World War Photos

P-47M 44-21237 “Marion, North Dakota Kid” (nose art) LM-C of the 56th Fighter Group in flight. Thunderbolt flown by 2/Lt. Walter Sharbo

56th Fighter Group – overview

Assigned Eighth Air Force: 12 January 1943

Wing & Command Assignments:

• VIII Fighter Command: 12 January 1943
• VIII FC, 4th Air Defense Wing: 30 June 1943
• VIII FC, 65th Fighter Wing: 7 August 1943
• 2nd Bombardment Division, 65th Fighter Wing: 15 September 1944
• 2nd Air Division, 65th Fighter Wing: 1 January 1945

Component Squadrons:

• 61st Fighter Squadron
• 62nd Fighter Squadron
• 63rd Fighter Squadron

Combat Aircraft:

• P-47C-2 and C-5: February 1943 to April 1943
• P-47D (Blocks 1 to 30): June 1943 to March 1945
• P-47M: January 1945 to September 1945

Stations:

• Kings Cliffe: 13 January 1943 – 5 April 1943
• Horsham St Faiths: 5 April 1943 – 8 July 1943
• Halesworth: 8 July 1943 – 18 April 1944
• Boxted: 18 April 1944 – 9 September 1945
• Little Walden: 9 September 1945 – 10 October 1945

Group Commanding Officers (COs):

• Col Hubert A. Zemke: 1 September 1942 – 30 October 1943
• Col Robert B. Landry: 30 October 1943 – 11 January 1944
• Col Hubert A. Zemke: 19 January 1944 – 12 August 1944
• Col David C. Schilling: 12 August 1944 – 27 January 1945
• Lt Col Lucian A. Dade Jr: 27 January 1945 – August 1945
• Lt Col Donald D. Renwick: August 1945 – October 1945
• (Lt Col Schilling acted as CO from 11 January 1944 to 18 January 1944)

First Mission: 13 April 1943

Last Mission: 21 April 1945

Total Missions: 447

Aircraft Missing in Action (MIA): 128

Enemy Aircraft Claims:

• Air-to-Air Victories: 674
• Ground Victories: 311

Major Awards:

• Two Distinguished Unit Citations:
  • 20 February 1944 – 9 March 1944: Destroying 98 enemy aircraft.
  • 18 September 1944: Holland, in support of airborne forces.

Claims to Fame:

• Destroyed more enemy aircraft in air combat than any other 8th Air Force fighter group.
• Had more fighter aces than any other USAAF group.
• Top-scoring fighter aces, Francis Gabreski and Robert Johnson, flew with the 56th.
• First USAAF group to fly the P-47.
• Only 8th Air Force group to fly the P-47 throughout hostilities.

History:

• Activated: 15 January 1941 at Savannah Army Air Base, Georgia.
• Initial Equipment: Small number of P-39s and P-40s.
• Training Locations: Charlotte Army Air Base, NC; Charleston Municipal Airport, SC; various New York airfields (including Mitchel Field, NY).
• Received First P-47B: June 1942.
• Overseas Movement: Sailed on Queen Elizabeth on 6 January 1943, arriving in Gourock, Scotland, on 11 January 1943.
• Aircraft: Sent to depots in September 1945; remaining personnel moved to Little Walden.
• Return to the USA: October 1945, sailed on Queen Mary on 11 October 1945, arriving in New York on 16 October 1945.
• Inactivated: 18 October 1945 at Camp Kilmer, NJ.

Aircraft Markings:

• P-47C/D/M Thunderbolts (January 1943 – September 1945):

  • Initial Markings: Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray.
  • Squadron Identification: White type identity markings from late February 1943; specific numbers used for squadron identification.
  • Squadron Codes: HV (61st FS), LM (62nd FS), UN (63rd FS).
  • Bright Colors for Squadron Recognition: Introduced in February 1944 with red, yellow, and light blue nose bands.
  • VIII Fighter Command Group Colors: March 1944, all nose bands painted red; rudders of 61st FS painted red, 62nd FS yellow, 63rd FS in factory camouflage or bare metal.
  • Field Camouflage: From April 1944, various patterns, including Dark Green, Ocean Grey, and unique combinations for squadron aircraft.
  • P-47M Camouflage (January 1945):
    • 61st FS: Matt black upper surfaces, red code letters outlined in white, and red tail numbers.
    • 62nd FS: Green and grey patterning, yellow code letters and tail numbers.
    • 63rd FS: Two shades of blue (Dark Mediterranean Blue and Azure Blue), with bare metal code letters.

• Operational Training Unit (OTU) P-47Ds:

  • Markings: No distinguishing features other than the “WW” tag on tail fins, individual letters annotated with bars.

• P-38J Droop Snoot: Briefly used in August 1944, coded HV with red spinners, cowling bands, and the red rudder marking of the 61st FS.