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56th Fighter Group
Country : US
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| Text for the above items : |
The Wolfpack by Robert Taylor. The 56th Fighter Group was led by some of Americas greatest fighter leaders of World War II and was home to many of its leading fighter Aces. Under successive commanders Hub Zemke, Robert Landry and David Schilling, the 56th destroyed more enemy aircraft in combat than any other fighter group in the Eighth Air Force. Arriving in England in January 1943 under the command of Colonel Hub Zemke, a master tactician and fearless leader, the 56th quickly emerged as an outstanding fighting unit. The only Eighth Air Force Group to fly P-47 Thunderbolts throughout the war, the 56th spawned more fighter Aces than any other USAAF group - legends such as Gabby Gabreski, Robert Johnson and the colourful Ace Walker Bud Mahurin. Under Hub Zemkes mercurial leadership they became known and feared as Zemkes Wolfpack. On 26 November, 1943, the P-47s of the 56th Fighter Group were tasked to escort B-24 Liberators of the 392nd Bomb Group on a dangerous mission to attack the heavily defended industrial and dockyard facilities in the German port of Bremen. Zemke knew the Luftwaffe would be waiting for them as they approached the target, and they were - in force! It was to become a day of high drama. With the Luftwaffe throwing all the fighters they could muster at the American heavy bombers, a massive aerial battle ensued. In the running dogfights high over Bremen, the Wolfpack claimed their most successful action of the war with 23 confirmed kills, 3 probables, and 9 damaged, creating an all-time record in the European Theatre. The 392nds B-24 Liberators could not have been in safer hands on that eventful day. |
Zemkes Wolfpack by Robert Taylor. Hub Zemke was a fighter pilot and commander who led from the front. A great tactician too, it was in no small measure due to the air combat tactics introduced to the 56th Fighter Group by its mercurial leader that by the end of WW2 it had become the top-scoring Fighter Group in the USAF. This highly successful unit spawned some of the top fighter aces in the European theatre : Gabby Gabreski with 34.5 victories, Robert Johnson with 28 victories, and the colourful Ace, Walker Bud Mahurin who shot down 21 German aircraft. High over Germany at the extremity of its range, the P-47 of Hub Zemke is seen leading his pilots in to defend a stricken B-17 against the persistent attacks of marauding Fw190s. Already damaged, the B-17 has dropped from the relative safety of the formation, and protection from the P-47s is now its only chance of survival. |
| Aces for : 56th Fighter Group | ||
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| Francis S Gabreski | 28.00 | The signature of Francis S Gabreski features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Robert S Johnson | 27.00 | The signature of Robert S Johnson features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Walker M Mahurin | 20.75 | The signature of Walker M Mahurin features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Hubert Zemke | 17.75 | The signature of Hubert Zemke features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Michael Gladych | 10.00 | The signature of Michael Gladych features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Robert J Rankin | 10.00 | The signature of Robert J Rankin features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| George E Bostick | 9.00 | |
| Billy G Edens | 8.00 | The signature of Billy G Edens features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Leslie C Smith | 7.00 | The signature of Leslie C Smith features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| 56th Fighter Group Aircraft details |
 Thunderbolt Built : 15683 | Thunderbolt Alexander Kartveli was a engineer with Seversky Aircraft who designed the P-35, which first flew in 1937. With Republic Aviation Kartveli supervised the development of the P-43 Lancer. Neither of these aircraft were produced in large numbers, and neither was quite successful. However, the Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt, also nicknamed the Jug, was quite a different story. The Jug was the jewel in Kartvelis design crown, and went on to become one of the most produced fighter aircraft of all time with 15,683 being manufactured. The P-47 was the largest and heaviest single seat fighter of WW II. The P-47 immediately demonstrated its