The Pioneer Mustang Group

Clayton Kelly Gross's P51 "Live Bait"

    The 354th FG was created on the 15th of November, 1942, although only on paper. However, that was to change fast. Personnel were assigned, and on the 26th of November, Major Kenneth R. Martin was assigned as its' commander, with the executive officer being Major Wallace P. Mace. The squadrons were to be the 353rd, 355th and 356th fighter squadrons, with Major Owen Seaman, Capt. George Bickell, and Capt. Charles Johnson as the respective squadron commanders.

    The 354th FG moved around from training base to base, until finally landing at Camp Kilmer, NJ, awaiting shipment overseas. On the 20th of October, 1943, this was to happen. The group loaded onto the HMS 'Athlone Castle' and set sail for the war in Europe. Landing in Newbury, Berkshire,  on the 3rd of November, they were transported to their first base at Greenham Commons, although only for a short time. While they were in Greenham Commons, the 354th FG received their first combat aircraft- the P51B "Mustang" . The extremely happy pilots only took a few days to realize that the Mustang was THE plane of the war, and out of respect for the honor of being chosen as the first group to be given this new aircraft the group adopted the name "Pioneer Mustang Group". On the 13th they moved to a larger base at Boxted, near Colchester, Essexshire. Two days after arriving in Boxted, the group had its first year anniversary. Things were happening fast, and on the 1st of December, exactly 380 days after being formed, they were on their first mission over Europe. The 354th was at war.

    The groups first mission was a relatively short one, flown by 24 Mustangs, over Belgium and France. The flight was led by the Exec Officer of the combat tested 4th FG, Col. Don Blakeslee with LtCol. Martin flying his wing. No enemy planes were encountered, and the group had set a new record- It had flown its first combat mission only 20 days after it was assigned its combat aircraft.

    Reassigned to the newly formed 9th Air Force, the group remained at Boxted until April 17th, 1944. This would come to be the longest stay at a base until the war ended. In the first 3 months of combat, the 354th FG proved the worth of the Mustang as an escort fighter, which could now escort the heavy bombers deep into enemy territory, where no escort had been before. Only 13 days after their first combat mission, the group escorted bombers on a deep mission to Kiel, Germany. The 354th was assigned to cover the bombers while they were over the target, something the bombers had never had until now. The furthest they had been until now was targets in Bordeaux, France.

    Another first, and an only, awarded to the 354th FG was the fact that they had the only fighter pilot in the ETO awarded the Medal Of Honor. This was bestowed on Major Jim Howard, a former AVG (Flying Tiger) pilot. On January 11th, he was escorting bombers when he spotted about 30 fighters making a run at the bombers. He single handedly attacked, and warded off their attacks repeatedly as they tried to get at the bombers. Major Howard only claimed 3 of the fighters, but the bomber crews that witnessed his 'One Man Blitz' would swear that at least 6 of the enemy fighters fell to his guns. This great feat, however, was overshadowed exactly one month later when the groups commander, Col. Martin, was lost in a head-on collision with an enemy fighter. His loss was felt by all members of the group, and Col. Howard was given command of the 354th. Shortly after that, Col. Howard was moved to a headquarters position, and LtCol. Bickell was then given command of the group.

    On the 21st of Feb, 1944, Capt Stephens of the 355th Fighter Squadron, scored the groups 100th victory on an enemy aircraft. On the 10th of April, the group scored its'  200th victory. And now, the group was also dropping down to the ground on the trip back, strafing targets of opportunity. This was to be a taste of what was to become the groups main objective. The pace of the war had quickened, and also on the 10th the group flew 2 missions on the same day, for the first time.

    On the 17th of April, the group moved completely to an advanced landing field at Lashendon, Kent. This was seen as a sign that things were approaching a climax, and that the long awaited invasion was near. The group continued to fly missions, only there were more and more ground attack missions thrown in with the normal escort flights. Towards the end of May there were practice alerts, special training sessions and secret meetings with the staff officers behind locked doors. Enlisted men were sent to special schools to learn how to waterproof vehicles, and the group was placed on alert. The final tip-off came on the 3rd of June when a small group of cameramen were sent to the group and it was said they were to cover the groups activities during the start of D-Day events. The next 3 days were filled with wild rumors, and when the invasion did finally come, it was almost anticlimactic. 

