Airman
Airman, wearing his 8th. Air Force patch, was made by Paul Richardson of Steel Structures at his workshop at Middleton in Suffolk. The sculpture is on the Cake and Ale holiday park on Abbey Road at Leiston, Suffolk, on land that was part of RAF Leiston.
RAF Leiston was known as Station 373 by the USAAF. It was home to the 357th. Fighter Group' known unofficially as 'The Yoxford Boys' after the village of Yoxford near their base.
The group were at Leiston from 31st January 1944 to 8th. July 1945 flying North American P-51 Mustangs.
The 357 FG was comprised of:
362nd. Fighter Squadron, coded G4
363rd. Fighter Squadron, coded B6
364th. Fighter Squadron, coded C5
The group flew its first combat mission on 11th. February 1944 and its 313th. and final combat mission on 25th. April 1945.
A total of 128 P-51's were lost in combat by the group. 38 were attributed to attack by German fighters, 29 to flak, 10 to mid-air collisions, 21 to mechanical causes, mostly engine failure, 5 to friendly fire, 5 to bad weather and 20 to causes not determined. 60 pilots were killed or missing in action, 54 were made prisoners of war with two of those dying in captivity and 13 evaded capture to return to duty. The additional two casualties were a pilot killed and a squadron commander made POW while flying with the 354th FG in January 1944. 3 other pilots landed in neutral territory and were interned.
A total of 26 Mustangs were destroyed in operational and training accidents, as was an AT-6 trainer. A total of 13 pilots and a mechanic were killed, three of whom died after cessation of combat operations
The first aerial victory by a 357th. pilot occurred 20th. February 1944, with the downing of a Bf 109 by 1st. Lt. Calvert L. Williams, 362nd. FS flying P-51B, coded G4-U, named 'Wee Willie' and with the serial number 43-6448. The final victory was an Me 262 jet shot down on 19th. April 1945, by 2nd. Lt. James P. McMullen, 364th. FS.
The 357th. FG had 609+1⁄2 claims credited by the Eighth Air Force for German aircraft destroyed in air-to-air combat. U.S. Air Force Historical Study No. 85 recognizes 595.49 aerial victories for the 357th. This total is the third highest among USAAF fighter groups in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO), behind the 354th. and 56th. FG's, the second highest among Eighth Air Force groups, and the highest among the 14 P-51 groups of VIII Fighter Command.
Eighth Air Force also credited the 357th. FG with 106+1⁄2 German aircraft destroyed on the ground, making an overall total of 701.99, which is sixth among all Eighth Air Force fighter groups. Of the air-to-air totals, 18+1⁄2 were Me 262 jets, the most destroyed in aerial combat by any USAAF group.
Among the various units of the 357th, the 364th. FS had the most victories with 70 pilots credited with 212 kills. The 362nd. FS was credited with 198 kills by 63 pilots, the 363rd. FS with 154.99 kills by 50 pilots, and Group HQ with 30.5 kills by nine pilots.
Counting only air-to-air victories registered while with the group, therefore discounting air-to-ground claims, the 357th. had 42 pilots become aces, the most of any ETO fighter group.
The group received 2 Distinguished Unit Citation:
Berlin, 6th. March 1944 and Leipzig, 29th. June 1944
Derben, 14th. January 1945
The groups WWII campaigns were:
Air Offensive, Europe
Normandy
Northern France
Rhineland
Ardennes-Alsace
Central Europe
Airman
Airman, wearing his 8th. Air Force patch, was made by Paul Richardson of Steel Structures at his workshop at Middleton in Suffolk. The sculpture is on the Cake and Ale holiday park on Abbey Road at Leiston, Suffolk, on land that was part of RAF Leiston.
RAF Leiston was known as Station 373 by the USAAF. It was home to the 357th. Fighter Group' known unofficially as 'The Yoxford Boys' after the village of Yoxford near their base.
The group were at Leiston from 31st January 1944 to 8th. July 1945 flying North American P-51 Mustangs.
The 357 FG was comprised of:
362nd. Fighter Squadron, coded G4
363rd. Fighter Squadron, coded B6
364th. Fighter Squadron, coded C5
The group flew its first combat mission on 11th. February 1944 and its 313th. and final combat mission on 25th. April 1945.
A total of 128 P-51's were lost in combat by the group. 38 were attributed to attack by German fighters, 29 to flak, 10 to mid-air collisions, 21 to mechanical causes, mostly engine failure, 5 to friendly fire, 5 to bad weather and 20 to causes not determined. 60 pilots were killed or missing in action, 54 were made prisoners of war with two of those dying in captivity and 13 evaded capture to return to duty. The additional two casualties were a pilot killed and a squadron commander made POW while flying with the 354th FG in January 1944. 3 other pilots landed in neutral territory and were interned.
A total of 26 Mustangs were destroyed in operational and training accidents, as was an AT-6 trainer. A total of 13 pilots and a mechanic were killed, three of whom died after cessation of combat operations
The first aerial victory by a 357th. pilot occurred 20th. February 1944, with the downing of a Bf 109 by 1st. Lt. Calvert L. Williams, 362nd. FS flying P-51B, coded G4-U, named 'Wee Willie' and with the serial number 43-6448. The final victory was an Me 262 jet shot down on 19th. April 1945, by 2nd. Lt. James P. McMullen, 364th. FS.
The 357th. FG had 609+1⁄2 claims credited by the Eighth Air Force for German aircraft destroyed in air-to-air combat. U.S. Air Force Historical Study No. 85 recognizes 595.49 aerial victories for the 357th. This total is the third highest among USAAF fighter groups in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO), behind the 354th. and 56th. FG's, the second highest among Eighth Air Force groups, and the highest among the 14 P-51 groups of VIII Fighter Command.
Eighth Air Force also credited the 357th. FG with 106+1⁄2 German aircraft destroyed on the ground, making an overall total of 701.99, which is sixth among all Eighth Air Force fighter groups. Of the air-to-air totals, 18+1⁄2 were Me 262 jets, the most destroyed in aerial combat by any USAAF group.
Among the various units of the 357th, the 364th. FS had the most victories with 70 pilots credited with 212 kills. The 362nd. FS was credited with 198 kills by 63 pilots, the 363rd. FS with 154.99 kills by 50 pilots, and Group HQ with 30.5 kills by nine pilots.
Counting only air-to-air victories registered while with the group, therefore discounting air-to-ground claims, the 357th. had 42 pilots become aces, the most of any ETO fighter group.
The group received 2 Distinguished Unit Citation:
Berlin, 6th. March 1944 and Leipzig, 29th. June 1944
Derben, 14th. January 1945
The groups WWII campaigns were:
Air Offensive, Europe
Normandy
Northern France
Rhineland
Ardennes-Alsace
Central Europe