excellent combat qualities, including speed, rate of climb, maneuverability, heavy fire power, and the ability to take a lot of punishment. With a wingspan of more than 40 feet and a weight of 19,400 pounds, this large aircraft was designed around the powerful 2000 HP Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine. The first P-47 prototype flew in May of 1941, and the primary variant the P-47D went into service in 1943 with units of the U.S. Armys Eighth Air Force. The Jug had a maximum speed in excess of 400 MPH, a service ceiling in excess of 42,000 feet, and was heavily armed with either six or eight heavy caliber machine guns. With its ability to carry up to a 2,500 pound bomb load, the Jug saw lots of use in ground attack roles. Until the introduction of the N model, the P-47 lacked the long range required for fighter escort missions which were most often relegated to P-51 Mustangs or P-38 Lightnings. In his outstanding painting entitled Bridge Busting Jugs, noted aviation artist Stan Stokes depicts Eighth Air Force Jugs in a ground attack mission in the Alps in June of 1944. The top P-47 ace was Francis Gabreski who had flown with the 56th Fighter Group, the first unit to be equipped with the P-47. In August of 1943 Gabreski attained his first aerial combat victory (over an Fw-190) and by years end he had reached ace status with 8 confirmed victories. As Commander of the 61st Squadron, Gabreski continued to chalk up victory after victory, and on seven different occasions he achieved two victories during the same mission. However, in July of 1944 Gabreski damaged the prop on his Jug during a low level attack on an airfield near Coblenz. Forced to make a crash landing, he was captured and remained a prisoner of war until Wars end in 1945. Following the War Gabreski returned to military service with the Air Forces 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing in Korea. Flying the F-86 Sabre Jet, Gabreski attained 6.5 more aerial victories in 1951 and 1952 becoming an ace in two different wars |
| 56th Fighter Group Pilot and aircrew signature details |
 Brigadier General Lyle Adrianse Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Brigadier General Lyle Adrianse Joining the service in 1941, Lyle Adrianse was one of the early members of the 56th Fighter Group, arriving in England with them in early 1943 and flying P47s with the 63rd Fighter Squadron. He completed a total of 101 combat missions with the Group, and remained in Europe until the end of the war. |
 Colonel Gordon Batdorf Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Colonel Gordon Batdorf Gordon Batdorf was one of the original cadre members of the 63rd Fighter Squadron, and flew several of the 56th Fighter Groups earliest missions after their arrival in England. He was credited with one damaged Luftwaffe aircraft on 20th October 1943. |
 Lieutenant John Bradshaw Our estimated value of this signature : £30 | Lieutenant John Bradshaw Volunteering to fly with the RAF, John Bradshaw flew Spitfires with 41 Squadron. An experienced pilot, he transferred to the USAAF in 1943 and was immediately posted to the 56th Fighter Group, flying with the 63rd Fighter Squadron. He flew a total of 126 combat missions, flew on D-Dat, belly-landed twice in Holland, and downed 1.5 enemy aircraft. |
 Colonel Harold Bunny Comstock Our estimated value of this signature : £30 | Colonel Harold Bunny Comstock Commissioned in 1942, Bunny Comstock qualified as a fighter pilot in July 1942. He joined the 56th Fighter Group, and in December sailed for England with the Group in the Queen Elizabeth. Bunny scored his first victory, over an Me109, just four days after the Groups first combat mission, and during his two tours with the 56th Fighter Group, he completed a total of 136 combat missions, and a final tally of 5 aerial victories. |
