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23rd Fighter Group
Founded :
Country : US
Fate :
23rd Fighter Group
23rd Fighter Group Artwork Collection |
  Clipped Signature - Chuck Older. |   Triple Dates With Destiny by Stan Stokes. |
| Aces for : 23rd 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 |
| Charles H Older | 18.50 | The signature of Charles H Older features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| David Lee Tex Hill | 18.25 | The signature of David Lee Tex Hill features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Edward F Rector | 10.50 | The signature of Edward F Rector features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| John R Alison | 6.00 | The signature of John R Alison features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Wiltz Segura | 6.00 | The signature of Wiltz Segura features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Donald Sewell Lopez | 5.00 | The signature of Donald Sewell Lopez features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| 23rd Fighter Group Aircraft details |
 Mustang Manufacturer : North American | Mustang The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace. |
 Warhawk Manufacturer : Curtiss Built : 13738 | Warhawk P-40 |
| 23rd Fighter Group Pilot and aircrew signature details |
  Colonel Tex Hill Our estimated value of this signature : £75 Died : 2007 | Colonel Tex Hill Tex Hill was born in Korea on 13th July 1915. Tex Hill graduated as a Naval Aviator in 1939, and after serving as a Navy Pilot, Tex Hill volunteered for the A.V.G., becoming Squadron Leader in the 2nd Sqn (Panda Bears) until disbandment in 1942, by which time he had 12.25 air victories, making him the second highest ranking Ace in the American Volunteer Group. He remained in China, as the first squadron commander of the 75th F S /23rd F G before returning to the U.S. He went back to China to command the 23rd F G, increasing his total to 18.25 victories. In late 1943 he led a group of 30 aircraft on the first strike against Formosa. During this mission, 42 enemy aircraft were confirmed destroyed, with a possible 12 more, while all 30 aircraft under Tex Hill's command returned safely. Returning to the US, he commanded the 412th Fighter Group, the first jet aircraft group. Here, he flew P-80 Shooting Stars and YP-59 Airacomets. His decorations include a Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, 4 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 2 Air Medals, 2 Presidential Unit Citations, 6 decorations awarded by China, and a Distinguished Flying Cross from the UK. Sadly, Tex Hill died on 11th October 2007. |
 Lieutenant Wayne G Johnson Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Lieutenant Wayne G Johnson 23rd Fighter Group Flying Tigers pilot. Whitey Johnson enlisted in the Air Corps on 8th December 1941, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and trained as a fighter pilot. After completing training he was posted to China to join the 23rd Fighter Group - The Flying Tigers - where he flew with the 188th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. He was one of the sixteen P-51 Mustang pilots who participated in the first strike against Japanese airfields near Shanghai, where they destroyed 97 planes on the ground without any losses. |
 Lt Colonel Don Lopez Our estimated value of this signature : £40 Died : 2008 | Lt Colonel Don Lopez In October 1943, Don was assigned to the 75th Fighter Squadron/ 23 F G Flying Tigers, in Hengyang, China, and was soon in the thick of the fighting, scoring a victory in his very first air combat. he completed his tour in 1945 as Squadron Operations Officer, having scored 5 air victories. He later became Deputy Director of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington. |
  Colonel Charles Older Our estimated value of this signature : £70 Died : 2006 | Colonel Charles Older Charles Herman Older, born on 29 September 1917 in Hanford, California, graduated from the University of California in 1939 with a degree in political science. No the 1st April 1940 Charles Herman Older joined the Marine Corps for flight training, he received his wings and commission at Pensacola. Resigning from the Marine Corps in 1941 to join the A.V.G., Chuck Older took part in the great 'Christmas' air battles over Rangoon shooting down 5 Japanese aircraft. With 10.25 victories to his credit he joined the 23rd F G when the A.V.G. was disbanded, flying P-51s. He led the first strike against Shanghai resulting in the destruction of 77 Japanese aircraft. He completed the war with 18.25 air victories. After leaving the Air Force Colonel Chuck Older obtained a law degree from the University of Southern California and subsequently became a superior court judge in Los Angeles, California. He gained prominence as the presiding judge in the Charles Manson mass murder trial in 1970-71. Charles Older died on the 17th June 2006. |
 Captain Ronald M Phillips Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Captain Ronald M Phillips 23rd Fighter Group Flying Tigers pilot. Ron Philips was drafted a few months after Pearl Harbor, graduated from the Airplane and Engine School in Glendale, Caligornia and began training as a pilot. Commissioned in 1943 he was posted to the 23rd Fighter Group - The Flying Tigers - and part of the 14th Air Force. Arriving in Kweilin in the summer of 1944 he flew with the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron - the Black Lightnings - the fourth squadron of the 23rd Fighter Group, equipped with P-51 Mustangs. |
 Colonel Ed Rector Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 2001 | Colonel Ed Rector Born 28th September 1916, Ed Rector originally flew dive bombers off carriers before being recruited into the A.V.G. flying with the 2nd Squadron. Ed Rector was one of the five pilots who volunteered for continuous service in China after 4th July, 1942 and joined the 23rd Fighter Group. He returned to China later for a 2nd tour of duty. He had a total of 10.5 air victories. He died on 26th April 2001. |
 Brigadier General Wiltz Segura Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 1999 | Brigadier General Wiltz Segura After combat training with the Army Air Corps in 1943, Wiltz Segura joined the Flying Tigers in China, serving with the 75th Fighter Squadron/ 23rd Fighter Group. Glying over 102 combat missions he was twice shot down by ground fire but managed to parachute from his disabled P-40 and evade capture by the Japanese. He finished the war with 6 air victories. General Segura was born in 1921 in New Iberia, La., where he graduated from New Iberia High School in January 1940 and attended Louisiana State University and the University of Southwestern Louisiana prior to entering the Army Air Corps in 1942 as an aviation cadet. He received his flying training in the Southeastern Training Command and graduated at Craig Field, Ala., with a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps and his pilot wings in April 1943. He then attended a three month fighter transition training at Sarasota, Fla. Sadly, he died on 9th April 1999. |
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