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362nd Fighter Group

Group

  • Colonel J.L. Laughlin, of the 362nd Fighter Group, smokes a cigar with his dog mascot

    Colonel J.L. Laughlin, of the 362nd Fighter Group, smokes a cigar with his dog mascot "Prince" inside the cockpit of his P-47D serial 44-33287 "Five By Five" (coded B8-A). Image via Chuck Mann. Written on slide casing: 'Col Jos Laughlin, Gp CO and "Prince", note- German Cruiser. 362 FG, Rennes, Aug '44.'

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  • P-47D 42-75392 'Spunky' 377FS, 362FG, 9AF USAAF. Pilot 1st Lt Robert E Daw Jr KIA.

    P-47D 42-75392 'Spunky' 377FS, 362FG, 9AF USAAF. Pilot 1st Lt Robert E Daw Jr KIA.

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  • P-47D-30-RE #44-20425 Kentucky Colonel Code: B8-W 363rd FG - 379th FS Pilot - Fred Crutchfield

    P-47D-30-RE #44-20425 Kentucky Colonel Code: B8-W 363rd FG - 379th FS Pilot - Fred Crutchfield

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  • Aviation Cadet Alva Devere Bessey

    Aviation Cadet Alva Devere Bessey

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  • 2Lt. Alva Devere Bessey

    2Lt. Alva Devere Bessey

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  • 2Lt. Warner Harrison Marsh, Jr.

    2Lt. Warner Harrison Marsh, Jr.

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  • P-47 42-76437 'Street Cleaner' Belly landed after Bastogne mission 23-Dec-44.

    P-47 42-76437 'Street Cleaner' Belly landed after Bastogne mission 23-Dec-44.

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  • The unit insignia for the 379th Fighter Squadron was the

    The unit insignia for the 379th Fighter Squadron was the "Rarey Bird," named after George Rarey, the artist/P-47 pilot from the 362nd/379th who drew the critter - a scraggly parrot usually portrayed with a cigar in its mouth and a gun in its claw while perched on a skull. This is an image of the Rarey Bird from the leather squadron patch of P-47 armorer Sebastian Ramaci.

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  • "A powerful Republic P-47 Thunderbolt of the 9th Air force roars off, on to another mission from a dusty, steel-meshed runway somewhere in the liberated section of France." - P-47D 42-74676 362nd FG, seen here launching from Lignerolles airfield (A-12), France, their base from 2-Jul to 9-Aug-44.

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  • "After breakfast, the pilots are briefed on the targets for the day. L To R: 2nd Lt. Henry N. Bourquin, Union City, Nj.; Maj. Wilfred B. Crutchfield, Squadron Commander, Madisonville, Ky.; 1st Lt. Walter C. Whited, Birmingham, Ala.; Lt. Merle D. Richey, Dayto Ohio and Rockway Park NJ; and Capt Kenneth P Kuhn."

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The Group trained in P-47s and moved to England in November 1943. Arriving earlier than many other Ninth Air Force fighter groups, the pilots main occupation was escort work for heavy bombers. The Group's first mission on 8 February 1944 was one protecting B-24 bombers as they dropped their payload V weapon launching sites near Pais de Calais on the French north coast. The Group escorted large aircraft with a different kind of payload on D-Day when they accompanied C-47 aircraft carrying paratroopers about to deploy in the French interior. In July the Group moved to their first continental base at Lignerolles, north- France. From there they continued to strike targets in support of the Allied westwards push. The Group received a DUC for their role in disabling defences at Brest harbour on 25 August 1944. Their second DUC came from action over the Moselle-Rhine river triangle when the group were able to strike enemy targets on an armed reconnaissance mission for infantry forces below.

Structure

Part of
Encompassing
Previously was
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Became
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Missions

  • VIII Fighter Command FO 241 BOMBER ESCORT

    12 February 1944
    A combined force of 125 fighters of types: P-47 and P-51 provide escort to heavy bombers attacking at Siracourt, France. The despatch includes 84 P-47s from 4FG and IX Fighter Coommand 362FG. There are no losses or claims in this force. ...

  • VIII Fighter Command FO 245 BOMBER ESCORT

    20 February 1944
    A combined force of 835 fighters of types: P-38, P-47 and P-51 is assembled and despatched to provide escort to the first BIG WEEK mission heavy bombers attacking at Leipzig and Brunswick, Germany. The combined total of all claims against enemy...

  • 8th Air Force FO 246 BOMBER ESCORT

    21 February 1944
    A combined force of fighters of types: P-38; P-47; and P-51s are despatched to escort the heavy bombers attacking airfields in Germany. Mission Summary follows: ...

