World War II
Ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 8th Pursuit Group received orders to relocate to the Pacific Theater. At the end of January 1942, the group began its journey into war. After traveling by train across the United States and crossing the Pacific Ocean aboard the former World War I troop transport Maui, the group finally arrived at Brisbane, Australia on 6 March 1942. Before the group left the states, it gained a new flying unit, the 80th Pursuit Squadron. On arrival in Australia, the group made its headquarters at Brisbane. The transit to Australia involved only personnel and support equipment. The group flew the P-39 (below) and P-400 (a slightly inferior export version of the P-39) after arrival.
While the group had its headquarters in Australia, the 35th, 36th, and 80th Pursuit Squadrons operated from forward bases in New Guinea. Dedicated mainly to air defense, the group occasionally attacked ground targets, flying its first offensive mission on 30 April 1942, by strafing aircraft and fuel dumps at Lae and Salamaua.
The Air Force redesignated the group as the 8th Fighter Group in May 1942, with similar redesignations for its squadrons. In September of that year, the group headquarters moved to Milne Bay, New Guinea. Rampant malaria, with over half the group's personnel affected, forced a move in February 1943 to Mareeba, Australia, for rest and recuperation. During these early operations, the group and its squadrons concentrated on defense of Australia and Allied territory in New Guinea, but occasionally conducted offensive operations. Despite numerous problems in these early stages of the war with Japan, the 8th overcame adversity and performed well, earning its first Distinguished Unit Citation.
The group returned to action in April 1943, moving to Port Moresby, New Guinea. Before the move, the 80th Fighter Squadron re-equipped with the P-38 Lightning (below). For a time the 80th conducted most of the group's missions, as the P-39 aircraft of the 35th and 36th Fighter Squadrons were in poor condition. Both of these squadrons transitioned to the P-40 by June, and then began to conduct escort missions in New Guinea. Later in the year, the 36th Fighter Squadron replaced its P-40 aircraft with the P-47 Thunderbolt. Thus, for a time all three of the group's squadrons operated with different aircraft. In 1944 the P-40 and P-47 squadrons converted to the P-38, bringing the group back to a single aircraft type.
In this phase of the war, the 8th covered landings and supported offensive ground operations in New Britain, New Guinea, and Hollandia, with the group moving forward to different bases as territory was captured from the Japanese. Later in 1944, the group supported operations in the Philippines, earning a second Distinguished Unit Citation when, armed only with machine guns, the Lightnings of the 8th Fighter Group strafed a Japanese naval task force for three hours, halting the ships until bomber aircraft from more distant bases could attack the task force. Despite the fact that the group did not have time to load bombs on its fighters and used only .50 caliber bullets on the mission, the 8th managed to sink one of the Japanese ships.
After moving to a base in the Philippines in December 1944, the group spent the next several months conducting offensive operations against Formosa and the Asian mainland, as well as flying escort missions in the area. Moving to a base in Ie Shima in August 1945, the group flew several missions against the Japanese island of Kyushu before the war ended. On 14 August 1945, the day of the Japanese surrender, the 8th’s 35th Fighter Squadron shot down the last enemy plane of the war. During its involvement in World War II, the 8th Fighter Group participated in nine campaigns, and its pilots shot down 446 enemy aircraft, creating 24 aces. These included Major Jay T. Robbins, with 22 kills, and Majors Edward Cragg and Cyril F. Homer with 15 kills each.
After the war, the group moved to Fukuoka, Japan in November 1945 as part of the occupation force. In early 1946 the group converted to the P-51 Mustang. Over the next few years, the group operated from several different bases, providing air defense for Japan.
On 18 August 1948, the Air Force activated the 8th Fighter Wing. The 8th Fighter Group was assigned as a subordinate component of the wing. In the Mustang—redesignated from the "pursuit" P-51 to the "fighter" F-51—and later in the F-80 Shooting Star, the 8th provided air defense of Japan. On 20 January 1950, the wing designation changed to the 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing. Soon another war would begin.
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