The 402d Fighter-Day Group is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

unit. Its last assignment was with

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...

, being inactivated at Greenville Air Force Base, Mississippi on 8 February 1957.

History

World War II

The 402d Bombardment Group was activated in China and assigned to

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...

in early 1943. Programmed for

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allies of World War ...

medium bombers, however no aircraft or squadrons were assigned and its headquarters apparently was never fully manned. The unit was disbanded a few months later.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 286-287 The 402d Fighter Group was first activated by

I Fighter Command I Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces intermediate command responsible for command and control of the fighter operations within the First Air Force during World War II. It was initially established in June 1941 as the 1st Inter ...

in October 1943 at

Westover Field Westover may refer to: People *Al Westover (born 1954), American professional basketball player in Australia * Arthur Westover (1864–1935), Canadian sport shooter and 1908 Olympian *Charles Westover (1934–1990), better known as Del Shannon, Ame ...

, Massachusetts, with the

538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is a discontinued unit of the United States Air Force. It was last assigned to the Spokane Air Defense Sector at Larson Air Force Base, Washington, in mid-1960. The squadron (aviation), squadron was first a ...

, 539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and 540th Fighter Squadrons assigned.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 644-645Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 645-646Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 646 Less than two weeks later, the

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

moved to

Seymour Johnson Field Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an F4F Wildcat crash near Norbeck, Maryla ...

, North Carolina. At Seymour Johnson, the 538th and 539th Squadrons were reassigned to the

326th Fighter Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

, which transferred two of its

squadrons Squadron(s) may refer to: Military * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 ...

to the 402d.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p. 208

Cold War

The two

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

groups were reconstituted and consolidated as the 402d Fighter-Day Group and assigned to

. Planned as an

F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. The first of the Century Series of American jet fighters, it was the first United ...

group, however decision was made to keep Greenville AFB as an

Air Training Command The Air Training Command (ATC) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was initially formed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was re-designated ...

base. As a result, no aircraft were assigned and the unit was inactivated in 1957.

Lineage

; 402d Bombardment Group * Constituted as the 402d Bombardment Group (Medium) on 20 April 1943 : Activated on 19 May 1943 : Disbanded on 31 July 1943 * Reconstituted and consolidated with the 402d Fighter Group on 3 October 1956 ; 402d Fighter-Day Group * Constituted as the 402d Fighter Group on 24 September 1943 : Activated on 1 October 1943 : Disbanded on 10 April 1944. * Reconstituted as the 402d Fighter-Day Group on 4 October 1956 : Activated on 15 October 1956 : Inactivated on 8 February 1957

Assignments

, 19 May – 31 July 1943 *

, 1 October 1943 – 10 April 1944 (attached to

New York Fighter Wing The New York Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the I Fighter Command, stationed at Mitchel Field, New York It was inactivated on 10 April 1944. The wing was a World War II air defense organ ...

until 13 October 1943) *

, 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957

Components

* 320th Fighter (later Fighter-Day) Squadron: 25 November 1943 – 10 April 1944; 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957 * 442d Fighter (later Fighter-Day) Squadron: 25 November 1943 – 10 April 1944; 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957 * 452d Fighter Squadron: 1 October 1943 – 10 April 1944 * 538th Fighter Squadron: 1 October – 25 November 1943 * 539th Fighter Squadron: 1 October – 25 November 1943 * 540th Fighter (later Fighter-Day) Squadron: 1 October 1943 – 10 April 1944; 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957

Stations

Kunming Airport Kunming Changshui International Airport is an international airport serving Kunming, the capital of Southwestern China’s Yunnan province. The airport is located northeast of the city center in a graded mountainous area about above sea le ...

, China, 19 May – 31 July 1943 *

, Massachusetts, 1 October 1943 *

, North Carolina, c. 13 October 1943 *

Bluethenthal Field Wilmington International Airport is a public airport located just north of Wilmington, North Carolina, in unincorporated Wrightsboro. ILM covers 1,800 acres (728 ha). During the calendar year of 2024, ILM served a record-high number of pass ...

, North Carolina, c. 9 December 1943 * Bradley Field, Connecticut, c. 11 February – 10 April 1944 * Greenville Air Force Base, Mississippi, 15 October 1956 – 8 February 1957

Aircraft

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

, 1943–1944

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{USAAF 14th Air Force World War II Fighter groups of the United States Air Force Military units and formations established in 1956