369th Fighter Group

The 369th Fighter Group is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force, stationed at Stuttgart Army Air Field, Arkansas. It was inactivated on 10 August 1945.

369th Fighter Group
A Bell P-39 Airacobra as flown by the group
Active1943–1945
Disbanded1992
Country United States
BranchUnited States Army Air Forces
TypeFighter

The 369th was initially a training group in California during World War II as part of Fourth Air Force. It moved to Louisiana in the spring of 1944 and became part of Third Air Force in March 1944. There, it took part in air-ground maneuvers and demonstrations until inactivating in August 1945. The group was redesignated in inactive status as the 369th Tactical Fighter Group in 1985, but was disbanded in 1992.

History

World War II

The 369th Fighter Group was activated at Hamilton Field, California on 1 August 1943. The 398th, 399th and 400th Fighter Squadrons, flying Bell P-39 Airacobras were assigned to the group. The group moved to Marysville Army Air Field, California in November and began operations as a fighter Replacement Training Unit (RTU).[1][2][3][4] RTUs were oversized units that trained individual pilots or aircrews.[5]

Like most RTUs, the group began a split operation, with group headquarters and the 398th Squadron at Marysville, while the 399th Squadron was at Redding Army Air Field, and the 400th moved to Oroville Army Air Field. In January the group and 398th Squadron joined the 400th at Oroville, but the 399th remained at Redding.[1][2][3][4]

In March 1944, as Army Air Forces training requirements were reduced, the group and its squadrons all returned to Hamilton Field. A few days later, the group was transferred to Third Air Force and moved to DeRidder Army Air Base, Louisiana.[1]

At DeRidder, the group took part in air-ground maneuvers and demonstrations, participating in the Louisiana Maneuvers in the summer of 1944 and in similar activities. In July 1945, its 399th and 400th Squadrons were reorganized as reconnaissance squadrons and reassigned from the group, moving to Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma.[3][4] On 10 August, the group's sole remaining squadron, the 398th, was reassigned and the group was inactivated.[1][2]

Subsequent history

Although each of its squadrons later served in the United States Air Force after World War II,[2][3][4] the group was never again active. It was redesignated as a tactical fighter unit in 1985, but disbanded in September 1992.[6]

Lineage
  • Constituted as 369th Fighter Group on 26 May 1943
Activated on 1 August 1943
Redesignated 369th Fighter-Bomber Group on 5 April 1944
Redesignated 369th Fighter Group on 5 June 1944
Inactivated on 10 August 1945[1]
  • Redesignated 369th Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985 (remained inactive)[6]
  • Disbanded on 9 September 1992

Assignments

Stations
  • Hamilton Field, California, 1 August 1943
  • Marysville Army Air Field, California, c. 5 November 1943
  • Oroville Army Air Field, California, 28 January 1944
  • Hamilton Field, California, 16 March 1944
  • DeRidder Army Air Base, Louisiana, 28 March 1944
  • Stuttgart Army Air Field, Arkansas, 8 February – 10 August 1945[1]

Components
  • 398th Fighter Squadron: 1 August 1943 – 10 August 1945[2]
  • 399th Fighter Squadron: 1 August 1943 – 7 July 1945[3]
  • 400th Fighter Squadron: 1 August 1943 – 7 July 1945[4]

Aircraft

Campaigns
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
American Theater without inscription1 August 1943 – 10 August 1945[1]
gollark: Run it over serial?
gollark: what could possibly go wrong?
gollark: The solution is simple: reimplement CC's modems on top of Pis and GPIO.
gollark: I mean, given how he tweets about CC, it'd be good to at least, say, not totally ignore it?
gollark: Dan200s be dan2stupids.

References
Notes
  1. Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 255–256
  2. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 489
  3. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 229
  4. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 231–232
  5. Craven & Cate, Introduction, p. xxxvi
  6. Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations
  7. Maurer, Combat Units, p. 429

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  • Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1955). The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. LCCN 48003657. OCLC 704158.
  • Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
  • Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
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