The 370th Fighter Squadron is an inactive

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

unit. The squadron was activated in early 1943 and assigned to the

359th Fighter Group The 359th Fighter Group was a United States Army Air Force fighter unit that was active during World War II. Following organization and training in the United States, the group deployed to the European Theater of Operations, operating from RAF ...

. After training in the United States, it deployed to England and participated in combat in the European Theater of Operations, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation for its action. Following

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...

, the squadron returned to at

Camp Kilmer Located in Central New Jersey, Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service ...

, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1945.

History

The 370th Fighter Squadron was activated in early 1943 as one of the original three squadrons of the

. The squadron trained in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

during 1943. 359th Fighter Group P-47 Thunderbolts

The squadron moved to England in October 1943, where it became part of

VIII Fighter Command The VIII Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces unit of command above the wings and below the numbered air force. Its primary mission was command of fighter operations within the Eighth Air Force. In the World War II European The ...

. It entered combat in mid-December 1943, using the callsign "Wheeler" supported the invasion of Normandy during June 1944 by patrolling the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

, escorting bombardment formations to the French coast, and dive-bombing and strafing bridges, locomotives, and rail lines near the battle area. After D-Day, engaged chiefly in escorting bombers to oil refineries, marshalling yards, and other targets in such cities as Ludwigshafen, Stuttgart,

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

, Berlin,

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a dioces ...

, and Brux. Continued combat operations until the German capitulation in May 1945. The unit returned to the United States and was inactivated in November 1945.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 370th Fighter Squadron (Single Engine) on 20 December 1942 : Activated on 15 January 1943 : Inactivated on 10 November 1945

Assignments

, 15 January 1943 – 10 November 1945

Stations

Westover Field Westover may refer to: People * Al Westover (born 1954), American professional basketball player in Australia * Arthur Westover (1864–1935), Canadian sport shooter and 1908 Olympian * Charles Westover (1934–1990), better known as Del Shannon, ...

, Massachusetts, 15 January 1943 *

Bedford Army Air Field Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located predominantly within Bedford, Massachusetts, with portions extending into the adjoining towns of Lincoln, Concord and Lexington. The facility is adjacent to Hanscom Field ...

, Massachusetts, 5 April 1943 *

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territor ...

, New York, 24 May 1943 * Westover Field, Massachusetts, 22 August 1943 – 2 October 1943 *

RAF East Wretham Royal Air Force East Wretham or more simply RAF East Wretham is a former Royal Air Force station located northeast of Thetford, Norfolk, England. History Royal Air Force use East Wretham airfield was hurriedly brought into service during th ...

(Station 133),Station number in Anderson. England, ''ca''. 18 October 1943 – ''ca''. 4 November 1945 *

, New Jersey, 9 November 1945 – 10 November 1945

Aircraft

* Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943–1944 *

North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

, 1944–1945

Awards and Campaigns

Manual campaign table

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{cite book, last=Watkins, first=Robert, title=Battle Colors: Insignia and Markings of the Eighth Air Force in World War II , volume=II (VIII) Fighter Command, year=2008, publisher=Shiffer Publishing Ltd., location=Atglen, PA, isbn=978-0-7643-2535-9 Fighter squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces Military units and formations established in 1942