VIII Fighter Command
Command
VIII Fighter Command was established as VIII Interceptor Command at Selfridge Field on 2 February 1942.
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Richard W Busching
Military
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(L-R) Gen. Kepner, Col. James, LtCol. Jenkins, Maj. Webb, Maj. Joel and Capt. Busching at Nuthampstead.
Assigned to 338FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to HQ Sqn, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Detached Service (DS) VIII FC, 8AF USAAF.
Awards: AM(OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Service
Units served with
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55th Fighter Group
Group
The 55th Fighter Group were the first P-38 Lightning Group to go fully operational from England. The pilots flew long-range escort missions for bombers flying over occupied Europe and racked up 'kills' of their own by destroying enemy aircraft in... -
338th Fighter Squadron
Squadron
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Headquarters (55th Fighter Group)
Headquarters
Associated Place
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Wormingford
Military site : airfield
Wormingford was a Royal Flying Corps/RAF anti-Zeppelin aircraft Landing Ground First World War, rebuilt for the Eighth Air Force 1942-43. It was a Ninth Air Force base from 1943-44, and home to the 362nd Fighter Group. Switching back to the Eighth Air...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Story County, IA, USA | 5 March 1918 |
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Son of Louis William and Alta C [Witt] Busching. |
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| Lived in | Ames, IA, USA | 1941 |
| Enlisted | Fort Des Moines Park, 7200 SE 5th St, Des Moines, IA 50315, USA | 8 February 1941 |
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Fort Des Moines |
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| Based | Wormingford | 30 September 1942 – 8 March 1944 |
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Assigned to 338FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Promotion | Wormingford, UK | 30 November 1942 |
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Promoted to Captain. |
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| Promotion | Wormingford, UK | 11 April 1943 |
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Promoted to Major. |
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| Based | Wormingford | 8 March 1944 – 26 June 1944 |
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Transferred to HQ Sqn, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Detached Service (DS) | 26 June 1944 – 18 July 1944 | |
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Detached Service (DS) VIII FC, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Died | December 1985 | |
| Buried | Elkader, IA 52043, USA | December 1985 |
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Elkader Cemetery |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 20 August 2017 13:48:46 | Al_Skiff | Changes to service number, role, biography, awards, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.station131.co.uk/55th/Pilots/Busching%20Richard%20W%20Maj.htm |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 October 2016 13:41:31 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to highest rank |
| Sources | ||
Merged with duplicate entry to include details from: |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:22:47 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list |
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