| 404th Fighter Group | |
|---|---|
Emblem of the 404th Fighter Group |
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| Active | 1943–1945 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Force |
| Type | Fighter |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Carroll W. McColpin |
The 404th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with III Fighter Command, stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 9 November 1945.
During World War II the unit was assigned to Ninth Air Force in England, flying its first combat mission on 1 May 1944. The group was one of the most decorated units of IX Fighter Command, being awarded both a Distinguished Unit Citation as well as the French Croix de guerre with Palm. It flew its last combat mission in May 1945.
The 404th was redesignated as the 137th Fighter Group, and allotted to the Oklahoma Air National Guard on 24 May 1946.
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Trained with P-39, P-47, and other aircraft. Moved to England, March— April 1944. Assigned to Ninth Air Force's 84th Fighter Wing, IX Tactical Air Command. It flew the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
The group began operations by bombing and strafing targets in France. The squadrons provided top cover for landings in Normandy on 6 and 7 June 1944. On 6 July the 404th moved across the Channel to its Advanced Landing Ground at Chippelle (ALG A-5), France.
On the continent, the 404th operated in close support of ground troops until the end of the war, supporting the Allied breakthrough at Saint-Lô in July 1944, the drive through Holland in September 1944, Allied operations during the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 – January 1945), and the establishment of the Remagen bridgehead and the subsequent crossing of the Rhine in March 1945.
The group also flew interdictory and escort missions, strafing and bombing such targets as troop concentrations, railroads, highways, bridges, ammunition and fuel dumps, armored vehicles, docks, and tunnels, and covering the operations of B-17s, B-24s, and B-26s that bombed factories, airdromes, marshaling yards, and other targets.
Reassigned back to United States and assigned to Third Air Force, being programmed for deployment to Okinawa to take part in planned Invasion of Japan. Training plans discontinued after Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the sudden end of the Pacific War. Most personnel either separated or reassigned to other units, with a skeleton staff arriving at Drew Field, Florida on 1 September. Unit inactivated on 9 November 1945.
The 404th Fighter Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for three armed reconnaissance missions flown on 10 September 1944 when, despite bad weather and antiaircraft fire, the group attacked enemy factories, rolling stock, and communications centers to aid the advance of ground forces.
The 404th Fighter Group received a French Croix de guerre with Palm for assisting the US First Army at Saint-Lô on 29, 30, and 31 July 1944 when the group, although suffering severe losses from flak, continuously provided cover for four armored divisions.
The group was also cited by the Belgian government for operations contributing to the liberation of its people.
After V-E Day, the group aided in disarming the German Air Force and in dismantling the enemy's aircraft industry. It returned to the United States in August and was inactivated on 9 November 1945 at Drew AAF Florida.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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