10th Fighter Squadron

Squadron
media-30460.jpeg UPL 30460 Two propellers of P-47D-10-RE (no.42-75116) at the site it crashed, near Lymington, on the 19th of April 1944. The pilot 2nd Lt. Edwin R. Johnston had been in collision with the aircraft of Capt. William R. Fleming and both crashed, Fleming was killed.

My photograph taken at low tide, about the year 2000.

Object Number - UPL 30460 - Two propellers of P-47D-10-RE (no.42-75116) at the site it crashed, near Lymington, on the 19th of April 1944. The pilot 2nd Lt. Edwin R. Johnston...

50th Fighter Group (Special). The group moved to the European Theater of Operations in the Spring 1944 expansion of Ninth Air Force in England in preparation for Operation Overlord. It flew its first combat mission on 1 May 1944. Lymington USAAF Station 551) based 10th Fighter Squadron (T-5) flying P-47s flew close air support over the Normandy Beaches 06-06-44.

RAF Lymington ALG (Advanced Landing Ground) was constructed in the summer of 1943 in preparation for the invasion of mainland Europe. However, it was not occupied until April 1944 when three US squadrons (10th FS, 81st FS, 313th FS) of the 50th Fighter Group arrived. These squadrons were equipped with Thunderbolt fighters and flew numerous missions over the D-Day period, before they departed to an airfield in France on June 24th. After that only a small holding party remained at the airfield and little flying took place before the site was broken down in spring 1945. There is some suggestion that the airfield was a prototype for construction methods for the airfields that would be built in France, but this is not confirmed.



20 June 44 -10th FS moved to A-10 Carentan, France.



49°18'17"N 001°11'06"W



runway: 08/26 - 1524x35m/5000x120ft - SMT



Carentan airfield (Advanced Landing Ground A-10 Carentan, in French: Aèrodrome de Carentan) was an Advanced Landing Ground near Utah Beach in Normandy, France

The airfield was built just east of Carentan by 826 Engineer Aviation Battalion from 15 June 1944. It was taken into limited service only 4 days later. Its 35 meter wide landing track (Square Mesh Track) was extended on both sides by taxi tracks, effectively making for a 100 meter wide landing strip. The southern taxi track doubled as an emergency crash-runway.

On 19 June 1944 P-47s Thunderbolts of 50 Fighter Group, part of 84 Fighter Wing of 9th Air Force, took up residence at the airfield. It's first squadron (313, coded W3) arrived the same day. The other two squadrons (10FS, coded T5, and 81FS, coded 2N) arrived a day later. On 22 July the station received another unit, when P-38J Lightnings of 392FS (coded H5), belonging to 367FG, took up residence. The Lightnings arrived shortly after a tragedy near Cotentin. Being part of a large 14 squadron effort to bomb and strafe German positions from low level, the unit was last to attack. Obviously, by this time German flak was expecting them, and the unit took a heavy loss. 14 pilots were killed, one taken prisoner, and commander RC "Buck" Rogers returned to base with only 7 aircraft left. 392FS remained until 15 August 1944, leaving for Cricqueville to join its two sister squadrons. 50FG left the next day for Méautis airfield.

Connections

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Unit stations

Station Location Date

Based

Lymington

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 50th Fighter Group 10th Fighter Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 50th Fighter Group 10th Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-793601
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Role/Job: Fighter pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 50th Fighter Group 10th Fighter Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-812097
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 10th Fighter Squadron 50th Fighter Group
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

A P-47 Thunderbolt (serial number 42-76369) of the 50th Fighter Group, escorting a bomber.
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 50th Fighter Group 10th Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 84th Fighter Wing 50th Fighter Group 10th Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Town of Paggett, Arkansas
  • Unit: 353rd Fighter Group 4th Fighter Group 50th Fighter Group 10th Fighter Squadron 335th Fighter Squadron 351st Fighter Squadron

Revisions

Date
ContributorMcMike
Changes
Sources

Updated

Date
ContributorMcMike
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Typo corrected

Date
ContributorMcMike
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MW McKendry research

Date
ContributorMcMike
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Michael McKendry

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

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)

10th Fighter Squadron: Gallery (2 items)