Flying Knights in Australia
HISTORY
From USA to Australia
This fighter unit was established
in June 1940 in the United States as
the 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor).
At that time, only its Headquarters and
Headquarters Squadron existed. In December,
the 7th, 8th, and 9th Pursuit Squadrons were
assigned to the group as its fighter squadrons.
The unit was officially activated in January
1941, with a cadre of pilots, some with prior ex-
perience, drawn from the 31st Pursuit Group, a
unit that had itself been in existence for only a
year. The 49th PG was initially equipped with
outdated P-35 aircraft, which its airmen used
for training at the unit level and during military
exercises.
After the Japanese attack on the United Sta-
tes in December 1941, Maj. P. B. Wurthsmith, a
pilot who had earned his air badge in 1928 and
had seen combat against the Japanese in the
Philippines with the 17th PG, was appointed
commander of the 49th PG. On Christmas Day,
his newly assigned unit learned that it would
be deployed to the Pacific. More than 1,100 of
its members departed in a convoy from San
Francisco to Melbourne, Australia, on January
11, 1942. They arrived safely at their destinati-
on on February 1, 1942, making the 49th PG the
first unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps to reach a
combat zone after Japan declared war.
From the outset, the 49th Pursuit Group (PG)
was stationed at three different bases and
was joined by Capt. Boyd "Buzz" Wagner of the
17th Pursuit Squadron (PS), who had become
the first fighter ace of the U.S. Army Air Corps
during the battles over the Philippines in De-
cember.
Each squadron was equipped with 25 P-40E
Warhawks, requiring pilots to transition to new
aircraft. Only after arriving at Australian ba-
ses did they begin to familiarize themselves
with the Warhawk. Due to the engine's charac-
terictics, taxiing proved challenging, leading
to numerous incidents, with several dozen
aircraft sustaining minor or major damage in
crashes.
At the time, there was growing concern in
Australia over the Japanese advance on New
The 49th Fighter Group was one of the most significant fighter units of the U.S. Army
Air Forces in the Pacific Theater. Its airmen achieved 664 victories while flying P-40s,
P-38s, and P-47s over Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. Among its top aces
were "Dick" Bong, the most successful American fighter pilot of World War II, with 40
victories, and "Jerry" Johnson, with 22 victories. Both flew P-38 Lightnings as part of
the 9th Fighter Squadron, known as the "Flying Knights," continuing the legacy of their
predecessors, who first took off against the enemy in March 1942 in Curtiss P-40E
Warhawks. Their early missions were anything but easy.
Text: Jan Bobek
On the box art by Adam Tooby, two aircraft from the 9th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter
Group are depicted flying over northern Australia. Capt. Ben S. Irvin is piloting
"The Rebel", while Lt. Robert Harry Vaught is flying "Bob’s Robin". “Bitchin’ Ben” Irvin
was a veteran of the battles in the Philippines and Java.
INFO Eduard8
March 2025