78th Fighter Group The 78th Fighter Group ( 78 FG ) is an inactive United States Air Force unit . It was last assigned to the 78th Fighter Wing , at Hamilton Air Force Base , California . It was inactivated on 1 February 1961 . During World War II the group was an Eighth Air Force fighter unit stationed in England assigned primarily to RAF Duxford . It claimed 338 air to air and 358 air to ground aircraft destroyed . It flew its last mission on 13 April 1945 . History . World War II . The 78th Fighter Group was activated at Baer Field , IN as the 78th Pursuit Group in January 1942 , receiving its cadre from the 14th Fighter Group . and redesignated as a fighter group four months later . It initially trained for combat with P - 38 ' s and served as part of the west coast air defense organization . It moved to England in November 1942 and was assigned to Eighth Air Force . The group lost its P - 38 ' s and most of its pilots in February 1943 when they were assigned to the Twelfth Air Force for service in the North African campaign . The group was reassigned to Duxford airfield in April 1943 and reequipped with Republic P - 47 Thunderbolt s . Aircraft of the group were identified by a black / white chequerboard pattern . - - The group consisted of the following squadrons : From Duxford , the 78th flew many missions to escort Boeing B - 17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B - 24 Liberator bombers that attacked industries , submarine yards and docks , V - weapon sites , and other targets on the Continent . In 1943 , the group had the first American ace in Eighth Air Force . The group also claimed a victory over a German Messerschmitt Me - 262 jet fighter . The unit also engaged in counter - air activities and on numerous occasions strafed and dive - bombed airfields , trains , vehicles , barges , tugs , canal locks , barracks , and troops . In addition to other operations , the 78th participated in the intensive campaign against the German Air Force and aircraft industry during Big Week , 20 – 25 February 1944 and helped to prepare the way for the invasion of France . The group supported the landings in Normandy in June 1944 and contributed to the breakthrough at Saint - Lô in July . The group converted to North American P - 51 Mustang s in December 1944 and participated in the Battle of the Bulge , from December 1944 to January 1945 . It also supported the airborne assault across the Rhine in March . The 78th Fighter Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for activities connected with the Operation Market - Garden combined ground and airborne attack through on Holland in September 1944 when the group covered troop carrier and bombardment operations and carried out strafing and dive - bombing missions . It suffered its heaviest casualties of the war in this operation . The group received a second DUC for destroying numerous aircraft on five airfields near Prague and Pilsen on 16 April 1945 . The 78th Fighter Group returned to Camp Kilmer New Jersey and October 1945 and was inactivated on 18 October . Cold War . Occupation of Germany The 78th FG was reactivated in Germany on 20 August 1946 , replacing the 368th Fighter Group ( which was inactivated , redesignated the 136th Fighter Group , and allotted to the National Guard ) at AAF Station Straubing , Germany and flew the former 368th ' s P - 47 Thunderbolts from the airfield . The group was reactivated due to the Air Force ' s policy of retaining only low - numbered groups on active duty after the war . In Germany the group was assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe ' s XII Tactical Air Command for duty with the occupation force . The group was assigned to AAF Station Straubing , The group was transferred , without personnel and equipment , to Mitchel Field , New York in June 1947 . Air Defense of the United States At Mitchel , the group remained active and was assigned to Air Defense Command ( ADC ) . The group was manned with a small cadre of personnel , being equipped with a few P - 51D Mustangs . On 16 November 1948 , the 78th was reassigned to Hamilton AFB , California where it was assigned to ADC ' s Fourth Air Force . At that time the 78th Fighter Wing was established under Hobson Plan , and the 78th Fighter Group became the operational component of the wing , controlling its flying resources . On 1 March 1949 , the 78th Fighter Group received the first of the new production F - 84 Thunderjet s , with these aircraft going to the 82d , 83d and 84th Fighter Squadrons . The F - 84s became problematic with cracks appearing in wing spars or skin beginning in September . The group lost four jets in accidents by the end of the year . On 1 July 1949 , Air Defense Command was inactivated as a major command , and Continental Air Command ( ConAC ) assumed the air defense mission . In January 1950 the wing and group were redesignated as the 78th Fighter - Interceptor Wing and 78th Fighter - Interceptor Group and the squadrons became Fighter - Interceptor Squadrons ( FIS ) . With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 , the 78th Fighter Group was the only remaining ConAC F - 84 unit with an air defense commitment . The group lost many personnel which were reassigned to Far East Air Force units engaging in combat with deployed units . The personnel losses were replaced with less - experienced federalized Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard personnel . At the same time , ConAC placed the 78th Fighter Group on 24 / 7 air defense alert status , with the three squadrons rotating among themselves for one day on and two days off alert periods . Throughout this period , the F - 84s remained problematic with wing integrity , the group having only 50 of its authorized 70 aircraft operational , as a third of its aircraft had been sent to Republic Aircraft or Air Materiel Command depots for repairs . This led to excess hours being put on the remaining aircraft , reducing their designed operational life . By the first quarter of 1951 , the number of operational aircraft on station was reduced to 44 , with only 34 actually being combat ready . The manpower shortage was worse , with only seven of the forty combat - rated pilots being available , the remainder being assigned Europe or combat duty in Korea . In June 1951 , the 78th Fighter - Interceptor Group received the first four F - 89B Scorpions , as a replacement for the F - 84 Thunderjets . The Scorpions were assigned to the 83d and 84th FIS , while the 82d FIS retained the best of the groups remaining F - 84s , while the remainder were either shipped as replacement aircraft to South Korea or sent to Republic for refurbishing . By the end of 1951 , the 82d FIS stood alert during daylight hours while the other two squadrons rotated night and foul weather duties . The F - 89s , however , were rushed into service too rapidly . There were not enough trained pilots and radar operators , and there were not enough maintenance personnel who knew the intricacies of the complex and troublesome Hughes E - 1 fire control system . The in - service rate of the F - 89B was appallingly low , and crashes were all too frequently . The 78th Fighter - Interceptor Group was inactivated along with the wing on 6 February 1952 along with its parent wing as part of a major ADC reorganization , which replaced fighter wings organized under the Hobson Plan with regional defense wings . Its operational units were transferred to the 4702d Defense Wing and Hamilton was placed under the 566th Air Base Group . Two of the inactivated 78th ' s squadrons moved as ADC dispersed its fighter force . The 82d FIS moved to Larson AFB , Washington and was reassigned to the 4703d Defense Wing ; the 83d FIS to Paine AFB , Washington and transferred to the 4704th Defense Wing . Only he 84th remained at Hamilton AFB . The unit was reactivated in 1955 by replacing the 566th Air Defense Group at Hamilton AFB as part of ADC ' s Project Arrow , which reactivated fighter units that had achieved distinction in the two word wars . The 84th FIS , already at Hamilton was assigned to it and the Its 83d FIS returned without personnel or equipment to Hamilton and was reassigned to the group , taking over the personnel and equipment of the 325th FIS , which moved without personnel or equipment to Truax Field , Wisconsin . The group also became the host for Hamilton AFB and was assigned a number of support organizations to fulfil this mission . On 18 October 1956 , the 78th Fighter Wing was once again activated and the group transferred its maintenance and support functions to the wing . The group flew numerous interceptors for West Coast air defense until its inactivation on 1 February 1961 when group components were assigned directly to the 78th Fighter Wing as the 78th converted to the dual deputy organization . Components . Operational Squadrons Support Units