 Colonel Billy Gene Edens Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Colonel Billy Gene Edens Born on January 21st, 1923, in Cassbille, Mo., Billy Edens graduated form school on June 1st, 1942, and on the 27th of June Billy Edens joined the Army Air Corp. On May 3rd 1943 Edens became an aviation cadet and received all his flight training in Alabama, receiving his wings and commission on November 3rd 1943. Second Lieutenant Edens was assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group in England in April 1944. On the 8th of June 1944, while defending flight leader Mark Moseley, Edens destroyed two Me109s and an Fw190 to earn a triple in one day. On 10th September 1944 during his 89th and final mission Edens was hit by flak over France and shot down (for the fourth time) while strafing the Seligenstadt Airdrome and became a POW at Stalag Luft I in Barth, Germany for the remainder of the war. Edens wouold go on to fly F-84s during the Korean War, where he would again be shot down but not captured. That was the end of his flying during the Korean war but, Eden, who had flown 153 missions, went on to fly F-100s in Vietnam, becoming a full colonel during his second tour. Col. Billy G. Edens received the Silver Star, DFC with 3 OLCs, Bronze Star, Purple Heart with one OLC, and the Air Medal with 15 OLCs. |
  Colonel Gabby Gabreski Our estimated value of this signature : £95 Died : 2002 | Colonel Gabby Gabreski Gabby Gabreski was the top scoring 8th Air Force fighter Ace in Europe with 28.5 victories in World War II, plus further 6.5 in Korea. Flying P47s with the 56th Fighter Group, his illustrious career in Europe came to a spectacular end, when, strafing an airfield his aircraft touched the ground. He crash landed and was taken prisoner. The story of this American hero from Oil City, Pennsylvania begins in 1942. Gabreski dropped out of his pre-med studies at the University of Notre Dame to become a flyer. Anxious to get into action quickly Francis Gabreski got himself assigned to the 3-1-5 Polish fighter squadron of the RAF in 1942. Although Gabreski flew many combat missions with the Polish fighter squadron he attained no victories. In February of 1943 he was reassigned to the U.S. Army's Eighth Air Force. On August 24, 1943 he got his first victory (a Focke-Wulf 190) over France. Flying the P-47 Thunderbolt or 'Jug', Gabreski continued to achieve victory after victory. He was officially credited with 28 confirmed aerial victories, and that excludes the scores of aircraft, tanks, and other vehicles destroyed by Gabreski during ground attack missions. For many weeks leading up to and following D-Day in June of 1944 Gabby had been on numerous missions involving the dive bombing and strafing of German trains, bridges, armored convoys, and gun emplacements. On July 20,1944 Gabby was scheduled to depart for a much-deserved leave, during which he planned to marry his girl, Kay Lochran. Shortly before his scheduled departure Gabreski was given the opportunity of leading the 61st Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group on an important mission. This was a challenge this ace could not resist. Near Cologne, Gabby spotted an airdrome and began a high-speed low-level attack. Defying his own axiom to 'hit them hard, hit them fast, hit them low, but never come around for a second pass,' Gabby made an ill-fated second pass over the field. On this second pass his propeller hit the tarmac, and Gabreski was forced to make a crash landing in a wheat field adjacent to the German airfield. For five days he was able to elude the German army, but he was finally captured and sent to Stalag Luft 1 in Barth Germany. In 1945 with the end of the War Gabby was released and he married Kay Cochran on June 11. Not long after the Korean War broke out, Gabby found himself in command of the 51st Fighter Wing, where he flew the F-86 Sabre jet. In Korea Gabreski attained 6.5 more confirmed aerial victories in engagements with Migs, earning the unique distinction of ace status in two different wars. Following his retirement from military service in 1967, Gabby worked for several years for Grumman Aircraft on Long Island. Later he was to become the President and General Manager of the Long Island Railroad. Two of his nine children are Air Force Academy graduates and pilots with the U.S. Air Force. At the time of his retirement from military service in 1967 Gabby is believed to have flown more combat missions than any other American fighter pilot. Gabreski lived in Long Island New York where the American flag proudly flew each day atop the Gabreski family flagpole. Colonel Francis 'Gabby' Gabreski passed away on 31st January 2002. |
 Major Michael B Gladych Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Major Michael B Gladych After flying with the Polish Air Force, Michael Gladych eventually escaped to England after the final fall of France, joining 303 Squadron RAF on Spitfires. With 17 victories to his credit, he rammed his eighteenth and final victory in June 1941 and was in hospital for several months afterwards. In 1943 he was posted to 302 Squadron, but then loaned himself to serve with Gabreski and the 56th Fighter Group. |
