479th Fighter Group - RAF Wattisham (P-51 Mustang)

The 479th Fighter Group (USAAF) was activated in the United States on 15 October 1943. It was equipped with the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and later the North American P-51 Mustang. They moved to England in May 1944 and conducted their first combat mission on 26 May 1944 with bomber escort / fighter sweep of occupied France (Le Mans area operations / rail and airfield targets of opportunity). The group obtained the nickname of "Riddle's Raiders", after their first Commanding Officer Lt Col Kyle L. Riddle. The 479th was one of the last P-38 Lightning groups assigned to the 8th Air Force, entering combat just before D-Day.

Beginning operations just prior to the D-Day landings at Normandy, their early missions included escorting bomber formations, sweeps over northern France, attacks on rail yards and airfields. During June - July 1944, the group provided continuous fighter and conducted air superiority patrols over the invasion area, as well as engaging Luftwaffe fighters attempting to attack Allied forces. Throughout 1944, the 479th Fighter Group conducted deep escort missions into Germany and aircraft production centers, transportation infrastructure and Luftwaffe airfields. They also began to transition to fighter sweeps and armed reconnaissance attacks to support the St. Lo breakout and subsequent advance from Normandy towards the German border, hitting targets including troop concentrations, bridges, trains, railways, barges, airfield, guns and flak positions, ammo dumps, power stations and radar sites, often as targets of opportunity during escort missions.

During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 - January 1945, the group escorted bombers while attacking the German armies and their vulnerable rear area and transport routes. Late war operations in 1945 included support of the Rhineland offensive, crossing of the Rhine and the final Allied push into Germany by low-level strafing and interdiction of rail and road traffic. The last combat mission flown by the 479th Fighter Group was on 25 April 1945 in which they conducted an armed reconnaissance / fighter-bomber interdiction mission in northern Germany (final retreat routes and transportation network).

By the end of the war, the group had flown 340 - 360 combat missions. During this period, the group destroyed 550 - 700 enemy aircraft (air and ground) and lost approximately 80 - 110 aircraft.

Campaigns
The 479th Fighter Group participated in the following campaigns: Air Offensive - Europe, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe.

Decorations
Distinguished Unit Citations (DUC): bomber escort mission deep into Germany August 1944.

Group Web Site   None currently available