    The 354th FG was disappointed that they were not involved with the very start of D-Day, but they were soon in the fight. The evening of the 6th, they were briefed to give escort cover to gliders and transports dropping paratroopers. It was just the 96th mission for the 354th FG. On the 13th, the orders were sent to move the advanced echelon the following morning. By the 3rd of July, the entire group was now station on the continent near Grand-camp-les-Baines on the Normandy coast. During the first few days here, it was only a short 10 miles to the front and the sounds of battle filled the days and nights. From this time forward, escort duty took a back seat to the fighter sweeps, with and without bombs, as well as patrols. The biggest single job undertaken by the group was an all-out effort which helped pave the way for the ground forces to break-through at St Lo towards the end of July.

    Between the 11th and 13th of July the group moved again, this time from Normandy to a Luftwaffe base at Brittany. The locals welcomed the group as liberators, and the group spent its most luxurious days on the continent here. While here, the group celebrated its 500th enemy aircraft victory, and they divided their time between flying over Brest to the west and eastern France. Then it was time to move again, this time to the champagne country of Orconte. This base was in direct contrast to Brittany, as the accommodations were nowhere near as deluxe, and the locals had not yet decided as to how friendly they would be- they had no surplus of food, and no means to build a social program with the group. Operations continued, and the main focus was to push the enemy back into its own territory, as well as decimating the Luftwaffe. Towards the end of November, the group was dealt what they considered a low blow from headquarters- their much loved Mustangs were replaced by Thunderbolts. After a short stay at St Dizier, the group moved to a new field at Rosiere-en-Haye on the first days of December, where they were to settle for the winter. The base was a great improvement from the last base at Orconte, and they made themselves as comfortable as possible. While at this base, they participated in the "Battle of the Bulge", once the weather lifted enough for operations to resume. Even the Great New Years Day attempt by the Luftwaffe didn't cause any concern- their base was not one of the many attacked. In February, their Mustangs were returned and the group was the "Pioneer Mustang Group" once again. Missions were flown in support of the crossings of the Rhine,  and penetration missions into Germany to keep the Luftwaffe from showing its head.

    By now, the war was going well for the Allies, and the group wondered what was in store. The answer came when orders were sent for the group to move to Ober Ulm, their first base inside Germany, on the 8th of April. The Germans had done extensive damage to the base, but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed for the groups short stay here. The group had its' happiest moment while at this base- their beloved commander, Col. Martin, returned to the group for a visit after escaping from the Germans. He had bailed out following the head-on collision, and although injured, he had survived and was captured.  He stayed for a few days, then was returned to the USA. On May 1st, the group again moved, this time to Ansbach. This former Luftwaffe base had been a large one, and had no apparent damage. The group made itself at home, and flew missions. One indication that the end was near, was that German pilots would fly into the base to surrender. And when the day finally came, on May 7th, it seemed anticlimactic. But that did not dampen the festivities- the celebrations were spontaneous and thorough.

    Since the group flew its first combat mission on Dec 1, 1943, the planes of the 354th Fighter Group flew 1,384 missions, and 18,334 sorties in 17 months and 8 days. 187 pilots were killed, lost or otherwise MIA: 9 were killed in accidents, 42 were killed in action, 5 were still listed as POW's at wars end, 81 were known to have returned to duty or the USA,  and 50 were unaccounted for and listed as MIA. For total claims against enemy aircraft (air and ground), the group scored 957 times confirmed, 53 probables and 428 damaged. For claims against enemy aircraft in aerial combat, the 354th ranked first of all the fighter groups with 701. The next closest group was the 56th FG with 677 A/C destroyed.

