photo: Fold3

HISTORY

The group picture of the Mustangs from 52nd FG: P-51D-5,

s/n 44-13287, WD-M Miss Ruth/

Pendaja, pilot Lt. William Parent;

P-51D-5, s/n 44-13289, WD-X;

P-51D-5, s/n 44-13263, WD-D

Jo-Baby, pilot Lt. Robert McCampbell; P-51D-5, s/n 44-13485,

WD-H Miss Rogers, pilot 1/Lt.

James Daniel Callahan.

on took place on May 16, 1945. Altogether the 15th

AF lost during its operations around 2110 bombers

from its 15 B-24 and six B-17 groups while its seven

fighter groups claimed a total of 1836 enemy aircraft destroyed. On September 15, 1945, the 15th AF

was disbanded in Italy.

FIGHTER UNITS OF THE 15TH AIR FORCE

Having reached its full inventory of the bomber and

fighter groups in the beginning of 1944, the 15th AF

included seven fighter groups. Three of them, 1st,

14th and 82nd Fighter Group flew P-38 Lightning till

the end of war. Two of them, 325th and 332nd FG

originally flew P-47D Thunderbolt however during

1944 they traded them for new P-51B/C and later D

version. Another two units, 31st and 52nd FG flew

8

INFO Eduard

P-51B/C from the beginning of their operations within the 15th AF. Later they were re-equipped with

the D version. This model kit is dedicated to the fighter units flying P-51D Mustang within the 15th AF

therefore the further text focuses on the relevant

four fighter groups.

31ST FIGHTER GROUP

The unit was formed from the pre-war 31st Pursuit

Group USAAC. In January 1942 it was re-equipped

with P-39 Airacobra in New Orleans and in June the

unit was transferred by sea to Great Britain where it was equipped with the British Spitfire Mk.Vb

fighters. On August 16, under the RAF operational

command, these units flew their first sortie, Circus

204 over Lille and on August 19 another one in the

operation Jubilee, landing at Dieppe.

On September 14, the 31st was ordered under the

authority of the XII Fighter Command USAAF, transferred to Gibraltar and attached to the invasion

forces ready for Operation Torch, landing in North

Africa, in which it took part from the first day, November 8, 1942. In North Africa the unit flew fighter

escorts and the air cover for the ground units until the surrender of the Italian and German troops

in Africa in May 1943. Afterwards, in June, the unit

took part in the Sicily landing (Operation Husky)

and in September the Operation Avalanche, landing

at Salerno. Then it transferred to the airport in Ita-

ly, continued flying combat missions within the 12th

AF and in January 1944 provided the air cover for

the units which landed at Anzio in the unsuccessful

operation Shingle.

In the middle of March, at the Castel Volturno base,

the unit commenced its conversion to P-51B/C Mustang and as of April 1 it was transferred under the

15th AF command and flew the new Mustangs over

to San Severo airbase on the Italian eastern coast

from where it continued flying escorts of the 15th

AF strategic bomber missions to Europe. During the

month of April, it sortied twice to Ploesti in Romania, Sofia in Bulgaria, Wiener Neustadt in Austria,

Piombino, Milan and Monfalcone in Italy and also

Toulon in France. During these missions the unit

shot down 51 enemy aircraft. During the month

of May, the unit started its conversion to P-51D

which the 31st FG flew until the end of hostilities.

31st FG was composed of three fighter squadrons:

307th FS (code letters MX), 308th FS (code letters

HL) and 309th FS (code letters WZ). The unit markings were the red oblique stripes on the tail surfaces, red and yellow stripes on the wingtips and

red nose and propeller spinner.

52ND FIGHTER GROUP

This unit went through a similar process, formed

on January 15, 1941, as 52nd Pursuit Group based on

1st and 31st PG personnel. After the Pearl Harbor

July 2022