August
1943 Getting Ready
Finally
on August 3, 1943 a little more than a year after the 353rd was formed,
the Group moved to its first permanent base at Metfield. (AAF Station
F366) In one of the most remote and rural regions of East Anglia, Metfield
was twelve miles from the coast in northeast Suffolk. It stood at 177
ft above sea level directly east from the village. The base layout was
the standard wartime airfield with 3 intersecting runways, a concrete
perimeter track, dispersed hardstands, and two steel hangars on about
500 acres of ground. Accommodation sites were dispersed in the surrounding
farmland countryside.
A
few days later, the pilots were called in by squadron. They were briefed
they would be assigned to other fighter groups for their first combat
mission. Amidst all the excitement to fly to the other groups' bases,
Shannon Christian formed up his 351st squadron and headed out for Debden,
home of the 4th Fighter Group. The weather was scuddy with low clouds
and haze and within minutes, it was dark over blacked-out England and
where strict radio silence was enforced. Dodging Barrage balloons along
the way, it became evident after a long period of time they were not
where they should be. Finally he found an airfield and took the squadron
in to land. It was not Debden however and it turned out they had arrived
at a B-26 Marauder Squadron at the brand new base at Earls Colne.
The next day, Christian took the 351st over to Debden, (they had flown
right over the camouflaged field the night before). For three days their
aircraft received new radio crystals, had their guns sighted in and had
new belly tanks installed. However, at the last minute their mission
was scratched and they were ordered to return to base. While the 351st
was away; things were stirring up with the rest of the Group.
Showtime
On August 9th, 1943, 16 P47s of the 353rd Fighter Group
joined 32 P47s of the 56th Fighter Group on a fighter sweep over Holland.
They were in good hands as the flight was led by the renowned "Wolfpack"
leader
himself, Colonel Hubert Zemke. Returning in the late evening from their
first mission with no enemy contact, nevertheless for the 353rd; the
war was on.
In
the late summer and early autumn of 1943 it became apparent that the
heavy bomber losses over the continent by the Eighth Air Force could
not be sustained. The Luftwaffe was eating the bomber groups alive. The
life expectancy of a bomber crew was estimated to be about 15 missions;
well short of the 25 needed to rotate home.
It was in this environment that the 353rd, became
the fourth Thunderbolt group to enter operations with the 8th Air Force.
The second mission came on August 12, 1943, 3 days after the uneventful
fighter sweep into Holland with Zemke's "Wolf Pack". Again
they were joined with the 56th, only under the command of Major Philip
E. Tukey, Jr. this time. Sixteen planes each from the 350th and 352nd
Squadrons joined in sweeping as far as Ghent, Belgium. The two squadrons
took off from Metfield at 1042 hours with two planes aborting for radio
problems, one for oxygen failure, one due to engine trouble and the fifth
acting as escort to the plane with engine problems. Later that same afternoon
the Group scrambled for another sweep but was recalled shortly after
forming up in what was to be considered one of the many "fiascoes"
the men of the 353rd would get to know only too well as the war ground
on.
Mission No. Three was the 353rd's first "solo." August 14,
1943: Forty P47s under the command of Group Commander Lt. Col. Joseph
Morris made landfall at Egmond, Holland at 26,000 feet. From there they
proceeded south where they picked up the bombers 25 miles west of the
coast and escorted them uneventfully back to England. They flew their
4th and 5th missions the following day again under Lt. Col. Morris, one
an uneventful fighter sweep and the second in the evening taking off
at around 7:30 pm escorting back a formation of bombers returning from
France. The sixth mission on August 16th, 1943 would end the string of
relatively "quiet" missions.
A Sad
Day
The 353rd mustered
a total of 44 P47s again under the leadership of Lt. Colonel Joseph Morris.
Taking off this time from Thorney Island at 08:26 they were to escort
bombers to the Paris area. The heavies were picked up off the coast and
escorted to Elbeuf, toward the northwest outskirts of Paris. Ten FW 190s
were seen coming 
from above the 353rd toward
the bombers. Numerous single and paired FW's and Me 109s were also seen
over a larger area but the 353rd never varied. The 353rd followed orders
and stuck close to the bombers. When the enemy fighters came at the bombers,
a number of combats ensued. Lt. Col Morris led his flight down in an
almost vertical dive on an FW 190 which was attacking the bombers. As
he kept after it, another 190 got on Morris's tail, but his wingman chased
it away and then pulled out of his dive at 13,000 feet. Looking around
for his Commander, he was unable to find Morris. It is possible Lt. Col.
Morris destroyed the 190 he was after, but whatever his success the attack
and his tenacity cost him his life. He was never heard from again, and
many men recalled the instruction that a P-47 could be outmaneuvered
by and was therefore easy prey for, FW 190s and Me 109s below 18,000
feet.
With the 353rd's 44 planes badly split up during their first engagement,
only 18 returned to Metfield. Nine planes, low on fuel landed at Manston,
6 more at Woodchurch, 5 at Lewes, 1 at Ashford, 1 at Chailey and 3 at
other unknown English airfields. Lt. Corrigan of the 352nd squadron claimed
one Me 109 as probable and Major Glenn E. Duncan, the 353rd's Executive
Officer claimed one FW 190 damaged. All but one plane returned home.
The 353rd Fighter
Group had lost their first pilot and their Commander on Mission Number
Six
Ch 5
Ch 7
