357th Fighter Group

Group
The insignia of the 357th Fighter Group. media-395207.jpg FRE 5264 The insignia of the 357th Fighter Group. Roger Freeman Collection

IWM, Roger Freeman Collection

Object Number - FRE 5264 - The insignia of the 357th Fighter Group.

The 357th Fighter Group was the first P-51 Mustang Group in the Eighth Air Force, training with them from November 1943 at Raydon, England and entering combat with them in the February of the following year from their new base at Leiston. The Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations, first for defending bombers on what was their first mission over Berlin on 6 March 1944 and on a mission over Leipzig on 29 June 1944. The second was awarded for breaking up a group of enemy aircraft endangering bombers and destroying many of them on mission over Derben, Germany on 14 January 1945. On this mission the Group made a claim for 56 air victories, the highest enemy aircraft claim for a single mission.

Connections

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Unit stations

Station Location Date

Based

Raydon 30 November 1943 - 31 January 1944

Based

Leiston 31 January 1944 - 8 July 1945

Encompassing

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 357th Fighter Group 363rd Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-540379, T-960
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 357th Fighter Group 362nd Fighter Group 364th Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-441009
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 357th Fighter Group 363rd Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 17113623 at enlistment, then O-700316
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 357th Fighter Group 362nd Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-745503
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 357th Fighter Group 362nd Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 19099499 / O-745510
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Unit: 357th Fighter Group 362nd Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Unit: 357th Fighter Group 364th Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Unit: 357th Fighter Group Headquarters (357th Fighter Group)
  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Unit: 357th Fighter Group
  • Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
  • Nicknames: Baby Mike
  • Unit: 357th Fighter Group 362nd Fighter Squadron

Revisions

Date
Contributorusxpat
Changes
Date
Contributorrossingtonj
Changes
Sources

Type added.

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Dates at different bases in England: http://www.8thafhs.org/fighter/357fg.htm

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
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)

357th Fighter Group: Gallery (377 items)