402d Fighter-Day Group

402d Fighter-Day Group
Active	1943–1943; 1943-1944; 1957
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Day Fighter
Engagements	CBI Theater of World War II

The 402d Fighter-Day Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, being inactivated at Greenville Air Force Base, Mississippi on 8 February 1957.

History

World War II

The 402d Bombardment Group was activated in China and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force in early 1943. Programmed for North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers, however no aircraft or squadrons were assigned and its headquarters apparently was never fully manned. The unit was disbanded a few months later.^[1]

The 402d Fighter Group was first activated by I Fighter Command in October 1943 at Westover Field, Massachusetts, with the 538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and 540th Fighter Squadrons assigned.^[1][2][3][4] Less than two weeks later, the group moved to Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina. At Seymour Johnson, the 538th and 539th Squadrons were reassigned to the 326th Fighter Group, which transferred two of its squadrons to the 402d.^[3][5]

Cold War

The two World War II groups were reconstituted and consolidated as the 402d Fighter-Day Group and assigned to Tactical Air Command.^[1] Planned as an F-100 Super Sabre group, however decision was made to keep Greenville AFB as an Air Training Command base. As a result no aircraft were assigned and the unit was inactivated in 1957.

Lineage

402d Bombardment Group

• Constituted as the 402d Bombardment Group (Medium) on 20 April 1943

Activated on 19 May 1943

Disbanded on 31 July 1943

• Reconstituted and consolidated with the 402d Fighter Group on 3 October 1956^[1]

402d Fighter-Day Group

• Constituted as the 402d Fighter Group on 24 September 1943

Activated on 1 October 1943

Disbanded on 10 April 1944.

• Reconstituted as the 402d Fighter-Day Group on 4 October 1956

Activated on 15 October 1956^[1]

Inactivated on 8 February 1957

Assignments

• Fourteenth Air Force, 19 May – 31 July 1943
• I Fighter Command, 1 October 1943 – 10 April 1944 (attached to New York Fighter Wing until 13 October 1943)
• Tactical Air Command, 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957

Components

• 320th Fighter (later Fighter-Day) Squadron: 25 November 1943 – 10 April 1944; 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957
• 442d Fighter (later Fighter-Day) Squadron: 25 November 1943 – 10 April 1944; 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957
• 452d Fighter Squadron: 1 October 1943 – 10 April 1944
• 538th Fighter Squadron: 1 October – 25 November 1943
• 539th Fighter Squadron: 1 October – 25 November 1943
• 540th Fighter (later Fighter-Day) Squadron: 1 October 1943 – 10 April 1944; 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957

Stations

• Kunming Airport, China, 19 May – 31 July 1943
• Westover Field, Massachusetts, 1 October 1943
• Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina, c. 13 October 1943
• Bluethenthal Field, North Carolina, c. 9 December 1943
• Bradley Field, Connecticut, c. 11 February – 10 April 1944
• Greenville Air Force Base, Mississippi, 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957^[1]

Aircraft

• P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943–1944^[1]

References

Notes

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. 
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. 

Tactical Air Command (TAC)
Air Forces	First Ninth Twelfth Eighteenth Nineteenth
Air Divisions	20th (ADTAC) 21st (ADTAC) 23d (ADTAC) 24th (ADTAC) 25th (ADTAC) 26th (ADTAC) 28th (ADTAC) 831st 832d 833d 834th 835th 836th 837th 838th 839th 840th
Named units	Air Forces Panama Air Forces Iceland Air Defense, Tactical Air Command
Wings	TFW 1st 4th 12th 15th 20th 23d 27th 32d 33d 37th 50th 56th 312th 323d 347th 354th 355th Other 1st SOW 57th FWW 63d TAW 64th TAW 67th TRW 75th TRW 85th TFTW 317th TAW 363d TRW 405th TFTW 461st TBW 4505th ARW
Former bases	Active (MAJCOM) Altus (AETC) Brooks (AFMC) Cannon (AFSOC) Charleston (AMC) Creech (ACC) Davis–Monthan (ACC) Dover (AMC) Dyess (ACC) Eglin (AFMC) Hill (AMFC) Holloman (ACC) Hurlburt Field (AFSOC) Langley (ACC) Little Rock (AETC) Luke (AETC) MacDill (AMC) McChord (AMC) McConnell (AMC) Moody (ACC) Mountain Home (ACC) Nellis (ACC) Pope (AMC) Seymour Johnson (ACC) Shaw (ACC) Tonopah (ACC) Tyndall (AETC) Whiteman (ACC) Inactive Bergstrom Blythville Donaldson England Forbes George Howard Grenier Myrtle Beach Orlando Sewart Turner Williams Inactive, but with a military presence Bunker Hill Biggs Dow Godman Homestead Lockbourne March Otis
Aircraft	A-1 A-7 A-10 A-37 AC-47 AC-119 AC-130 B-26 B-57 B-66 C-7 C-47 C-82 C-119 C-123 C-130 E-3 E-8 EF-111 EC-135 F-4 F-5 F-15 F-16 F-47 F-51 F-80 F-82 F-84 F-86 F-89 F-100 F-101 F-102 F-104 F-105 F-106 F-111 F-117 H-1 H-5 H-6 H-19 H-43 H-60 H-53 KB-29 KB-50 KC-97 O-1 O-2 OH-23 OV-10 P-40 P-38 R-4 S-62 T-6 T-28 T-29 T-33 T-38

