|
81st Fighter Group
Honor
Roll
| Emblem: |
Approved
2 Mar 1943, for use by the 81st Fighter Group |
| Significance: |
The
wing’s mission is symbolized by the fabled fiery
dragon,
a creature adopted in medieval times with the thought of intimidating
enemies.
The dragon’s breath of fire renders all opposition
useless,
while the stylized boll weevil clutched in the dragon’s claw is
suggestive
of the enemy. |
| Motto: |
Le
Nom-Les Armes-La Louaute (The Name, The Arms, and Loyalty) |
Source: http://www.armyairforces.com/dbgroups.asp?Group=102
81st
Fighter Group (dragon was the 81st FG crest, had no Squadron patch's till mid
1950s)
Bestowed
Honors. Authorized to display honors earned by the 81st Fighter Group prior to 1
May 1948.
Service
Streamers. None.
Campaign
Streamers. World War II: Algeria-French Morocco; Tunisia; Naples-Foggia; Anzio;
Rome-Arno; Air Combat, EAME Theater; China Defensive, China Offensive.
Decorations. None.
Emblem
Or a dragon salient wings
displayed and addorsed Azure armed and langued Gules, incensed proper, holding
in its dexter claw a stylized boll weevil Sable.
Motto: LE NOM LES ARMES
LA LOYAUTE - The name, the arms, and loyalty.
Approved for the 81st
Group on 2 Mar 1943 and the 81st Wing on 14 May 1956 (152220 A.C.).
Men of the 81st FG date
and location unknown to me
| Group |
Group Type |
Motto |
| 81st |
Fighter |
Le Nom - Les Armes - La Loyaute: The Name, The
Arms, and Loyalty |
| Sqdn |
Code |
Type |
Dates |
Comment |
| 91st |
Unknown
to me
|
Fighter |
1942-1945 |
There were no approved squadron emblems for
the 91st, 92 and 93rd FS during the early years
Leather
patch used from May 44-Dec 45 P-47, CBI
Emblem: On
a disc of thirteen alternating vertical stripes, white and red,
a horizontal upper division blue. The disc piped yellow,
thereon, a wing and a cloud, white, pierced with a lightning
flash yellow. (Approved 14 Jun 1951.
|
| 92nd |
Unknown
to me
|
Fighter |
1942-1945 |
Unknown (to me) date of introduction
Emblem: An
irregular shaped figure, divided palewise by cloud-like
formation, yellow and ultramarine blue, charged in sinister
segment with a white skull facing toward dexter, and having an
orange lightning flash issuing from the mouth and a like flash
from the eye, all within a border divided palewise, ultramarine
blue and light green. (Approved 30 Jun 1945.) |
| 93rd |
Q
|
Fighter |
1942-1945 |
Leather Patch Unknown (to me) date of introduction
Emblem: On
a blue disc edged black, a white cloud; issuing from base, a
snow-capped mountain peak; standing on the mountain peak and
surmounting the cloud, a caricatured bird, black with gray head,
breast and tail, Air Force golden yellow beak and talons, red
eye and breast markings, his wings folded and supporting behind
his back a heavy brown wooden club pierced with a
"wicked-looking black spike; details black throughout. (Approved
6 Aug 1958.)
|
|
| Aircraft |
|
|
| Type |
Name |
Manufacturer |
Years |
| P-39 |
Airacobra |
Bell |
1942-1944 |
| P-38 |
Lightning |
Lockheed |
1943-1944 |
| P-40 |
Warhawk |
Curtiss |
1944 |
| P-47 |
Thunderbolt |
Republic
Black Left to Right Horizontal Bar
White Vertical Bar
|
1944-1945
|
|
P-47, 91FS, 81FG Hsian, China |
| History |
|
|
| Constituted as 81st Pursuit Group (Intercepter)
on 13 Jan 1942. Activated on 9 Feb 1942. Redesignated 81st Fighter Group
in May 1942. Trained with P-39's. Moved overseas, Oct 1942-Feb 1943, the
ground echelon arriving, in French Morocco with the force that invaded
North Africa on 8 Nov, and the air echelon, which had trained for a time
in England, arriving in North Africa between late Dec 1942 and early Feb
1943. Began combat with Twelfth AF in Jan 1943. The 81st fought at
Kasserine Pass, supported ground operations during the Allied drive
against Axis forces in Tunisia. Patrolled the coast of Africa and
protected Allied shipping in the Mediterranean Sea, Apr-Jul 1943.
