475th Fighter Group

475th Fighter Group
Emblem of the 475th Fighter Group
Active	1943–1958
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Fighter, Air Defense
Engagements	World War II Asiatic-Pacific Campaign (1943–1945) Army of Occupation (Japan) (1945–1949)

Col. MacDonald and Al Nelson next to his Lockheed P-38L "Putt Putt Maru(V)", 44-25471, proudly showing his 27 victories.

431st FS Major Thomas McGuire next to his Lockheed P-38J "Pudgy (V)" (44-24155)

Major Richard I. Bong in his P-38J, "Marge", (42-103993), named after his girlfriend (later wife) Marjorie Vattendahl. Bong is the United States' highest-scoring air ace, having shot down at least 40 Japanese aircraft

The 475th Fighter Group is a inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 31st Air Division, being assigned to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. It was inactivated on 30 June 1958.

History

Lineage

• Activated as 475th Fighter Group on May 14, 1943*

Inactivated April 1, 1949

• Activated as 514th Air Defense Group on 16 Feb 1953
• Redesignated 475th Fighter Group (Air Defense) on 10 Jun 1955

Activated on 18 Aug 1955 by redesignation of 514th Air Defense Group**

Inactivated June 30, 1958

*Note: Became subordinate unit of 475th Fighter Wing on August 10, 1948
**Under operational control of Air Defense Command 31st Air Division, 18 Aug 1955-30 Jun 1958

Stations

• RAAF Base Amberley, Australia, May 14, 1943
• Dobodura Airfield, New Guinea, August 14, 1943
• Nadzab Airfield, New Guinea, March 24, 1944
• Hollandia, Netherlands East Indies, May 15, 1944
• Mokmer Airfield, Biak, Netherlands East Indies, c. July 14, 1944
• Dulag Airfield, Leyte, Philippines, October 28, 1944
• McGuire Field, Mindoro, Philippines, February 5, 1945
• Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, February 28, 1945
• Lingayen Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, c. April 20, 1945
• Ie Shima Airfield, Okinawa, August 8, 1945
• Kimpo Afld, Korea, c. September 23, 1945
• Itazuke Afld, Japan, August 28, 1948
• Ashiya AB, Japan, March 25 – April 1, 1949
• Minneapolis-St Paul Intl Aprt, Minn, August 18, 1955 – June 30, 1958

Major Commands

• Fifth Air Force, May 14, 1943 – September 23, 1945
• Far East Air Forces, September 23, 1945 – August 18, 1948
• 315th Air Division, August 18, 1948 – April 1, 1949
• 31st Air Division, 18 Aug 1955–30 Jun 1958

Operational History

During World War II, the 475th Fighter Group was perhaps the best known of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning groups in the South West Pacific Theatre, since it contained among its personnel the top scoring Flying aces in the Pacific--Richard I. Bong (40 kills) and Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. (38 kills), both Congressional Medal Of Honor recipients.

By the war's end, no fewer than 38 other pilots from the 475th had achieved ace status while flying exclusively P-38s. The group's commander for 20 months, Colonel Charles H. MacDonald, scored 27 kills in his famous aircraft, the "Putt Putt Maru", the seventh-ranking American ace.

World War II

Foreground is P-38J-15-LO "Putt Putt Maru" (42-104024) of the 431st FS with 10 victory markings, the first of five aircraft with that name. Also shown is 432d FS P-38L "Blood & Guts" (44-25600)

Long-range North American P-51H 44-644182

Further information: Richard Bong

Further information: Thomas McGuire

Further information: Charles H. MacDonald

In 1943 Japanese air strength in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II was powerful, and they were capable of launching large scale attacks against our ground forces and installations at any time. On New Guinea, the Japanese had many bases from which to launch their air strikes.

The swiftest and most effective means of gaining control of the air was to bomb both of those Japanese strongholds and destroy as many aircraft on the ground as possible. Such bombing strikes could best be accomplished during daylight hours, when fighter escort was essential. The only fighter aircraft then in the Southwest Pacific with sufficient range to escort bombers to and from Rabaul and Wewak was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. However, the limited P-38 strength in the Fifth Air Force in April 1943 consisted of only three squadrons (the 80th Fighter Squadron of the 8th Fighter Group; the 39th Fighter Squadron of the 35th Fighter Group; and the 9th Fighter Squadron of the 49th Fighter Group). The limited number of Lightnings available during late 1942 and early 1943 had to be used to make up attrition in these squadrons.

To augment the small force, the 475th Fighter Group was activated as a P-38 unit on May 14, 1943 at Amberley airfield in Queensland, Australia. However, the continuing shortage of P-38s forced the 35th and 49th Fighter Groups to convert their single P-38 squadrons to P-47Ds, thus leaving the Fifth Air Force at the end of 1943 with only the 475th Fighter Group, and the 80 FS from the 8th Fighter Group.

