506th Fighter Group

Constituted as 506th Fighter Group on 5 Oct 1944 and activated on 21 Oct. Equipped with P-51 aircraft. Moved to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, Feb-Apr 1945, the air echelon flying patrols from Tinian before joining the rest of the group on Iwo Jima. The group, assigned to Twentieth AF, flew its first mission from Iwo on 18 May when it bombed and strafed an airfield in the Bonin Islands. Afterward attacked airfields, antiaircraft emplacements, shipping, barracks, radio and radar stations, railway cars, and other targets in the Bonin Islands or Japan. Also provided air defense for Iwo and escorted B-29's during bombardment mission from the Marianas to Japan. Received DUC for defending B-29's against attack by fighter aircraft during the period 7-10 Jun 1945. Returned to the US in Dec 1945. Inactivated on 16 Dec 1945.

Squadrons. 457th: 1944-1945. 458th: 1944-1945. 462nd: 1944-1945.

Stations. Lakeland AAFld, Fla, 2 Oct 1944-16 Feb 1945; North Field, Iwo Jima, 24 Apr-3 Dec 1945; Camp Anza, Calif, 15-16 Dec 1945.

Commanders. Col Bryan B Harper, 25 Oct 1944-1945.

Campaigns. Air Offensive, Japan.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citation: Japan, 7-10 Jun 1945.

Insigne. Shield: On a barry wavy of four argent and azure, second bar semee of stars of the first, over-all an escutcheon, per pale argent and or, a crest of a stylized wing of the first, fimbriated of the second, the escutcheon surmounting a sword bendwise, hilt and pommel or, blade of the last, shaded gules; on a chief of the second, a sphere argent, land areas vert, over two lightning flashes in saltire gules, fimbriated of the first. (Approved 21 Jul 1955.)

Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986