Strana 9
HISTORY
#2). Activated in April of 1944, the 21st FG
absorbed the 46th FS and 72nd FS (previously
attached to the 15th and 318th FGs) as well
as the newly formed 531st FS. The group was
declared operational for tactical combat on
March 24th, 1945 from Iwo Jima. Just two days
later, the 21st FG along with the 549th Night
Fighter Squadron (NFS) bore the brunt of
a Japanese Banzai attack of about 250 soldiers.
The 21st FG suffered 14 killed and 50 wounded.
The total casualties among all units involved
in this attack was 44 killed and 88 wounded.
Shortly thereafter, the 21st FG got their chance
to strike back with their first mission to Chichi-
Jima, sending 32 P-51’s to attack a radar
installation.
On April 7th, 1945, the first VLR mission was
flown. This mission achieved several historic
records: it was the longest flight mission over
water to hit a target, the longest mission ever
flown by P-51 Mustangs, and the first time
land-based fighters had invaded the skies
over Japan. The mission itself was an escort
of B-29s from the 73rd Bomber Wing attacking
the Nakajima Aircraft Engine Plant in Tokyo.
More than ninety P-51s from both the 15th and
21st FGs departed Iwo Jima and rendezvoused
with their B-29 navigator aircraft that led them
to the bomber force over the coast of Japan.
The Mustang pilots stayed with the bombers,
only attacking Japanese aircraft when they
threatened the B-29s. Even so, they scored
21 enemy fighters destroyed, with 6 probable
and 10 damaged. Only three B-29s were lost:
2 to anti-aircraft fire and 1 to a Japanese bomb
dropped on the formation. Both XXI Bomber
Command and Seventh Fighter Command were
very pleased with the results.
After more VLR missions to Japan and attacks
on the Bonin Islands, the 506th FG joined the
fight on May 16th, 1945, as they were waiting
for North Field (Airfield #3) to be completed.
The 506th FG was formed in October 1944 in
Lakeland, FL, specifically for the VLR mission.
This new group included the 457th, 458th, and
462nd FSs and immediately started training for
the long-range flights. The group consisted of
combat veterans, stateside pilot instructors
and new replacement pilots who had all
logged many hours in the P-51 by the time they
deployed. The 506th FG immediately started
flying Combat Air Patrol (CAP) and on May 18th,
the 462nd FS sent 12 P-51s with 500 pound GP
bombs to attack Chichi-Jima. Due to weather
issues, the first VLR mission for the group
was executed more than a week later. On May
28th, 1945 the 506th FG sent 53 Mustangs for
a strafing attack on Kasumigaura airfield in
the Mito area of Honshu, Japan.
Shortly thereafter, one of the worst non-combat
losses during the war for the US occurred on
June 1st, 1945. The objective was for all three
fighter groups to provide escort for more than
400 B-29s on a bombing mission to Osaka City,
Japan. 148 P-51s from all three groups took
off from Iwo Jima to join with their “mother
hen” B-29s navigators. About 350 miles into
their journey, they encountered a monstrous
storm front. Due to the uncertainty of the
navigating B-29s, an inexperienced weather
observer, and some say pressure to move on
with the mission because of several previous
weather aborts, the Mustangs were led into
the deadly front. By the end of the catastrophe,
only twenty-seven P-51s prevailed to complete
their mission. Twenty-four pilots and their
Mustangs were lost, not one to enemy fire.
A typical VLR mission was a substantial
combined effort that included several
branches of the US military. Every mission
started with a B-24 weather plane flying the
route 6-10 hours before the mission, as well as
a B-29 flying approximately 100 miles ahead of
the main force to report on the current weather.
Then, once the Mustangs took off, navigator
B-29s led the P-51s to and from the Japan
mainland, as precision navigation in a single-
seat aircraft flying completely over water was
impractical. Several P-61 Black Widows would
also act as navigators, flying about an hour
north of Iwo Jima to accompany Mustangs
to the rendezvous point. The P-61s also
returned any spare aircraft not needed for the
mission. B-24s also often participated in these
missions as communications relay aircraft.
All the aircraft often would then be able to
assist in air-sea rescue of downed pilots.
Along the route from Iwo Jima to Japan and
back, the US Navy and the Army Air Sea Rescue
coordinated a minimum of 5 rescue stations.
These stations would be composed of surfaced
submarines at the two- or three-points closest
to Japan, destroyer ships on the remaining
stations, and airborne Dumbo aircraft circling
overhead. When a Mustang pilot discovered
that they could not make it back to Iwo due to
Two North American P-51 Mustangs „Tiny Gay Babe“ and „Three of a Kind“ on parking are, Iwojima, Bonin Islands.
Sleek North American P-51 „Mustangs“ parked along the Number 2 strip on Iwojima in the Bonin Islands.
25 March 1945.
INFO Eduard
9
July 2025