PLEASE SUPPORT THE ARMY AIR CORPS MUSEUM! [MORE]
Ads help support our web operation, if you would like to turn them OFF for this visit;
Constituted as 59th Observation Group on 21 Aug 1941. Activated on 1 Sep 1941. Assigned to First AF. Participated in maneuvers and after the outbreak of war engaged in patrol activity along the east coast of the US. Used BC-1A, L-59, O-46, O-47, O-49, and O-52 aircraft. Inactivated on 18 Oct 1942.
Activated on 1 Mar 1943. Assigned to Third AF. Redesignated 59th Reconnaissance Group in Apr 1943, and 19th Fighter Group in Aug 1943. Trained pilots, using P-39 aircraft, with part of the group converting to P-40's in Apr 1944. Disbanded on 1 May 1944.
Squadrons. 34th (formerly 126th): 1941-1942; 1943. 103d: 1941-1942. 447th: 1943-1944. 488th (formerly 9th): 1942; 1943-1944. 489th (formerly 104th): 1941-1942; 1943-1944. 490th (formerly 119th): 1942; 1943-1944.
Stations. Newark, NJ, 1 Sep 1941; Pope Field, NC, c. Oct 1941; Ft Dix, NJ, Dec 1941-18 Oct 1942. Ft Myers, Fla, 1 Mar 1943; Thomasville AAFld, Ga, c. 30 Mar 1943-1 May 1944.
Commanders. Lt Col Victor Dallin, 1941; Lt Col Chester A Charles, Jan 1942-unkn. Maj Leland S McGowan, c. 24 Mar 1943; Lt Col William R Clingerman Jr, 14 Apr 1943; Col James B League Jr, Oct 1943; Lt Col James Van G Wilson, 11 Mar-c. 1 May 1944.
Campaigns. Antisubmarine, American Theater.
Decorations. None.
Insigne. Shield: Azure issuant fanwise from clouds in sinister base proper five rays, in dexter chief a mullet or. Motto: Exemplar - An Example. (Approved 24 Nov 1942.)
Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986
Do you have WWII memorabilia that you are not sure what to do with it? The children don't want it? Then let us help you preserve this history by donating these items to the Army Air Corps Library and Museum. We are accepting donations in the form of uniforms, medals, ribbons, patches, photos, memorabilia, papers, gear and equipment. We also accept monetary donations to support our operations and long term plans. This website is part of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, and as a 501(c)(3) Non-profit, your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
Read about how we need your support and use donations.
Historical Artifacts: We are looking for photos, documents and other types of artifacts including uniforms, medals, insignia, gear, manuals, and training material. We accept electronic/scans or originals of pictures and paper records. A General Order could be an award document that contains information on many servicemen. Special Orders may contain transfers or other information. Flight records, accident reports, maintenance logs, after action reports, pilot encounter reports, diaries and biorgraphies; all of these types of documents help us support or mission: preserving your history! Contact us today for instructions on sending us this material. Contact Today
Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks. Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one. We also need assistance with retyping unit history documents.