Provided cover for the convoys that landed troops on Pantelleria on II
Jun and on Sicily on 10 Jul 1943. Supported the landings at Anzio on 22
Jan 1944 and flew patrols in that area for a short time. Moved to India,
Feb-Mar 1944, and began training with P-40 and P-47 aircraft. Moved to
China in May and became part of Fourteenth AF. Continued training and on
occasion flew patrol and escort missions before returning to full-time
combat duty in Jan 1945. Attacked enemy airfields and installations,
flew escort missions, and aided the operations of Chinese ground forces
by attacking troop concentrations, ammunition dumps, lines of
communications, and other targets to hinder Japanese efforts to move men
and materiel to the front. Inactivated in China on 27 Dec 1945. |
| Campaigns |
|
|
| Air Combat, EAME Theater, China
Defensive, China Offensive, Algeria-French Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily,
Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, |
 |
| Stations |
|
|
| Name |
Dates |
| Morris Field, NC |
Feb 1942 |
| Dale Mabry Field, FL |
c. 1 May 1942 |
| Muroc, CA |
c.
28 Jun-4 Oct 1942
SUNDAY,
27 SEPTEMBER 1942, EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) Twelfth
Air Force: Following a series of command changes between 16 and
27 Sep, Brigadier General Thomas W Blackburn becomes Commanding
General XII Fighter Command. The War Department assigns to the
XII Air Support Command the units which are to constitute its
force for the invasion of N Africa: the 5th Bombardment Wing
[47th Bombardment Group (Light) and 68th Observation Group], the
7th Fighter Wing (33d and 81st Fighter Groups), and 10
signal, service, and engineer units of various sizes.
TUESDAY,
10 NOVEMBER 1942, NW AFRICA (Twelfth Air Force):The 92d Fighter
Squadron, 81st Fighter Group, arrives at Port Lyautey, French
Morocco from the US with P-39s.
|
| Mediouna, French Morocco |
c.
5 Jan 1943, SUNDAY, 3 JANUARY 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN
(Twelfth Air Force):The 91st Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter
Group with P-39s, moves from Fedala to Mediouna, French Morocco.
TUESDAY,
5 JANUARY 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Twelfth Air Force)
HQ 81st Fighter Group is established at Mediouna, French Morocco
upon arrival from the US. The group's 92d Fighter Squadron with
P-39s is established at Port Lyautey, French Morocco.
In
an organizational change, Allied Air Force is activated to have
operational control of Allied air units in Northwest Africa. The
new unit includes the USAAF Twelfth Air Force, the RAF Eastern
Air Command and such French air units as might be assigned or
attached to it. The command serves under the direction of
Lieutenant General Dwight Eisenhower, Commander-in-Chief, Allied
Forces. The USAAF system of area commands in Northwest Africa is
reorganized. HQ Twelfth Air Force announces that the Moroccan,
West Algerian and Central Algerian Composite Wings (Provisional)
are to be replaced by the 2d, 1st and 3d Air Defense Wings,
respectively, when they arrive in the theater.
|
| Thelepte, Tunisia |
22
Jan 1943
TUESDAY,
12 JANUARY 1942, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Twelfth Air Force): The
92d Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group with P-39s transfers
from Mediouna, French Morocco to Thelepte, Tunisia.
FRIDAY,
22 JANUARY 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Twelfth Air Force) HQ
81st Fighter Group transfers from Mediouna, French Morocco to
Thelepte, Tunisia.
SATURDAY,
23 JANUARY 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Twelfth Air Force),
The 91st Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group with P-39s
transfers from Mediouna, French Morocco to Thelepte, Tunisia.
|
|
| Le Kouif Airfield, Algeria |
17
Feb 1943
WEDNESDAY,
17 FEBRUARY 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Twelfth Air Force): The
Twelfth Air Force and other organizations of the Allied Air
Force are transferred to the North African Air Force (NAAF)
which supplants the Allied Air Force. NAAF, in turn, becomes
part of the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC), a new air command
which comes into existence on this date with RAF Air Chief
Marshall Arthur Tedder as commander. MAC also includes the RAF
Middle East Air Command (later RAF, Middle East) and the RAF
Malta Air Command (later RAF, Malta). The Commanding General of
NAAF is General Carl Spaatz, USAAF. The two airfields at
Thelepte, with 124 operational aircraft on the, are abandoned
because of the German advance. Eighteen unflyable aircraft are
burned after 60,000 gallons (227,100 liters) of aviation fuel
are poured on them. HQ 81st Fighter Group and its 91st and
92d Fighter Squadrons with P-39s transfer from Thelepte, Tunisia
to Le Kouif Airfield, Algeria.