 Captain Walter Groce Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Captain Walter Groce Flying with the 63rd Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group, Walter Groce flew the first of his 73 combat missions shortly after D-Day, 1944. He flew the longest combat mission in a P-47 without landing, after bailing out on his return. Scoring 3.5 victories he was one of the rare breed of fighter pilots to have shot down an Me262 jet in combat, claiming a share of one on 1st November 1944. |
 Lt Col Robert S Johnson Our estimated value of this signature : £80 Died : 1998 | Lt Col Robert S Johnson Robert Johnson arrived in England in 1943 and was quickly in the thick of the action, scoring his first aerial victory within a month of his initial combat flying. A year later, having flown 91 combat missions, he had taken his total of aerial victories to 27. Died 27th December 1998. |
 Chief Warrant Officer Russell Kyler Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Chief Warrant Officer Russell Kyler Joining up in September 1942, Russell Kyler flew 57 combat missions in P-47s with the 61st Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group, from September 1944 until the end of World War II. Enlisting in the army after the war, he then flew two tours on Huey helicopters during the conflict in Vietnam. |
  Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin Our estimated value of this signature : £70 Died : 2010 | Colonel Walker Bud Mahurin Walker Melville 'Bud' Mahurin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on 5th December 1918. He joined the Army reserves on 29th September 1941 and entered flight training, being commissioned as a pilot on the 29th of April 1942 at Ellington Field Texas. 'Bud' Mahurin gained a reputation as one of the USAAF's most colourful fighter Aces. Arriving in the European theatre, flying with the 56th Fighter Group at Boxted, England, on the 17th of August the 56th Fighter group flew escort for the Eighth Air Force Bombers whose mission was to bomb Schweinfurt and Regensburg. They encountered a large force of German fighters and Bud Mahurin shot down two Fw190s. He went on to become an Ace on the 4th of October, and by the end of November he had achieved 10 kills. Bud Mahurin was promoted to Major on the 21st of March 1944. On the 27th of March he shared a victory of a Do217 but was hit by the bomber and was forced to bail out of his Thunderbolt, when his aircraft was set ablaze by the gunfire. Mahurin evaded the Germans with help of the French resistance and returned to Britian. He had by this time shot down 20 German aircraft. He then transferred to the south west Pacific Commanding the 3rd Air Commando Squadron where he added a Japanese aircraft to his score, shooting down a KI-46 Dinah, making hinm one of very few American pilots to shoot down German and Japanese aircraft. Mahurin saw combat from New Guinea to Okinawa. After this tour he returned to the US and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. After the war he spent two tours at the Pentagon and went on to obtain an aeronautical engineering degree. During the Korean War 'Bud' Mahurin commanded the 4th Fighter Interceptor Group in Korea where he added 3.5 MiG-15s to his tally before being shot down in his Sabre. He was shot down by ground fire on the 13th of May 1952, and bailed out for the last time, to spend a gruelling sixteen months as a POW in North Korea undergoing extensive torture. Mahurin returned to the US and stayed in the USAF until 1956 when he worked for the aerospace industry. Sadly, Bud Mahurin passed away on 11th May 2010. |
 Colonel Robert J Shorty Rankin Our estimated value of this signature : £35 Died : 2013 | Colonel Robert J Shorty Rankin Robert James Rankin was born on 23rd October 1918 in Washington, D.C. Joining the Army Air Corps on 6th March 1941, he served in the enlisted ranks until he became an aviation cadet on 15th July 1942. He graduated from pilot training at Luke Field, Arizona on 11 April 1943. Posted to join the 56th Fighter Group, he arrived in based at Halesworth, England in April 1943 and was allocated to the 61st Fighter Squadron. His victories steadily mounted and by the end of the war his tally stood at 10 aerial victories. Rankin's record day came on 12th May 1944, flying in bomber formation to deceive the enemy into mistaking them for the bomber force, at a predetermined point the 56th fanned out into flights of four to encounter enemy fighters