Re: 93rd Fighter Sq. 81st. Fighter Group.

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Comments:: Aircraft : Type Name Manufacturer : P-40 Warhawk Curtiss : P-39 Airacobra Bell : P-47 Thunderbolt Republic : : : History : Constituted as 81st Pursuit Group (Intercepter) on 13 Jan 1942. Activated on 9 Feb 1942. Redesignated 81st Fighter Group in May 1942. Trained with P-39's. Moved overseas, Oct 1942-Feb 1943, the ground echelon arriving, in French Morocco with the force that invaded North Africa on 8 Nov, and the air echelon, which had trained for a time in England, arriving in North Africa between late Dec 1942 and early Feb 1943. Began combat with Twelfth AF in Jan 1943. Supported ground operations during the Allied drive against Axis forces in Tunisia. Patrolled the coast of Africa and protected Allied shipping in the Mediterranean Sea, Apr-Jul 1943. Provided cover for the convoys that landed troops on Pantelleria on II Jun and on Sicily on 10 Jul 1943. Supported the landings at Anzio on 22 Jan 1944 and flew patrols in that area for a short time. Moved to India, Feb-Mar 1944, and began training with P-40 and P-47 aircraft. Moved to China in May and became part of Fourteenth AF. Continued training and on occasion flew patrol and escort missions before returning to full-time combat duty in Jan 1945. Attacked enemy airfields and installations, flew escort missions, and aided the operations of Chinese ground forces by attacking troop concentrations, ammunition dumps, lines of communications, and other targets to hinder Japanese efforts to move men and materiel to the front. Inactivated in China on 27 Dec 1945. : Activated in Hawaii on 15 Oct 1946. Equipped with P-51's; converted to F-47's early in 1948. Moved to the US in 1949 and converted to jet aircraft, receiving F-80's at first but changing to F-86's soon afterward. : Redesignated 81st Fighter-Interceptor Group in Jan 1950. Moved to England, Aug-Sep 1951. Assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe. Redesignated 81st Fighter-Bomber Group in Apr 1954. Inactivated in England on 8 Feb 1955. : : Campaigns : Air Combat, EAME Theater, China Defensive, China Offensive, Algeria-French Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, : : Decorations : : : : Stations : Name Dates Station No. : Morris Field, NC Feb 1942 : Dale Mabry Field, FL c. 1 May 1942 : Muroc, CA c. 28 Jun-4 Oct 1942 : Mediouna, French Morocco c. 5 Jan 1943 : Thelepte, Tunisia 22 Jan 1943 : Le Kouif Airfield, Algeria 17 Feb 1943 : Youks-les-Bains, Algeria 22 Feb 1943 : Le Kouif Airfield, Algeria 24 Feb 1943 : Thelepte, Tunisia c. Mar 1943 : Algeria c. 3 Apr 1943 : Monastir, Tunisia c. 26 May 1943 : Sidi Ahmed, Tunisia 10 Aug 1943 : Castelvetrano, Sicily 12 Oct 1943 : Montecorvino Airfield, Italy c. Feb 1944 : Karachi, India c. 2 Mar 1944 : Kwanghan, China 12 May 1944 : Fungwansham, China Feb 1945 : Huhsien, China Aug-Dec 1945 : : : Commanders : Name Dates : Unknown Feb-May 1942 : Capt Harry E Hammond 5 May 1942 : Capt John D Sureau 10 May 1942 : Lt Col Paul M Jacobs 22 May 1942 : Lt Col Kenneth S Wade c. Jul 1942 : Col Philip B Klein May 1943 : Lt Col Michael Gordon 2 Jul 1943 : Maj Frederick S Hanson 15 Jul 1943 : Col Philip B Klein 26 Aug 1943 : Lt Col Fred G Hook Jr 27 Sep 1944 : Col Oliver G Cellini 24 Oct 1944-unkn : Regards, : Hugh :

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