they joined the Eighth Air Force in Britain though, the pilots were expected to fly P-51 Mustangs, an aircraft they had no or little experience flying. The Group learnt fast and recorded the highest claims of air and ground enemy aircraft victories in the space of one year. The 339th was also the only Group to claim over 100 ground strafing victories on two occasions: 105 on 4 April 1935 and 118 on 11 April 1945.

Commanding officers

  • John Henry

    Military | Colonel | Fighter Pilot | 339th Fighter Group
    John B Henry served as a pilot with the 339th Fighter Group. He flew P-51 'San Antone Rose'. Completed tour of duty April 11, 1945. ...

  • William Clark

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Fighter Pilot; Group Commander | 339th Fighter Group
    Assigned to 504FS, 339FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to HQ Sqn, 339FG, 8AF USAAF. Credited 1 x kill [Air], 8 x destroyed [Grd]. Completed tour of duty. Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.

Structure

Part of
Encompassing
Previously was
Not yet known
Became
Not yet known

Missions

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Stations

Station Location Date
Based Fowlmere 5 April 1944 – 10 October 1945

Connections

People

  • Thomas Abadessa

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ammunition Handler | 339th Fighter Group
    Staff Sergeant Thomas Abadessa, from Jamestown NY, served as an ammunition handler with the 339th Fighter Group at Fowlmere, England.

  • Richard Abbey

    Military | Sergeant | 339th Fighter Group

  • Myron Abeel

    Military | Corporal | 339th Fighter Group

  • Lewis Accord

    Military | Private First Class | 339th Fighter Group

  • Joe Acuna

    Military | Sergeant | 339th Fighter Group

  • Ferland Adams

    Military | Master Sergeant | Radar/Radio operator | 339th Fighter Group

  • Grady Adams

    Military | Staff Sergeant | 339th Fighter Group

  • John Adams

    Military | Staff Sergeant | 339th Fighter Group

  • Robert Addison

    Military | First Lieutenant | 339th Fighter Group

  • Abraham Adler

    Military | Private First Class | 339th Fighter Group

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Aircraft

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Citations

None

Air Force
8th
Type
Combat
Type category
Fighter
Nicknames

The Chequers

Motto
Not yet known
Insignia
Red and white chequers.
Aircraft used
  • P-51 Mustang

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
24 December 2019 07:28:09 SOLIDKREATE Changes to nicknames
Sources

https://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/284
Date Contributor Update
26 February 2015 16:14:00 rossingtonj Changes to mission associations and stations
Sources

Associated with Fowlmere village
Date Contributor Update
26 February 2015 15:35:49 rossingtonj Changes to mission associations and stations
Sources

Fowlmere dates from and to updated.
Date Contributor Update
07 February 2015 18:02:22 rossingtonj Changes to insignia, commanding officers associations and mission associations
Sources

339th Fighter Group website: http://www.339thfg.com
Date Contributor Update
07 February 2015 16:44:20 rossingtonj Changes to type, aircraft types, mission associations and stations
Sources

339th Fighter Group memorial at Fowlmere airfield.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:45 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / The Mighty Eighth. A History of the Units, Men and Machines of the US 8th Air Force.' by Roger A. Freeman (1989). 'Air Force Combat Units of World War II' compiled by the Department of the US Air Force, edited by Maurice Maurer (1983). / Units in the UK from ETOUSA Station List, as transcribed by Lt. Col. Philip Grinton (US Army, Retired) and extracted by IWM; air division data from L.D. Underwood, based on the 8th Air Force Strength Report of 6th August 1944, as published in 'The 8th Air Force Yearbook' by Lt. Col. John H Woolnough (1980)

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