Hard to Realize - Oregon Connections to the End of the War in the Pacific

The 371st Fighter Group was part of Ninth Air Force in the European Theater of Operations and flew combat with the P-47 Thunderbolt in 1944-1945 to help achieve the victory in Europe. A formation of P-47s from the group’s 405th Fighter Squadron, the “Discharge” squadron (Discharge was the squadron’s radio call sign, 8N was their fuselage code) is seen here returning from a combat mission. Note the nearest aircraft and others have their canopies cracked open for ventilation. In the summer of 1945, personnel were not sure whether the unit would redeploy to join the Pacific War. Rumors were that the unit would return to the States and then go to China for combat duty. The group returned to the U.S. in November 1945 and inactivated. It was redesignated as the 142nd Fighter Group in May, 1946 and allotted to the state of Oregon as part of the postwar buildup of the aviation component of the National Guard. (The Story of the 371st Fighter Group in the ETO)