forming up to intercept the 'bombers'. Rankin led his flight to an attack on 25 plus Me-109s, claiming two kills. A short time later, he and his wingman joined with the Group Commander who was circling with 50 plus enemy fighters. Providing cover for the Group Commander, Rankin destroyed three Me-109s. He became the European Theater of Operations first P-47 pilot to score five victories on one mission. Rankin served in the Korean War, serving as director of operations for the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing. During the next 11 years, he commanded six fighter-Interceptor squadrons. On the 9th November 1963 Rankin was promoted to Colonel , he retired as Vice-Commander of the 20th Air Division on 1 April 1973. Shorty Rankin passed away on 14th March 2013. |
 Brigadier General Leslie C Smith Our estimated value of this signature : £30 Died : 2016 | Brigadier General Leslie C Smith Les Smith was born on October 31, 1918, in Mitchell, South Dakota. He graduated from Fresno State College in May 1940, and entered the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces on November 7, 1941. Smith was commissioned a 2d Lt and awarded his pilot wings at Kelly Field, Texas, on July 3, 1942, and then joined the 61st Fighter Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group, deploying with the group to England in January 1943. Arriving in England in February 1943, Les Smith flew two tours with the 56th Fighter Group, first as flight leader of the 61st Fighter Squadron, then as Commanding Officer of the 62nd Fighter Squadron. During that time he notched up 7 aerial victories,plus 4.5 on the ground while strafing enemy airfields. Les Smith became commander of the 62nd Fighter Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group in September 1944, and destroyed 1 more enemy aircraft in the air before becoming Deputy Commander of the 56th Fighter Group in January 1945 ending the war as Deputy Group Commanding Officer. He transferred to the 65th Fighter Wing in England and served as Air Inspector from April to June 1945. Col Les Smith left active duty and on the 10th of January 1946 joined the Air Force Reserve, serving until May 18, 1948, after which he joined the California Air National Guard. Col Les Smith served as Commander of the 144th Fighter Group from May to July 1948, and Commander of the 194th Fighter Squadron from July 1948 to April 1952, and Commander of the 144th Fighter Group from May 1952 to September 1955. Col Smith then served on the staff of the 144th Fighter Interceptor Wing from September 1955 to September 1957, followed by service as Deputy Commander of the 144th Air Defense Wing from September 1957 to January 1959. Gen Smiths final assignment was as Commander of the 144th Air Defense Wing from January 1959 and finally on 1st july 1963 he retired from the California Air National Guard. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2015. He died on 2nd September 2016. |
 Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Whitley Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Whitley Posted to fly P-47s with the 56th Fighter Group in England, ed Whitley was an original cadre member of the 63rd Fighter Squadron. His first combat mission came in April 1943, and another 35 were to follow. He was credited with two air victories, one of which came on 17th August 1943 - the famous Double Strike mission when the 8th Air Force bombed Schweinfurt and Regensberg. |
 Colonel Robert Winters Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | Colonel Robert Winters On 17th April 1945 Robert Winters flew escort with the 56th Fighter Group on the very last USAAF bombing mission to Berlin. It was also the last of his 65 combat missions with the 62nd Fighter Squadron. During this time he had notched up 2 kills, 3 probables and 3 damaged Luftwaffe fighters. |
  Colonel Hub Zemke Our estimated value of this signature : £180 Died : 1994 | Colonel Hub Zemke Best known as leader of the legendary Zemkes Wolfpack, Hub Zemkes famous 56th Fighter Group was the top scoring Fighter Group in the European Theater of operations. Zemke pioneered the use of the P-38 Droop Snoot as a bomb aiming aircraft which led the bomb-loaded P-47s on to the target with great accuracy and success. He later commanded the 479th Fighter Group P-38s. One of the outstanding fighter leaders of the war, Hub Zemkes personal tally 17.5 victories. Sadly, he passed awway on 30th August 1994. |
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