P-38 Lightning “FILLY FROM PHILLY IV” code LC-R 20th Fighter Group, 77th FS
20th Fighter Group – Overview
Command Assignments
- Assigned to Eighth Air Force: 25 August 1943
- Wing & Command Assignments:
- VIII Fighter Command (VIII FC): 25 August 1943
- VIII FC, 67th Fighter Wing (FW): 6 October 1943
- 1st Bombardment Division (BD), 67th FW: 15 September 1944
- 1st Air Division (AD), 67th FW: 1 January 1945
Component Squadrons
- 55th Fighter Squadron (FS)
- 77th Fighter Squadron (FS)
- 79th Fighter Squadron (FS)
Combat Aircraft
- P-38H Lightning: August 1943 – 11 December 1943 (non-operational)
- P-38J Lightning: In combat from 28 December 1943 to 21 July 1944
- P-51C-10-NT and P-51D Mustang: In combat from 20 July 1944
- P-51K Mustang: From December 1944
Stations
- Kings Cliffe: 26 August 1943 – 11 October 1945
Commanding Officers
- Col. Barton M. Russell: c. 20 August 1943 – 2 March 1944
- Lt. Col. Mark E. Hubbard: 2 March 1944 – 18 March 1944 (MIA)
- Lt. Col. Harold J. Rau: 20 March 1944 – 25 June 1944
- Lt. Col. Cy Wilson: 25 June 1944 – 27 August 1944 (MIA/POW)
- Col. Harold J. Rau: 27 August 1944 – 18 December 1944
- Col. Robert P. Montgomery: 18 December 1944 – 3 October 1945
- Acting COs:
- Maj. Hubert E. Johnson Jr.: 19-20 March 1944
- Maj. Jack C. Price: 3-11 October 1945
Mission Details
- First Mission: 28 December 1943
- Last Mission: 25 April 1945
- Total Missions: 312
- Aircraft MIA: 132
- Enemy Aircraft Claims: 212 Air, 237 Ground
Major Awards
- Distinguished Unit Citation: 8 April 1944, for a sweep over Germany.
Claims to Fame
- Oldest USAAF group to be assigned to the 8th Air Force for an extended period.
- Best P-51 maintenance record of any 8th Air Force group during the latter months of the war.
History
- Activation: The group was activated on 15 November 1930 at Mather Field, California, as the 20th Pursuit Group.
- Early Years:
- The group was stationed at Barksdale Field, Louisiana, from late 1932 until late 1939. During this period, they were equipped with aircraft like the P-12, P-26, and P-36.
- In November 1939, the group moved to California and transitioned to flying P-39s and later P-40s.
- World War II Service:
- The group moved to North Carolina in 1942 and later to Paine Field, Washington.
- In January 1943, they were established at March Field, California, and began transitioning to P-38s.
- Initially scheduled for service with the 8th Air Force in January 1942, the group was not deployed overseas until August 1943. Both air and ground echelons departed in August, sailing on the Queen Elizabeth and arriving in Clyde on 25 August 1943.
- End of War:
- The group was gradually run down towards the end of the war, with many personnel transferred and aircraft flown to depots for disposal. The remaining personnel stayed in the UK until October 1945.
- The group sailed back to the U.S. on the Queen Mary from Southampton on 11 October 1945, arriving in New York on 16 October 1945. They moved to Camp Kilmer, NJ, where the group was inactivated on 18 October 1945.
Aircraft Markings and Color Schemes
P-38H/J Lightnings (September 1943 – July 1944)
- P-38H: Non-operational with standard Olive Drab and Neutral Gray camouflage and yellow tail numbers.
- Squadron Code Letters:
- 55th FS: “KI”
- 77th FS: “LC”
- 79th FS: “MC”
- These were painted in white, 18 inches high by 9 inches wide, on the fuselage booms. Initially, some codes were split, with one letter on the left side radiator housing and the other aft, separated by a hyphen.
- P-38J: Entered combat in December 1943 with the same squadron codes and camouflage colors. In early 1944, geometric devices were added for improved recognition:
- 55th FS: Triangle
- 77th FS: Circle
- 79th FS: Square
- These were painted in white on the outside of the vertical tails, approximately 30 inches at their widest point. Tail numbers were often obliterated or repainted in yellow or black.
- Bare Metal Finish: The first bare metal-finish P-38Js arrived in February 1944, with markings in black instead of white.
- Identification Markings: In March 1944, spinners and a 12-inch band on the engine cowlings were painted Identification Yellow. Hyphens between squadron codes and individual letters were not used on replacement aircraft after March 1944. April saw the introduction of Droopsnoot markings, an 8-inch white band around the nose.
P-51C/D/K Mustangs (July 1944 – September 1945)
- P-51C/D/K: All Mustangs received were in metal finish, with some given dark green camouflage on wing and tail upper surfaces and along the fuselage spine. This practice was discontinued in the autumn of 1944.
- Squadron Codes: Standard positioning, size, and color for P-51s. The individual letter was also painted on the black squadron geometric device on the vertical tail.
- Group Marking: A new group marking was introduced, featuring a black and white nose pattern:
- From the spinner tip rearward, 12 inches were painted white, and the next 15 inches were left black. The first 11 inches of the cowling remained black, followed by a 5-inch wide white stripe encircling the nose.
- Additional Markings: In November 1944, a more prominent group marking was introduced with black and white bars extending back from the cowling.
- OTU P-51B/Cs: Standard group markings with black spinners. The “War Weary” marking was carried on the geometric tail device in white.