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VIII Fighter Command

29 August 1942

Official description

Not yet known

Description

31FG despatches 36 Spitfires to patrol along the French coast; 1FG despatches 2 P-38s on a fighter intercept on enemy raiders. First use of P-38s by 8th AF in the ETO.

Mission details

1. PATROL- FRENCH COAST

Description

FIGHTER PATROL

Aircraft type

Spitfire

Notes

Patrol off of the French coast. This is the first mission for the 31st Fighter Group as a group even though individual squadrons of the 31st Fighter Group have been flying operations since 5-Aug-42.

Units

  • 31st Fighter Group

    31st Fighter Group

    Group
    The 31st Fighter Group only flew missions from England between June and September 1942 but during this period they supported the Dieppe raid, the assault on occupied Europe, predominantly by the Canadian army. The attack was forced into early retreat...

Mission Statistics

Number of aircraft Sent 36

2. ENGLISH CHANNEL

Description

FIGHTER INTERCEPT

Aircraft type

P-38 Lightning

Notes

Scramble to intercept enemy raiders. First use of P-38s in combat operations in ETO.

Units

  • 1st Fighter Group

    1st Fighter Group

    Group
    The 1st Fighter Group were initially deployed to Britain in the summer of 1942 as part of Operation Bolero. After shuttling through a number of different bases in the UK, the Group was reassigned to the Twelfth Air Force in September 1942 and supported...

Mission Statistics

Number of aircraft Sent 2

Service

People

  • Raymond Duke-Woolley

    Military | Wing Commander | Pilot / Wing and later Group commander | 4th Fighter Group
    Took command of Debden Wing [3 x Eagle Sqn] ...

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
26 October 2014 17:29:37 Lee8thbuff Changes to description
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Oct-2014. Mission description based on "Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:43:18 AAM AAM ingest
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'.

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