*information taken from the 354th FG Unit History, "History In The Sky"

Squadron Insignia:
	353rd F.S.		355th F.S.		356th F.S.
Squadron Codes:	FT		GQ		AJ

	354th FG 6 victory Ace Clayton Kelly Gross             Photo courtesy of Clayton Kelly Gross
	354th FG 6 victory Ace Clayton Kelly Gross             Photo courtesy of Clayton Kelly Gross
	354th FG 6 victory Ace Clayton Kelly Gross             Photo courtesy of Clayton Kelly Gross
	P47 "Ad Adstra" of the 353rd F.S. USAF Museum photo
	P47 of the 353rd F.S. USAF Museum photo
	P47 from the 353rd Squadron. returning from a mission, the planes own 500# bomb broke loose and exploded. The pilot survived the explosion, and was returned to flight status! USAF Museum photo
	Mustangs of the 354th FG flyover             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Mustangs of the 354th FG flyover             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	354th FG when they flew P47 Thunderbolts (353rd FS)             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Drawing of a 353rd FS Mustang "MyRabelle"             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	353rd FS pilot Carey Salter on his plane             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	353rd FS Ace Jack Bradley, with his plane "Margi Maru"             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Another shot of "Margie Maru" and Jack Bradley             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	353rd FS Ace Ken Dahlberg assisting with the ammo loading on his P47, France, winter '44             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Ken Dahlberg, France winter '44             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	P51 from the 354th, GQ-Q from the 355th FS             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	354th FG Mustang from 355th FS             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	? of the 354th FG             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	a little 'incident' on the runway!             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	354th FG Mustang "Carolyn Marie" showing 12½ victory flags from the 355th FS             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Unknown pilot with his P51             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Mustangs of the 353rd FS in formation             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Mustangs of the 353rd FS in formation             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	353rd FS Mustang "FT-X"             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	353rd FS Ace Ken Wise with his P51             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Another shot of 353rd FS ace Ken Wise             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	P51's returning home             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	P51's taking off from Headcorn - the only grass field the 354th flew from.             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	?             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	A look at the 354th's base in Ansbach, Germany             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Richard Reinecke, unknown squad.             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Another look at Ansbach, Germany. Looks to be a Fiesler Storch, and in the background a Ju52. A German pilot hedgehopped the Storch in just before end of war -wanting to avoid further combat.             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	355th FS lined up...             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	This time it's the 353rd lined up in the front of this photo             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	no info             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Lt. Bill Norman, Reinecke, Rice, ??             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	No info             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Members around the radio set- maintenance? listening to a battle?             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Members attend a meeting- pilots briefing?             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	The group, assembled for a presentation?             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	The group, assembled for a presentation?             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	The group, assembled for a presentation?             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Nice shot showing the field             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	?             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Robert E Emme CO of 355th.             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Damage at Nuremburg             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	football practice!             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	The groups own transport C47             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	the end...             Photo courtesy of Jim Sterling
	Capt Dick Turner 356th FS 1944 Photo courtesy Jack Cook
	Capt. Dick Turner's P-51d (356th FS) 1944 Photo courtesy Jack Cook
	Capt Frank O'Connor and crew 356th FS 1944 Photo courtesy Jack Cook
	Capt Harry Fisk & Capt Kelly Gross Photo courtesy Jack Cook
	Robert E Emme in front of 'Dottie' Bob Emme via Wally Conway
	'dottie' Bob Emme via Wally Conway
	That airplane had just received a new engine. Bob was making a test flight as was required. As he was approaching the field to prepare for landing the throttle cable let loose and he was unable to throttle back. It was decided to make a dead stick landing and the runway was to be cleared. Bob turned off the switches on his approach. He then realized the runway had not been cleared. To continue would be a disaster and he was to low to bailout. He made the decision to raise the gear and belly the plane just off to the side of the runway. The pictures of the "DOTTIE" in pieces is what it look like after being dynamited. The war was over for a few months and the unit was to be broken-up. They decided they were not going to haul this planes home so they destroyed them. Bob Emme via Wally Conway
	Franklin 'Bud' Rose Photo courtesy of Franklin Rose
	Bruno Peters and plane Yo-Yo Photo courtesy of Bruno Peters via Peter Kassak
	Bruno Peters, crew and plane Yo-Yo Photo courtesy of Bruno Peters via Peter Kassak
	Bruno Peters Photo courtesy of Bruno Peters via Peter Kassak
	Capt. Maury Long's P-51B June '44 Photo courtesy of Jack Cook

354th FG Webpage

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    Data for this page was found and used from the following publications-

• Air Force Combat Units of WWII, by USAF Historical Div. Air University
• Stars and Bars by the Frank Olynyk
• History in the Sky, 354th Pioneer Mustang Fighter Group by the 354th FG assoc.

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