page_title: 508th Aerospace Sustainment Wing
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: 508th Aerospace Sustainment Wing / History / World War II
caption_attribution_description: Three U.S. Army Air Forces Republic P-47N-5 Thunderbolts (s/n 44-88576, 44-88589, 44-88577) in flight.
context_page_description: The 508th Aerospace Sustainment Wing was a wing of the United States Air Force based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It was activated in 2005, after being formed by the consolidation of two units in 1984.
  The 508th Fighter Group was activated late in World War II. The group was designed as a long range fighter escort unit, but when Japanese fighter defenses weakened, the group instead provided air defense of the Hawaiian Islands and training for other fighter units in the Pacific. It was inactivated in late 1945 and its personnel and equipment were used to form the 15th Fighter Group. The group was redesignated the 508th Tactical Fighter Group and activated in the Air Force Reserve, in 1973. It trained pilots in fighter tactics until 1982, when its resources were used to form the 419th Tactical Fighter Wing.
  The 508th Fighter Escort Wing was formed in Strategic Air Command in 1951 to provide fighter escort for SAC bombers and conduct long range penetration missions. It deployed to Japan to provide air defense of northern Japan and to fly escort missions for reconnaissance missions in the area.
context_section_description: The 508th Fighter Group was activated on 12 October 1944 at Peterson Field, Colorado with the 466th, 467th and 468th Fighter Squadrons assigned as ifs first operational units. Its cadre moved to Pocatello Army Air Field, Idaho two weeks later to begin training.  The group trained with late model Republic P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft to provide very-long-range escort for Boeing B-29 Superfortresses in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
  The lack of significant Japanese fighter defense by late 1944 caused a change of mission and the group's destination was changed to Hawaii, where it arrived in January 1945.  The 508th acted as part of the defense force for the Hawaiian Islands. In Hawaii, the group also trained replacement pilots for other organizations, repaired P-47s and North American P-51 Mustangs of fighter units engaged in combat, and ferried aircraft to forward areas.
  The unit was inactivated in Hawaii on 25 November 1945 and replaced by the 15th Fighter Group, which moved on paper from Iwo Jima and assumed the 508th's mission, personnel and equipment.
caption: Long range Republic P-47Ns
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