353rd Fighter Group

8th Air Force 353 FG

Squadrons of the 353rd FG

350th Fighter Squadron:
351st Fighter Squadron:
352nd Fighter Squadron:

Assigned 8th AAF: 6 July 1943

Wing/Command Assignment

VIII FC: 7 Jun. 1943
VIII FC, 66 FW: 18 Aug.1943.
3 BD, 66 FW: 15 Sep. 1943.
3 AD, 66 FW: 1 Jan. 1945

Combat Aircraft:

P-47D Jul. 1943 - 10 Nov. 1944
P-51 D 2 Oct. 1944
P-51K Dec.1944

Stations

GOXHILL 7 Jun. 1943 - 3 Aug.1943
METFIELD 3 Aug. 1943 - 12 Apr. 1944
RAYDON 12 Apr. 1944 - 10 Oct. 1945

Group COs

Lt Col Joseph A. Morris: 15 Oct. 1942 - 16 Aug. 1943, MIA.
Lt Col Loren G. McCollom: 18 Aug. 1943 - 25 Nov. 1943, POW.
Col Glenn E. Duncan: 25 Nov. 1943 - 7 Jul. 1944, MIA - evaded.
Col Ben Rimerman: 7 Jul. 1944 - 21 Apr. 1945.
Col Glenn E. Duncan: 22 Apr. 1945 - 9 Sep. 1945.
Lt Col William B. Bailey: 9 Sep. 1945 - 24 Sep. 1945.
Lt Col Robert A. Elder: 24 Sep. 1945 - Oct. 1945

First Mission: 12 Aug. 1943
Last Mission: 3 May 1945
Total sorties:447
Aircraft MIA: 137

Claims: Air 330 air; 414 ground.

Major Awards:

Distinguished Unit Citation: 17 - 23 Sep. 1944: support of airborne landings in Holland

Unit Claims to Fame

Pioneered the P-47 dive-bombing and ground attack technique adopted by both 8 and 9 AFs.
Walter Beckham was leading 8AF ace at time of his loss

Early History:

Activated 1 Oct. 1942 at Mitchel Field, NY. Unit established at Richmond AAB, Va. thereafter transferring to Baltimore MAP, Md. Iate in Oct. 1942. Trained with P-40s until Feb. 1943 when a few P-47s were assigned. Continued training with P-47s until alerted for overseas movement on May 1943. Sailed on the Queen Mary on 1 Jun. 1943 and arriving at Clyde on 6 Jun.1943.

Subsequent History:

Many personnel transferred after VE-day. The aircraft were sent to depots on Aug 1945. The group returned to the US on Oct. 1945, Group then sailed on the Queen Mary from Southampton on 11 Oct.1945 and arrived in New York on the 16 Oct.1945. Group re-established at Camp Kilmer and inactivated there on 18 Oct. 1945. Redesignated the 116 FG and allotted to Ga ANG in May 1946. Equiped with F-80s and later F-84 aircraft. Group was sent to Korean war from Jul. 1951 to Jul. 1952, then redesignated as a regular USAF wing. 116 FG reestablished in Ga ANG, later redesignated as a transport unit flying C-97 and then C-124. On 9 Aug. 1943 353FG provided 16 aircraft to fly as fourth sqdn. with 56th FG.