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Naval History by Country :
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354th Fighter Group |
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Name : 354th Fighter Group Country : US |
Known Service Details : | |||||||
Pilot or Aircrew | Rank | Start of Service | End of Service | Known Dates | Aircraft | Airframes | Notes |
June 1944 | unknown | ||||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
| Sub-Squadrons for : 354th Fighter Group | |
| Squadron | Info |
353rd Fighter Squadron Country : US Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of 353rd Fighter Squadron | 353rd Fighter Squadron Full profile not yet available. |
355th Fighter Squadron Country : US Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of 355th Fighter Squadron | 355th Fighter Squadron Full profile not yet available. |
| Pilots and Aircrew for : 354th Fighter Group | ||
| A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | ||
| Name | Info | |
| Carl, James E Click the name above to see a profile of Carl, James E | Carl, James E After entering the USAAF in December 1941 he completed pilot training and was assigned to the 356th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group. Based at Boxted he undertook his first combat mission shortly after D-Day in June 1944 and flew P-51s in support of the Allied advance through Normandy. Converting to P-47s in November he flew in Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge, completing a total of 86 combat missions. | |
| Delgado, Ralph Click the name above to see a profile of Delgado, Ralph | Delgado, Ralph Called to active duty in January 1943, Ralph Delgado flew 49 missions in Europe with the 355th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group. Whilst flying a P-51 he shot down an Me262 on 2nd March 1945. | |
| Emerson, Warren S Click the name above to see a profile of Emerson, Warren S | Emerson, Warren S P51 pilot who flew during the D-Day landings. 6 victories with the 355th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group. | |
| Gross, Clayton Kelly Click the name above to see a profile of Gross, Clayton Kelly
| Gross, Clayton Kelly Clayton Gross was one of 12 original pilots to fly with the 355th fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group. He first saw combat in 1943, and took part in the great D-Day air operations on 6th June 1944. He flew over 100 combat missions in two combat tours on P51s, was credited with 6 confirmed kills (including an Me262 jet), 14 damaged, multiple ground vehicles destroyed, including 8 locomotives. He survived one bail-out behind enemy lines, and flew continuously in the ETO until VE Day. Captain (Air Corps) Clayton Kelly Gross (ASN: 0-663512), United States Army Air Forces, was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action against the enemy as a P-51 Mustang Fighter Pilot of the 355th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, NINTH Air Force, in action against the enemy in aerial combat in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army Air Forces. Clayton Gross died on 10th January 2016. | |
| Hasek, Ivan Click the name above to see a profile of Hasek, Ivan
| Hasek, Ivan Ivan Hasek flew P47s in Europe with the 353rd FS - The Fighting Cobras, 354th Fighter Group, attached to the 9th Air Force, scoring his first victory - against an Fw190, on Boxing Bay 1944. Converting to P5 IDs in early 1945 his tally continued to mount, and he finished his tour an Ace with 5.5 victories. Ivan Hasek passed away in December 2007. | |
| Long, Maurice Click the name above to see a profile of Long, Maurice
| Long, Maurice Maurice Long arrived in England in 1943, assigned to the 355th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group. Flying the P51B Mustang he served as a Flight Commander, operations Officer and Squadron Commander, achieving 8 and a half victories. In the ETO he took part in the vital D-Day missions over Normandy, later moving with the Squadron to French soil. In a long career he took part in 140 combat missions flying P51s in the ETO, and later F84s in Korea. | |
| Tordoff, Harrison Click the name above to see a profile of Tordoff, Harrison
| Tordoff, Harrison Flew P-51 Mustangs with 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, claiming an Me262 on 31st March 1945. Sadly, he passed away on 24th July 2008. | |
| Woody, Robert Click the name above to see a profile of Woody, Robert
| Woody, Robert In World War Two he flew P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs with the 355th Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group in Europe, scoring 7 victories, including 5 in a single mission, earning the award of the Distinguished Service Cross. He passed away on 7th August 2012. | |
| Aircraft for : 354th Fighter Group | ||
| A list of all aircraft associated with 354th Fighter Group. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | Info | |
Mustang 
Manufacturer : North American | Mustang The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace. | |
Thunderbolt 
Production Began : 1943 Number Built : 15683 | Thunderbolt Alexander Kartveli was a engineer with Seversky Aircraft who designed the P-35, which first flew in 1937. With Republic Aviation Kartveli supervised the development of the P-43 Lancer. Neither of these aircraft were produced in large numbers, and neither was quite successful. However, the Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt, also nicknamed the Jug, was quite a different story. The Jug was the jewel in Kartvelis design crown, and went on to become one of the most produced fighter aircraft of all time with 15,683 being manufactured. The P-47 was the largest and heaviest single seat fighter of WW II. The P-47 immediately demonstrated its excellent combat qualities, including speed, rate of climb, maneuverability, heavy fire power, and the ability to take a lot of punishment. With a wingspan of more than 40 feet and a weight of 19,400 pounds, this large aircraft was designed around the powerful 2000 HP Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine. The first P-47 prototype flew in May of 1941, and the primary variant the P-47D went into service in 1943 with units of the U.S. Armys Eighth Air Force. The Jug had a maximum speed in excess of 400 MPH, a service ceiling in excess of 42,000 feet, and was heavily armed with either six or eight heavy caliber machine guns. With its ability to carry up to a 2,500 pound bomb load, the Jug saw lots of use in ground attack roles. Until the introduction of the N model, the P-47 lacked the long range required for fighter escort missions which were most often relegated to P-51 Mustangs or P-38 Lightnings. In his outstanding painting entitled Bridge Busting Jugs, noted aviation artist Stan Stokes depicts Eighth Air Force Jugs in a ground attack mission in the Alps in June of 1944. The top P-47 ace was Francis Gabreski who had flown with the 56th Fighter Group, the first unit to be equipped with the P-47. In August of 1943 Gabreski attained his first aerial combat victory (over an Fw-190) and by years end he had reached ace status with 8 confirmed victories. As Commander of the 61st Squadron, Gabreski continued to chalk up victory after victory, and on seven different occasions he achieved two victories during the same mission. However, in July of 1944 Gabreski damaged the prop on his Jug during a low level attack on an airfield near Coblenz. Forced to make a crash landing, he was captured and remained a prisoner of war until Wars end in 1945. Following the War Gabreski returned to military service with the Air Forces 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing in Korea. Flying the F-86 Sabre Jet, Gabreski attained 6.5 more aerial victories in 1951 and 1952 becoming an ace in two different wars | |
354th Fighter Group Artwork |
  D-Day The Airborne Assault by Robert Taylor. |   Clipped Signature - Clayton Gross. |   Clipped Signature - Maurice Long. |
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Died : 10 / 1 / 2016