FRIDAY,
19 FEBRUARY 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (North African Air
Force) The 93d Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group with
P-39s transfers from Port Lyautey, French Morocco to Berteaux,
Algeria.
|
|
| Youks-les-Bains, Algeria |
22
Feb 1943 WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (North African Air Force)
MONDAY,
22 FEBRUARY 1943, HQ 81st Fighter Group and its 91st and 92d
Fighter Squadrons with P-39s transfer from Le Kouif Airfield,
Algeria to Youks-les-Bains, Algeria.
|
|
| Le Kouif Airfield, Algeria |
24
Feb 1943 WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (North African Air Force)
WEDNESDAY,
24 FEBRUARY 1943, HQ 81st Fighter Group and its 91st and 92d
Fighter Squadrons with P-39s transfer from Youks-les-Bains,
Algeria to Le Kouif Airfield, Algeria reversing a move made last
Wednesday.
|
|
| Thelepte, Tunisia |
c.
Mar 1943, FRIDAY, 5 MARCH 1943, HQ 81st Fighter Group transfers
from Le Kouif Airfield, Algeria to Thelepte, Tunisia.
SATURDAY,
6 MARCH 1943, The 92d and 93d Fighter Squadrons, 81st Fighter
Group with P-39s transfer from Le Kouif Airfield, Algeria to
Thelepte, Tunisia.
WEDNESDAY,
10 MARCH 1943, The 93d Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group with
P-39s transfers from Berteaux, Algeria to Youks-les-Bains,
Algeria.
MONDAY,
29 MARCH 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Northwest African Air
Force), The 92d Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group with P-39's
transfers from Thelepte, Tunisia to Youks-les-Bains, Algeria.
|
|
| Algeria |
c.
3 Apr 1943
SATURDAY,
3 APRIL 1943, HQ, 81st Fighter Group and its 93d Fighter
Squadron with P-39's transfer from Thelepte, Tunisia to Bone,
Algeria to patrol the coast of Africa and protect Allied
shipping in the Mediterranean.
MONDAY,
5 APRIL 1943, Today starts Operations FLAX (5-22 Apr) which is
designed to destroy, in the air and on the ground, enemy air
transports and escorts employed in ferrying personnel and
supplies to Tunisia.
TUESDAY,
6 APRIL 1943, The 92d Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group with
P-39's transfers from Youks-les-Bains, Algeria to Maison
Blanche, Algeria.
TUESDAY,
11 MAY 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Northwest African Air
Force), The 92d Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group, with
P-39's, transfers from
Maison Blanche, Algeria to Warnier, Algeria.
|
|
| Monastir, Tunisia |
c.
26 May 1943, SATURDAY, 22 MAY 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN
(Northwest African Air Force), The 93d Fighter Squadron, 81st
Fighter Group transfers with P-39's from Bone, Algeria to
Monastir, Tunisia.
SUNDAY,
23 MAY 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Northwest African Air
Force), The 91st Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group transfers
with P-39's from Bone, Algeria to Sfax, Tunisia.
WEDNESDAY,
26 MAY 1943, WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Northwest African Air
Force), HQ 81st Fighter Group transfers from Algeria to Monastir,
Tunisia.
|
|
| Sidi Ahmed, Tunisia |
10 Aug 1943 |
|
| Castelvetrano, Sicily |
12 Oct 1943 |
|
| Montecorvino Airfield, Italy |
c. Feb 1944 |
|
| Karachi, India |
c. 2 Mar 1944 |
|
| Kwanghan, China |
12 May 1944 |
|
| Fungwansham, China |
Feb 1945 |
|
| Huhsien, China |
Aug-Dec 1945 |
|
|
|
| Commanders |
|
|
| Name |
Dates |
| Unknown |
Feb-May 1942 |
| Capt Harry E Hammond |
5 May 1942 |
| Capt John D Sureau |
10 May 1942 |
| Lt Col Paul M Jacobs |
22 May 1942 |
| Lt Col Kenneth S Wade |
c. Jul 1942 |
| Col Philip B Klein |
May 1943 |
| Lt Col Michael Gordon |
2 Jul 1943 |
| Maj Frederick S Hanson |
15 Jul 1943 |
| Col Philip B Klein |
26 Aug 1943 |
| Lt Col Fred G Hook Jr |
27 Sep 1944 |
| Col Oliver G Cellini |
24 Oct 1944-unkn |
|
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