Curtiss P-36 Hawk photo gallery
Curtiss H-81A Hawk - Tomahawk photo gallery
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk photo gallery
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk photo gallery

325th Fighter Group325th Fighter Group

USAAF 317th Fighter Squadron USAAF 325th Fighter Group USAAF 318th Fighter Squadron USAAF 319th Fighter Squadron

317th FS   -   318th FS   -   319th FS

 Curtiss P-40F Warhawk 325FG Pilot Robert Baseler Mateur, Tunisia Sep 1943 00

Profile 01: P-40F, serial number 41-20006, 325th Fighter Group, Mateur, Tunisia, September 1943 flown by Col. R.L. Baseler, commanding the group. Baseler scored five kills with this P-40F, but none against the German planes flying at high altitude for which the plane had been lightened by removing the radio and two machine guns.

Planes and Pilots: Curtiss P40 Vol 3 From 1939 to 1945.

 Curtiss P-40F Warhawk 325FG317FS White 13 Pilot Bruce A. Hunt Mateur, Tunisia Sep 1943 00

Profile 01: P-40F, serial number 41-20006, 325th Fighter Group, 317th Fighter Squadron Mateur, Tunisia, 1943 flown by Capt. Bruce A. Hunt, scored five kills with this P-40F, Duchess of Durnham

 Curtiss P-40E Warhawk 325FG318FS Pilot William Lott North Africa 1943

This skin represents a P-40F of the 318th Fighter Sqn., 325th Fighter Group (The Checkertail Clan), North Africa 1943. Lott-o was flown by Capt. William Lott.

 Curtiss P-40F Warhawk 325FG317FS White 13 Pilot Herschel Green Mateur, Tunisia 1943 00

P40F(E), 1Lt Hersal (Herky) Green, White 13 P40F(E) flown by 1Lt Hershal (Herky) Green, 317th FS, Africa 1943. This is the A/C that Green flew on his first combat mission. The fligt he was in engaged a group of BF109s, during the engagement Green destroyed one enemy A/C (although he did not know it at the time) before returning his heavily damaged P40 to his home base. After landing Green had the A/C number changed to White 11. He went on to be the top scoring US ace in the MTO with 18 kills.

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG Tunisia 1943 01

Photo 01: Unnumbered 325th Fighter Group P-40 which crash landed at Mateur, Tunisia following a mid-air collision on the 3rd of July 1943. The group was strafing a radar installation at Pula, Sardinia when the two P-40s collided. The pilot of the other P-40, Lt. Bryant was killed when his tailless plane dove into the ground. [John C.A. Watkins]

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG317FS White 17 Pilot Cecil Dean Mateur, Tunisia 1943 00

Profile 01: P-40L, 317th Fighter Squadron (325th Fighter Group), Mateur, Tunisia, 1943, flown by Fl. Off. Cecil O. Dean, one kill aboard a P-40 and five others on P-47 and P-51.

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG317FS White 24 Tunisia May 1943

Curtiss P-40L Warhawk operated by 317th Fighter Squadron (325th Fighter Group), Tunisia, May 1943.

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG317FS Pilot Walther Walker Tunisia August 1943

Profile 01: P-40F, serial number 41-19896, 317th Fighter Squadron (325th Fighter Group), Tunisia, August 1943, flown by Lt. Walther B. Bud Walker Jnr., five kills. Planes and Pilots: Curtiss P40 Vol 3 From 1939 to 1945.

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG317FS White 30 Pilot William Tudor Tunisia 1943 00

Profile 00: P-40L USAAF serial number 42-11098, 317th Fighter Squadron (325th Fighter Group), Tunisia, June 1943, flown by Fl. Off. William I. Tudor who got the only kill of his career against Macchi Mc 202s and Bf 109s during a fight over Sardignia, 30 July 1943 after which the 325th claimed 21 kills for one P-40 shot down. Aircraft named 'Lady Macdeath' Later will serving with 324FG315FS Pilot: Quentin B Chadwick ground near Cercola, Italy on Apr 04, 1944.

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG317FS White 44 Pilot Austin Tunisia 1943 00

Profile 00:42-10664 Aircraft No. 44 belonged to the Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Gordon H. Austin, of the 325th Fighter Group, The Checkertail Clan. 'Lighthouse Louie' is pictured in Tunisia, North Africa in 1943.

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG317FS White 44 Pilot Austin Tunisia 1943 01

Photo 01: 42-10664 Aircraft No. 44 belonged to the Commanding Officer, Lt. Co!. Gordon H. Austin, of the 325th Fighter Group, The Checkertail Clan. 'Lighthouse Louie' is pictured in Tunisia, North Africa in 1943. [CT Clan]

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG318FS White 40 Pilot Joseph A. Bloomer North Africa, 1943 00

Profile 00: P-40F Warhawk operated by 318th Fighter Squadron (325th Fighter Group), North Africa, 1943 flown by Capt. Joseph A. Bloomer. The yellow and black checkerboard on the tail was the mark of the 325th Fighter Group.

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG318FS White 40 Pilot Bloomer Tunisia 1943 01

Photo 01: Number 40 'Trixie' was the P-40 flown by Capt. Joseph Joe A. Bloomer of the 318th and the interesting item on his aircraft is the belly tank which the pilots and ground crew made into a bomb of sorts by adding a fin and a fuse made from a hand grenade and detonator. The idea was to drop the tank when it was low on fuel on some target of opportunity and hopefully set fire to it. It did meet with some success but was abandoned for safety reasons. The nose insignia is 'Trixie' leading a Green dragon on a chain. The Green dragon was the 318th Squadrons insignia and name.

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG319FS White 59 Pilot John Watkins Mateur, Tunisia May 1943

Curtiss P-40L USAAF serial number 42-10866, headquarters of the 325th Fighter Group, Mateur, Tunisia, September 1943 flown by John C.A. Watkins who later died in a P-47 crash due to bad weather. Aircraft named Big Helen III.

 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk 325FG319FS White 89 Mateur, Tunisia May 1943 00

Profile 00: P-40L USAAF serial number 42-10476 319th Fighter Squadron (325th Fighter Group), Tunisia, May 1943. The 319th Fighter Squadron was credited with 36 confirmed kills during its tour of operations in the Mediterranean sector, April to October 1943. Aircraft named Belva.

 

325th Fighter Group325th Fighter Group

325th Fighter Group

Constituted as 325th Fighter Group 01 24 Jun 1942. Activated on 3 Aug 1942. Trained with P-40's. Moved to North Africa during Jan-Feb 1943. Assigned to Twelfth AF. Entered combat on 17 Apr. Escorted medium bombers, flew strafing missions, and made sea sweeps from bases in Algeria and Tunisia. Participated in the defeat of Axis forces in Tunisia, the reduction of Pantelleria, and the conquest of Sicily. Received a DUC for action over Sardinia on 30 Jul 1943 when the group, using diversionary tactics, forced a superior number of enemy planes into the air and destroyed more than half of them. Flew no combat missions from the end of Sep to mid-Dec 1943, a period in which the group changed aircraft and moved to Italy. Began operations with Fifteenth AF on 14 Dec, and afterward engaged primarily in escort operations, using P-47's until they were replaced by P-51's in May 1944. Escorted heavy bombers during long-range missions to attack the Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg, the Daimler-Benz tank factory at Berlin, oil refineries at Vienna, and other targets, such as airfields, marshalling yards, and communications in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, and Yugoslavia. Also covered operations of reconnaissance aircraft and strafed such targets as trains, vehicles, and airfields. Received second DUC for a mission on 30 Jan 1944 when the group flew more than 300 miles at very low altitude to surprise the enemy fighters that were defending German airdromes near Villaorba; by severely damaging the enemy's force, the 325th group enabled heavy bombers to strike vital targets in the area without encountering serious opposition. Continued combat operations until May 1945. Returned to the US in Oct. Inactivated on 28 Oct 1945.

Activated on 21 May 1947. Organized as an all-weather fighter group. Redesignated 325th Fighter Group (All Weather) in May 1498, and 325th Fighter-Interceptor Group in May 1951. Equipped with P-61's in 1947, F-82's in 1948, and F-94's in 1950. Inactivated on 6 Feb 1952.

Redesignated 325th Fighter Group (Air Defense). Activated on 18 Aug 1955. Assigned to Air Defense Command and equipped with F-86 aircraft.

USAAF 317th Fighter Squadron USAAF 325th Fighter Group USAAF 318th Fighter Squadron USAAF 319th Fighter Squadron

317th FS  -  318th FS  -  319th FS

Squadrons. 317th: 1942-1945; 1947-1952; 1955-. 318th: 1942-1945; 1947-1952; 1955-. 319th: 1942-1945; 1947-1952.

Stations. Mitchel Field, NY, 3 Aug 1942; Hillsgrove, RI, c. 31 Aug 1942-23 Jan 1943; Tafaraoui, Algeria, 28 Feb 1943; Montesquieu, Algeria, 5 Apr 1943; Souk-el-Khemis, Tunisia, 3 Jun 1943; Mateur, Tunisia, 19 Jun 1943; Soliman, Tunisia, 4 Nov 1943; Foggia, Italy, 11 Dec 1943; Lesina, Italy, 29 Mar 1944; Rimini, Italy, c. 5 Mar 1945; Mondolfo, Italy, Apr 1945; Vincenzo Airfield, Italy, July-9 Oct 1945; Camp Kilmer, NJ, 26-28 Oct 1945. Mitchel Field, NY, 21 May 1947; Hamilton Field, Calif, 2 Dec 1947; Moses Lake AFB, Wash, 26 Nov 1948; McChord AFB, Wash, 23 Apr 1950-6 Feb 1952. McChord AFB, Wash, 18 Aug 1955-.

Commanders. Maj Leonard C Lydon, 3 Aug 1942; Lt Col Gordon H Austin, 10 Dec 1942; Lt Col Robert L Baseler, 5 Jul 1943; Col Chester L Sluder, 1 Apr 1944; Lt Col Ernest H Beverly, 11 Sep 1944; Col Felix L Vidal, 2 Mar 1945; Lt Col Wyatt P Exum, 6 Jun 1945; Lt Col Wilhelm C Freudenthal, c. 30 Aug 1945- unkn. Unkn, May-Dec 1947; Lt Col Gordon D Timmons, 2 Dec 1947; Col Harold E Kofahl, c. Jan 1948; Lt Col Walter C Hearne, 1948; Lt Col Kermit A Tyler, 6 Mar 1950; Col George W Prentice, 27 Mar 1950-unkn; Col Raymond K Gallagher, 1951-c. Feb 1952. Unkn, 1955-.

Campaigns. Air Combat, EAME Theater; Air Offensive, Europe; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Southern France; North Apennines; Rhineland; Central Europe; Po Valley.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Sardinia, 30 Jul 1943; Italy, 30 Jan 1944.

Insigne Shield: Per fess, sable and azure, a fess arched, argent, upper line nebuly, over all a lightning flash or, issuing from dexter chief. Motto: Locare Et Liquidare - Locate and Liquidate. (Approved 1 Oct 1951.)

 Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and Kittyhawk
 

   IL-2 Sturmovik 'Cliff's of Dover' Blitz

   IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad

   DCS World - has no 3D model

 

 Mateur, Bizerte, Tunisia Map

 

    Bibliography: +

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    Magazines: +

  • Airfix Magazines (English) - http://www.airfix.com/
  • Avions (French) - http://www.aerostories.org/~aerobiblio/rubrique10.html
  • FlyPast (English) - http://www.flypast.com/
  • Flugzeug Publikations GmbH (German) - http://vdmedien.com/flugzeug-publikations-gmbh-hersteller_verlag-vdm-heinz-nickel-33.html
  • Flugzeug Classic (German) - http://www.flugzeugclassic.de/
  • Klassiker (German) - http://shop.flugrevue.de/abo/klassiker-der-luftfahrt
  • Le Fana de L'Aviation (French) - http://boutique.editions-lariviere.fr/site/abonnement-le-fana-de-l-aviation-626-4-6.html
  • Le Fana de L'Aviation (French) - http://www.pdfmagazines.org/tags/Le+Fana+De+L+Aviation/
  • Osprey (English) - http://www.ospreypublishing.com/
  • Revi Magazines (Czech) - http://www.revi.cz/

    Web References: +

  • Wikipedia.org - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109
  • Wikipedia.org - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_variants#cite_ref-100
  • Wikipedia.org - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history
  • Flickr.com - https://www.flickr.com/photos/farinihouseoflove/2209839419/in/photostream

USAAF Military History Section

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