301st Fighter Squadron

Squadron
media-24802.jpeg UPL 24802 1LT Frederick Funderburg, Jr.
Fighter Pilot
332nd Fighter Group - 301st Fighter Squadron - 15th AF
MIA?KIA - 19 December 1944

Object Number - UPL 24802 - 1LT Frederick Funderburg, Jr. Fighter Pilot 332nd Fighter Group - 301st Fighter Squadron - 15th AF MIA?KIA - 19 December 1944

The 301st was one of four African-American fighter squadrons to enter combat during World War II.



One of the famous all-black squadrons of the 332d Fighter Group, it was activated on 19 February 1942 at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama, but remained largely unmanned until it arrived at Selfridge Field, Michigan late in March 1943. There it received a full complement of personnel and the squadron began operational training with Bell P-39 Airacobra and Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft. The unit completed training in December 1943 and prepared to move overseas.



The squadron sailed in early January 1944 aboard the SS William Few and arrived in Italy in early February 1944, becoming part of the Twelfth Air Force in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. The 301st flew its first combat mission on 19 February 1944. The squadron became engaged in various missions, including harbor protection, point-to-point patrol, convoy escort, and armed reconnaissance. It also performed air rescue and strafing missions. In May 1944 the 301st was reassigned to the Fifteenth Air Force and thereafter the squadron’s primary duty was providing escort for bombers striking enemy oil and industrial targets in central Europe and the Balkans. Although initially equipped with P-39 and P-47 aircraft, in June 1944 the squadron received P-51 aircraft which they retained throughout the remainder of the war.



In August 1944, the unit attacked enemy positions on the French coast in preparation for the invasion of southern France. They escorted bombers of the Fifteenth Air Force in attacks on the assault beaches on 15 August 1944. After this they returned to escorting heavy bombers to targets in Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Romania. They also attacked targets of opportunity, including enemy airdromes, troop concentrations, communications lines, and enemy aircraft when the opportunity arose. The unit received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its performance during an escort to Berlin on 23 March 1945. The squadron, along with other squadrons of the 332d group, fought off a large enemy force, including jets, allowing the bomber formation to complete their mission. The 301st flew its last mission in Europe on 30 April 1945. On 30 September 1945, the 301st sailed for the United States aboard the SS Levi Woodbury and arrived at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey on 17 October 1945. The squadron was inactivated on 19 October 1945.

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Encompassing

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 332nd Fighter Group 301st Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-811240
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 332nd Fighter Group 301st Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-817585
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 332nd Fighter Group 301st Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-817588
  • Highest Rank: Major
  • Role/Job: Pilot
Newly arrived American prisoners of war with their luggage at Stalag Luft III, Sagan, amongst them Alexander Jefferson a Black airman of the 332nd Fighter Group.
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 332nd Fighter Group 100th Fighter Squadron 301st Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-819461
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 332nd Fighter Group 301st Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-797222
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Nicknames: Hazel II
  • Unit: 52nd Fighter Group 5th Fighter Squadron 332nd Fighter Group 301st Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Unit: 332nd Fighter Group 301st Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Unit: 332nd Fighter Group 301st Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-39 Airacobra
  • Unit: 332nd Fighter Group 301st Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Unit: 332nd Fighter Group 301st Fighter Squadron

Revisions

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Contributoracbernstein1
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Sources

AAMB Media Archive

Date
Contributor466thHistorian
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301st Fighter Squadron: Gallery (3 items)