Operational squadrons of the 475th were the 431st, 432d and 433d Fighter. The group was specifically trained to provide long-range escort for bombers during daylight raids on Japanese airfields and strongholds in the Netherlands Indies and the Bismarck Archipelago. On August 14, 1943, the 475th Fighter Group and its 431st, 432d and 433d Fighter Squadrons transferred from Amberley airfield to Dobodura, in New Guinea. The 431st and 432d operated from Port Moresby. The 431st operated until October 1943 and the 432d until September 1943. The 433d squadron flew its first mission on August 15, 1943.

The 475 FG received a Distinguished Unit Citation for missions in August 1943 when the group not only protected B-25 Mitchells that were engaged in strafing attacks on airdromes at Wewak but also destroyed a number of the enemy fighter planes that attacked the formation.

The group received a second DUC for intercepting and destroying many of the planes the Japanese sent against American shipping in Oro Bay on October 15 and 17, 1943. Covered landings in New Guinea, New Britain, and the Schouten Islands. After moving to Biak in July 1944, the group flew escort missions and fighter sweeps to the southern Philippines, Celebes, Halmahera, and Borneo.

For a while, the 475th included among its personnel the famous pilot Charles Lindbergh. He was serving with the Group as a technical representative from the United Aircraft Corporation. Lindbergh flew a number of combat missions with the Group in June/August 1944 as a civilian to instruct pilots on how to use their cruise control to get maximum range and endurance from their P-38Js. On July 28, Lindbergh was credited with shooting down a Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-51 over Elpaputih Bay in the Dutch East Indies in a 433d Fighter Squadron P-38 42-104995.

The group moved to the Philippines in October 1944 and received another DUC for bombing and strafing enemy airfields and installations, escorting bombers, and engaging in aerial combat during the first stages of the Allied campaign to recover the Philippines, October–December 1944.

Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor while voluntarily leading flights of P-38’s escorting bombers that struck Mabalacat Airdrome on December 25, 1944 and Clark Field. On the following day, he shot down seven Japanese fighters. On January 7, 1944, while attempting to save a fellow flyer from attack during a fighter sweep over Los Negros Island, Maj McGuire risked a hazardous maneuver at low altitude, crashed, and was killed.

The group flew many missions to support ground forces on Luzon during the first part of 1945. Also flew escort missions to China and attacked railways on Formosa. Began moving to Ie Shima near Okinawa in August but the war ended before the movement was completed.

During World War II, the 475th Fighter Group was engaged in combat for approximately two years. The group completed 3042 missions, (21,701 Sorties) and shot down 551 Japanese aircraft. On the other hand, the Group lost only 56 Planes to the Japanese. During the war, the Group took part in seven campaigns, and was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations for outstanding performance of duty in action. In addition to Majors Bong and McGuire, the unit boasted such "Aces" of the Pacific War as Col. Charles MacDonald (27), Capt. Daniel T. Roberts (14), Lt. Francis J. Lent (11), Lt. Col. John S. Loisel (11), Capt. Elliot Summer (10), plus many more

Occupation Duty

After active combat ended, on September 22, 1945, the 475th FG moved to Seoul Aifield, Korea for occupation duty as part of the 308th Bomb Wing, assigned to the 315th Air Division of Far East Air Forces. The group moved to Kimpo Airfield, on January 7, 1946 where the group converted to the long-range P-51H Mustang. The group was reassigned to Nagoya, Japan in March 1947 and later moved to Itazuke Airfield, Japan in August 1948. It became a subordinate unit of 475th Fighter Wing on 10 August.

The 475th Fighter Group was inactivated on April 1, 1949 at Ashiya Airfield, Japan

Cold War

Northrup F-89J Scorpion used by ADC for air defense of the United States in the 1950s

On August 18, 1955, the 475th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was reactivated as part of Air Defense Command by a redesignation the 514th Air Defense Group as result of ADC "Project Arrow" notable unit redesignation program.

The group and its operational squadron, the 432d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was assigned to Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport and equipped with F-86D Sabres, then F-89H Scorpions. The group performed Air Defense missions over the north central United States until its inactivation in June 1958.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Bibliography

• Brammeler, Major Charles L. 475th Fighter Group in the Southwest Pacific. Maxwell Air Force Base: Air Command and Staff college Air University, 1987.
• Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories, 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1984. ISBN 0-91279-912-9.
• Stanaway, John. Possum, Clover & Hades: The 475th Fighter Group in World War II. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1993. ISBN 0-88740-518-5.
• Stanaway, John. 475th Fighter Group. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2007. ISBN 1-84603-043-7.
• USAF Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, Volume 21, Number 1, January 1979.
• Yoshino, Ronald W. Lightning Strikes: The 475th Fighter Group in the Pacific War, 1943–1945. Manhattan, Kansas: Sunflower University Press, 1987. ISBN 0-89745-104-X
• Zbiegniewski, Andre R. 475 FG (bilingual Polish/English text). Lublin, Poland: Oficyna Wydawnicza Kagero, 2003. ISBN 83-89088-50-9.

External links

• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
• P-38 Lightning in Pacific Theatre
• 475th Fighter Group Historical Foundation