8th Air Force Field Order 372

6 June 1944

Description

D-Day. Start of Operation Overlord.

Mission Details

Normandy

Description: FIGHTER TACTICAL MISSIONS

Notes: 182 P-47s and 218 P-51s attack ground targets and 49 P-47s and 17 P-51s provide cover.

Mission Statistics

  • Aircraft sent: 466

Connections

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

People

Kal Gladstone

  • 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

Frederic Colbert Gray

  • 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

William A Guilfoyle

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 82nd Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-421077
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Wallace R Hailey

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 84th Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-806668
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot

Jack W Hayes

  • 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

Aircraft

42-26353

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Lady Katherine
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter Squadron

42-27605

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter Squadron
A P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft (serial number 42-27606), converted to a two-seater aircraft. The black and white “checkerboard” cowling identifies the aircraft as being in the 78th Fighter Group, and the red tailfin marking denotes it as part of the 82nd Squadron. Handwritten on slide casing:"2-seat P-47 78FG Mount Farm R. Astrella"

42-27606

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter Squadron 84th Fighter Squadron

42-74694

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Joker
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 84th Fighter Squadron

42-75196

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Lil Eva
  • Unit: 78th Fighter Group 83rd 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'.