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Constituted as 71st Fighter Wing on 11 Aug 1943 and activated on 15 Aug. Moved to the European theater in Dec 1943. Assigned to Ninth AF. Served in combat from Mar to Aug 1944 when its combat elements were relieved of assignment. Returned to the US, Nov-Dec 1945. Inactivated on 3 Dec 1945.
Allotted to ANG (Mo) on 24 May 1946. Extended federal recognition on 3 Jul 1946. Inactivated on 31 Oct 1950.
Groups. 366th: 1944. 368th: 1944. 370th: 1944.
Stations. March Field, Calif, 15 Aug-26 Nov 1943; Aldermaston, England, 23 Dec 1943; Greenham Common, England, 14 Jan 1944; Andover, England, 1 Mar-4 Jul 1944; Ecrammeville, France, 10 Jul 1944; St-Pierre-Eglise, France, 1 Aug 1944; Ecrammeville, France, 7 Aug 1944; Rennes, France, 20 Aug 1944; Versailles, France, 9 Sep 1944; Vittel, France, 23 Oct 1944; Heidelberg, Germany, 23 Apr 1945; Nancy, France, 21 May 1945; Nancy/Essey, France, 16 Jul 1945; Darmstadt, Germany, 25 Sep-Nov 1945; Camp Shanks, NY, 2-3 Dec 1945.
Commanders. Lt Col Merrick Bayer, 6 Sep 1943; Lt Col Joseph C Smith, 18 Oct 1943; Brig Gen Ned Schramm, 18 Nov 1943; 2d Lt Gordon L Belsey, Sep 1945; Capt Augustus D Clemens, 26 Oct 1945-unkn.
Campaigns. Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France.
Decorations. Cited in the Order of the Day, Belgian Army: 6 Jun-[Aug] 1944.
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.
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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.
