VIII Air Force Composite Command
Command
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Group
The 495th Fighter Training Group, which operated in England from December 1943, trained P-47 Thunderbolt pilots. These pilots, who had received the basic training in the USA would be assigned to a training group to practise ETO operational procedures and gunnery from the UK before being assigned to the Eighth or Ninth Air Forces.
Command
Wing
Squadron
Squadron
Headquarters
Station | Location | Date |
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Based | Atcham |
Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 495th Fighter Training Group
Assigned to 84FS, 78FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 552FTS, 495FTG 8AF USAAF as instructor. P-47C 41-6234 lost engine on local training flight on 9 Jan 1944. A/C broke out of undercast too low and crashed into a plowed field near Loughborough,...
Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 495th Fighter Training Group
Assigned to 61FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF. Baled out during navigation mission when visual contact with leader was lost in overcast in P-47 41-6401 31-Dec-43. Returned to Duty RTD. Transferred to 495FTG 8AF USAAF.
Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Flight Officer | Fighter Pilot | 356th Fighter Group
Assigned to 495FTG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 361FS, 356FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 3rd Gunnery & Tow Target Flight. Transferred to 368FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF. Ended Tour of Duty (ETD).
Awards: AM (OLC), PH, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Flight Officer | Fighter Pilot | 495th Fighter Training Group
Assigned to 334FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 336FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 495FTG, 8AF USAAF.
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 495th Fighter Training Group
Assigned to 63FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 495FTG, 8AF USAAF.
Awards: DFC, AM (2OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 361st Fighter Group
Assigned to 495FTG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 375FS, 361FG, 8AF USAAF. Credited with 5.5 destroyed, 2 damaged. Destroyed 3 x Bf109's on a single mission dated 20-Jul-44. Brought down strafing rail carriages, ammunition carriage exploded as he flew over...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Military Occupation Specialty 911-Armorer | 384th Bomb Group
Assigned from the 495th Fighter Training Group to the 443rd Sub-Depot effective 16 March 1945 on AAF Station Special Orders #59 dated 17 March 1945.
Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 495th Fighter Training Group
Assigned to 84FS, 78FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 6th Fighter Wing. Transferred to 84FS, 78FG, 8AF USAAF.
Transferred to 495FTG.
EOW.
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 356th Fighter Group
August 1944-April 1945; P-5l PIá? /Margie Darling/
...
Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 495th Fighter Training Group
Theatre familiarisation with 552FTS, 495FTG, 8AF USAAF. Assigned to 61FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF. End of War (EOW).
...
P-47 Thunderbolt
This aircraft was the mount of Captains Walter J. Hollander and Stanley M. M. Anderson of the 334th fighter Squadron whilst it was with the 4th Fighter Group.
...
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to 551FTS, 495FTG, 8AF USAAF. W/W Hack for 61FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF. Formation monitor for the 91st Bomb Group at Bassingbourn.
P-47 Thunderbolt
P-38 Lightning
Built as a P-38J by Lockheed, field modified to 'Droop Snoot*' configuration as the first full prototype of type. Trials A/C, later used operationaly as well. Led formations of 20th and 44th FG P-38's on bombing raid 10-4-44.
...
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned 335th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF. 9-43. Forced Landing Engine Failure Cat 4 damage, pilot Clemens A Fiedler, Debden/Sta 356. 2-9-43. ROS, Assigned 551FTS, 495FTG, 8th AF. 9-44, Mid Air Collision with Thunderbolt 42-74640 Cat 5, pilot 2nd Lt John D...
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to 334FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 551st Fighter Training Squadron 495th Fighter Training Group 8AF USAAF. During formation immelman manoeuvre, aborted manoeuvre and in recovery A/C stalled and 'flicked' into a spin. Pilot baled out from...
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. One-time personal aircraft of (then) Lt. Fonzo "Snuffy" D. Smith. Transferred to 551FTS, 495FTG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 493FS, 48FG, 9AF USAAF.
P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47C Thunderbolt initially with 82FS, 78FG, 8AF transferred to 551FTS, 495FTG, 8AF.
...
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to the 351FS, 353FG, 8AF USAAF. On 7-Sep-43 the aircraft, piloted by 1LT Vernon A. Leatherman, made a crash landing at Westleton, Suffolk, UK when it ran out of gas returning from an mission escorting B-17s in the attack on the German airfield...
Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire AD564 Mk Vb, Built at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory.
...
None
Date | Contributor | Update |
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13 March 2015 15:28:26 | rossingtonj | Changes to type |
Sources | ||
Type added. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:42:46 | AAM | AAM ingest |
Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / 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) |