The 402d Fighter-Day Group is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

unit. Its last assignment was with

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

, being inactivated at Greenville Air Force Base, Mississippi on 8 February 1957.

History

World War II

The 402d Bombardment Group was activated in China and assigned to

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...

in early 1943. Programmed for

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in e ...

medium bombers, however no aircraft or squadrons were assigned and its headquarters apparently was never fully manned. The unit was disbanded a few months later.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 286-287 The 402d Fighter Group was first activated by

I Fighter Command I Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces intermediate command responsible for command and control of the fighter operations within the First Air Force during World War II. It was initially established in June 1941 as the 1st Inte ...

in October 1943 at

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, with the 538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron,

539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 26th Air Division at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 31 August 1967. During World War II, th ...

and 540th Fighter Squadrons assigned.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 644-645Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 645-646Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 646 Less than two weeks later, the

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

moved to

Seymour Johnson Field Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Maryland, ...

, North Carolina. At Seymour Johnson, the 538th and 539th Squadrons were reassigned to the

326th Fighter Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

, which transferred two of its squadrons to the 402d.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p. 208

Cold War

The two

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

groups were reconstituted and consolidated as the 402d Fighter-Day Group and assigned to

. Planned as an

F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...

group, however decision was made to keep Greenville AFB as an

Air Training Command Air Training Command (ATC) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was initially formed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was re-designated as Ai ...

base. As a result, no aircraft were assigned and the unit was inactivated in 1957.

Lineage

; 402d Bombardment Group * Constituted as the 402d Bombardment Group (Medium) on 20 April 1943 : Activated on 19 May 1943 : Disbanded on 31 July 1943 * Reconstituted and consolidated with the 402d Fighter Group on 3 October 1956 ; 402d Fighter-Day Group * Constituted as the 402d Fighter Group on 24 September 1943 : Activated on 1 October 1943 : Disbanded on 10 April 1944. * Reconstituted as the 402d Fighter-Day Group on 4 October 1956 : Activated on 15 October 1956 : Inactivated on 8 February 1957

Assignments

, 19 May – 31 July 1943 *

, 1 October 1943 – 10 April 1944 (attached to

New York Fighter Wing The New York Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the I Fighter Command, stationed at Mitchel Field, New York It was inactivated on 10 April 1944. The wing was a World War II air defense organiza ...

until 13 October 1943) *

, 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957

Components

* 320th Fighter (later Fighter-Day) Squadron: 25 November 1943 – 10 April 1944; 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957 * 442d Fighter (later Fighter-Day) Squadron: 25 November 1943 – 10 April 1944; 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957 * 452d Fighter Squadron: 1 October 1943 – 10 April 1944 * 538th Fighter Squadron: 1 October – 25 November 1943 * 539th Fighter Squadron: 1 October – 25 November 1943 * 540th Fighter (later Fighter-Day) Squadron: 1 October 1943 – 10 April 1944; 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957

Stations

Kunming Airport Kunming Changshui International Airport is the primary airport serving Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, China. The airport is located northeast of the city center in a graded mountainous area about above sea level. The airport opened ...

, China, 19 May – 31 July 1943 *

, Massachusetts, 1 October 1943 *

, North Carolina, c. 13 October 1943 *

Bluethenthal Field Wilmington International Airport is a public airport located just north of Wilmington, North Carolina, in unincorporated Wrightsboro, Cape Fear Township, New Hanover County. ILM covers 1,800 acres (728 ha). During the calendar year 2018 ILM ...

, North Carolina, c. 9 December 1943 * Bradley Field, Connecticut, c. 11 February – 10 April 1944 * Greenville Air Force Base, Mississippi, 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957

Aircraft

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

, 1943–1944

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{USAAF 14th Air Force World War II Fighter groups of the United States Air Force Military units and formations established in 1956