P-38G “Gentleman – Bad Penny”, pilot: Capt Lloyd DeMoss of the 49th FS, 14th FG
14th Fighter Group within 8th AF
The 14th Fighter Group was a significant unit in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Originally part of the Eighth Air Force, it later transitioned to the Twelfth Air Force, where it played a critical role in operations across North Africa and Italy.
Command Assignments
- Assigned to Eighth Air Force: 18 August 1942 – 14 September 1942
- Wing & Command Assignments:
- VIII Fighter Command (VIII FC), 6th Fighter Wing (FW): August 1942 – 14 September 1942
Component Squadrons
- 48th Fighter Squadron (FS)
- 49th Fighter Squadron (FS)
- 50th Fighter Squadron (FS): Although part of the group, the air echelon only reached the UK, and the squadron did not participate in combat operations with the 14th Fighter Group during this time.
Combat Aircraft
- P-38F Lightning: The primary aircraft flown during its time with the Eighth Air Force.
Stations
- Atcham: 18 August 1942 – 6 November 1942
- Air Echelon Arrival: 28 July – early August 1942
- Ground Echelon Departure: 30 October 1942
- Ford: Part of the 48th FS was stationed here from 11 October 1942 to 26 October 1942.
- Tangmere: Part of the 49th FS was stationed here from 11 October 1942 to 26 October 1942.
Commanding Officer
- Col. Thayer S. Olds: 18 April 1941 – 28 January 1943
Mission Details
- First Mission: 2 October 1942
- Last Mission: 21 October 1942
History
- Activation: Activated on 15 January 1941 at Hamilton Field, California.
- Early Movements:
- June 1941: Moved to March Field, California.
- February 1942: Returned to Hamilton Field to equip with P-38s.
- Deployment to the UK:
- Ground Echelon: Departed on 16 July 1942, sailed on the USS West Point, arriving in Liverpool on 17 August 1942.
- Air Echelon: Departed from Bradley Field, Connecticut, on 1 July 1942, flying P-38s to the UK via the northern ferry route. The first aircraft left Presque Isle on 22 July 1942.
- 50th Fighter Squadron: The squadron remained in Iceland and did not rejoin the group. Its ground echelon at Atcham was later transferred to the 4th Fighter Group.
- Operations: Conducted sweeps and practice missions under RAF guidance from Ford and Tangmere airfields.
- Reassignment:
- On 14 September 1942, the group was assigned to the Twelfth Air Force (XII FC) but continued to operate under VIII FC until its relocation.
- Ground Echelon: Left Atcham on 30 October 1942, sailed on the USS Brazil and USS Uruguay from Liverpool, arriving in Oran on 10 November 1942.
- Air Echelon: Departed for Portreath on 6 November 1942 and flew to North Africa between 10-14 November 1942.
- Subsequent Operations: Fought with the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa and later with the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy, focusing primarily on bomber escort duties.
Aircraft Markings and Color Schemes
P-38F Lightnings (August – October 1942)
- Colors: Standard Dark Olive Drab upper surfaces and Neutral Gray undersurfaces.
- Initial Markings:
- The aircraft bore standard U.S. national insignia and unit markings.
- Command stripes were the only unit-specific markings on arrival, with the squadron CO’s aircraft featuring two 5-inch wide stripes, 5 inches apart, encircling the fuselage booms aft of the radiator housings. The colors were:
- Red for the 48th Fighter Squadron.
- Yellow for the 49th Fighter Squadron.
- Flight commanders had single stripes in the appropriate colors.
- September 1942 Updates:
- A 2-inch yellow surround was added to the fuselage national insignia.
- Squadron code letters were added to the fuselage tail booms:
- 48th FS: “ES” in Sky S color.
- 49th FS: “QU” in Sky S color.
- Typically, the squadron code was painted on the radiator housing, and the individual aircraft letter was placed on the rear boom, separated by a hyphen. The letters, approximately 20 inches high, were sometimes outlined in yellow.