  • 8th Air Force FO 247 BOMBER ESCORT

    22 February 1944
    A combined force of 659 fighters of types: P-38; P-47 and P-51 are desdpatched to provide escort to the heavy bomber attacking the GErman aircraft industry on Day of of BIG WEEK. Mission Summary follows: ...

  • 8th Air Force FO 250 BOMBER ESCORT

    24 February 1944
    A combined force of 767 fighters of types: P-38; P-47 and P-51 are despatched to provide escort to the heavy bombers attacking the German aircraft industries at Gotha, Germany and the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt, Germany as part of Day 5 of BIG...

  • 8th Air Force FO 251 BOMBER ESCORT

    25 February 1944
    A combined force of 899 fighters of types: P-38; P-47 and P-51 are despatched to provide escort to heavy bombers attacking the German aircraft industries at Regensberg, Augsburg, Stuttgart and Furth, Germany in the final Day 6 operation of BIG WEEK....

  • 8th Air Force FO 257 BOMBER ESCORT

    2 March 1944
    Two separate fighter operations are utilized to escort the two heavy bomber operations attacking at Frankfurt, Germany and Chartres, France. ...

  • 8th Air Force FO 257 BOMBER ESCORT

    2 March 1944
    Two separate fighter operations are utilized to escort the two heavy bomber operations attacking at Frankfurt, Germany and Chartres, France. ...

  • 8th Air Force FO 259 BOMBER ESCORT

    3 March 1944
    A combined fighter force of 730 aircraft of types: P-38; P-47 and P-51 are despached to escort the heavy bombers despatched to bomb the primary targets of Berlin, Erkner and Oraneinburg, Germany. The P-38 elements were the first American aircraft to...

  • 8th Air Force FO 260 BOMBER ESCORT

    4 March 1944
    A combined force of 770 fighters of types: P-38; P-47 and P-51 are despatched to heavy bombers attacking at Berlin. The weather is terrible and many of the bomber formations either abort of seek Targets of Opportunity in the Ruhr valley. The P-38...

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Stations

Station Location Date
Based Wormingford 30 November 1943 – 13 April 1944
Based Headcorn 13 April 1944 – 2 July 1944
Based Lignerolles 2 July 1944 – 10 August 1944
Based Rennes 10 August 1944 – 19 September 1944
Based Prosnes 19 September 1944 – 5 November 1944
Based Verdun 5 November 1944 – 8 April 1945

Connections

People

  • Edward Abdallah

    Military | First Lieutenant | Thunderbolt fighter pilot | 362nd Fighter Group
    Shot down by enemy aircraft on the 8th of March 1944.

  • Roscoe Adams

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 362nd Fighter Group

  • Roy Alldritt

    Military | P-47 thunderbult pilot | 362nd Fighter Group
    ROY J. ALLDRITT, Bozeman, Montana, enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1940. After a few months of flight line experience helping crew B.18's and B.17's he attended a six months aircraft maintenance training school at Chanute Field, Ill. After...

  • James Ashford

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 362nd Fighter Group

  • George Askew

    Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 362nd Fighter Group
    Prisoner of War (POW)

  • Robert Barnes

    Military | Lieutenant | 362nd Fighter Group

  • Vernon Boehle

    Military | Major | Fighter pilot | 362nd Fighter Group
    A 71[Eagle] Sqn RAF Spitfire pilot, transferring to the 334th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF USAAF. ...

  • Walter Booth

    Military | Lieutenant | 362nd Fighter Group

  • Donald Clark

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Fighter Pilot | 362nd Fighter Group
    Don Clark, retired (age 93 as of 20 February 2016), was an original member of the 362nd Fighter Group, 377th Fighter Squadron (the Maulers). ...

  • Wilfred Crutchfield

    Military | Major | Fighter Pilot | 362nd Fighter Group

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Aircraft

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Citations

None

Air Force
9th
Type
Combat
Type category
Fighter
Nicknames

Mogin's Maulers

Motto
Not yet known
Insignia
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
01 February 2017 13:31:47 general ira snapsorter Changes to stations
Sources

Stations added with details from:
- "Battle Colors Volume III - Insignia and Tactical Markings of the Ninth Air Force in World War Two' by Robert A. Watkins;
- http://www.ixengineercommand.com/airfields/physical.php
Date Contributor Update
14 September 2016 17:47:33 millebr Changes to nicknames
Sources

Argunners.com
Date Contributor Update
13 March 2015 15:33:07 rossingtonj Changes to type and mission associations
Sources

Type added.
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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