USAAF First Air Force in World War II
Airfields	First Air Force Group Training Stations First Air Force Replacement Training Stations First Air Force Tactical Airfields Freeman Army Airfield Godman Army Airfield Selfridge Field
Units	Commands I Bomber Command I Fighter Command I Ground Air Support Command Wings 25th Antisubmarine 50th Troop Carrier 52d Troop Carrier 53d Troop Carrier 60th Troop Carrier 61st Troop Carrier Boston Fighter New York Fighter Norfolk Fighter Philadelphia Fighter Groups Bombardment 2d Bombardment 13th Bombardment 22d Bombardment 34th Bombardment 43d Bombardment 45th Bombardment 301st Bombardment 302d Bombardment 400th Bombardment 402d Bombardment 455th Bombardment 459th Bombardment 460th Bombardment 471st Bombardment Combat Cargo 1st Combat Cargo 2d Combat Cargo 4th Combat Cargo Fighter 8th Fighter 31st Fighter 33d Fighter 52d Fighter 56th Fighter 57th Fighter 58th Fighter 59th Fighter 79th Fighter 80th Fighter 83d Fighter 87th Fighter 324th Fighter 325th Fighter 326th Fighter 327th Fighter 332d Fighter 348th Fighter 352d Fighter 353d Fighter 355th Fighter 356th Fighter 358th Fighter 359th Fighter 361st Fighter 362d Fighter 365th Fighter 366th Fighter 368th Fighter 370th Fighter 371st Fighter 373d Fighter 402d Fighter 413th Fighter 476th Fighter Reconnaissance 26th Reconnaissance 73d Reconnaissance Troop Carrier 10th Troop Carrier 60th Troop Carrier 61st Troop Carrier 62d Troop Carrier 63d Troop Carrier 89th Troop Carrier 313th Troop Carrier 314th Troop Carrier 315th Troop Carrier 316th Troop Carrier 317th Troop Carrier 349th Troop Carrier 375th Troop Carrier 403d Troop Carrier 433d Troop Carrier 434th Troop Carrier 435th Troop Carrier 436th Troop Carrier 437th Troop Carrier 438th Troop Carrier 439th Troop Carrier 440th Troop Carrier 441st Troop Carrier 442d Troop Carrier Other 1st Search Attack 477th Composite Incidents Freeman Field Mutiny
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

USAAF Fourteenth Air Force in World War II
Previously: 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers" (Dec 1941-July 1942) China Air Task Force (July 1942-Mar 1943)
Airfields	China Ankang Chanyi Chengkung Chengtu Chihkiang Hanchung Hankow Hsian Hsingching Huhsien Kanchow Kiangwan Kunming Kwanghan Kweilin Laifeng Laohwangping Loping Liangshan Liuchow Luliang Nanning Peishiyi Pungchacheng Shwangliu Suichwan Tsuyung Yangkai Yunnani
Units	Wings 68th Composite 69th Composite 312th Fighter Chinese-American Composite Wing (Provisional) Groups Bombardment 308th Bombardment 341st Bombardment 402d Bombardment Fighter 23d Fighter 33d Fighter 51st Fighter 81st Fighter 311th Fighter 476th Fighter Transport 443d Troop Carrier Squadrons Combat Cargo 1st Combat Cargo 2d Combat Cargo 11th Combat Cargo Night Fighter 426th Night Fighter 427th Night Fighter Reconnaissance 21st Photographic Reconnaissance 35th Photographic Reconnaissance Transport 322d Troop Carrier
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth