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457th Bomb Group
457th Bomb Group
on Spirit of 44
457th Bomb Group Official Website
The 359th Fighter Group was formed in January of 1943 and trained on the East Coast until being deployed to England in October of the same year. Assigned to 8th fighter command flying P-47 Thunderbolts, the group flew its first mission during mid December.
During April of 1944 the group converted to the P-51 Mustang and began flying escort for the bombers of the 8th Air Force. Targets consisted of airfields in France, and later expanded their area of operations to provide escort for bombers that struck rail centers in Germany and oil targets in Poland. The 359th flew combat support during D-Day by patrolling the English Channel and attacking various Axis ground targets.
The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for operations over Germany on 11 September 1944 when the group protected a formation of heavy bombers against large numbers of enemy fighters. The group flew support missions during the invasion of Holland and again during the Battle of the Bulge. The 359th flew its last mission in April of 1945 and rotated back to the United States. The group was redesignated the 123rd Fighter Group Kentucky Air National Guard based out of Louisville.
East Wretham returned to agriculture although a few of the base buildings still exist. The outline is still visible from Google Earth and the technical area is still fairly intact.
457th Bomb Group
749th Bomb Squadron
Glatton
368th Fighter Squadron
748th Bomb Squadron
