506th FG Gazette
Mission notes, people, and progress—dispatches worth keeping.
LOCAL NEWS
FT. MEYERS, FL.
Carl Molesworth "Very Long Range P-51 Mustang Units of the Pacific War"
Lt. Wes Murphy
"In October our group commander, Col Harper, was selected to organize a long-range fighter group for escort duty in the Pacific Theatre. We were to train in P-51s at Lakeland. Chauncey Newcomb, Jack Folsom, John Benbow, Daun Anthony, Vance Middaugh, myself and several other pilots from Fort Myers went to Lakeland with Col Harper. The 506th FG was formed, and I wound up in the 457th FS as assistant flight commander of "C" or "Blue Flight" under Jack Folsom. Our squadron commander was Malcolm Watters.""
LAKELAND, FL.
Carl Molesworth "Very Long Range P-51 Mustang Units of the Pacific War"
Lt. Wes Murphy
"We started flying around today, and had all models of P-51s -As, Bs, Cs, Ds and Ks. One night we were taking off to fly a group formation - all three squadrons. I had an old A-model, and shortly after take-off it had an engine fire. By the time I got back on the ground and the crash crew had put the fire out, the aeroplane was damaged beyond repair. We finished training in early February 1945."
"The training regimen centered on learning cruise control techniques that would produce maximum range from the Mustangs. It also included practice scrambles, assembly and landing procedures, escort formations, aerial gunnery and bombing practice, and an occasional dogfight. A month after the 506th started flying, the USAAF produced document 50-100, which was the training directive for Very Long Range operations. Fortunately, the group had already met many of the requirements by then, two glaring exceptions being instrument flying and rocket firing. The final weeks of training were concentrated on mastering those tasks."
WORLD NEWS
GREECE BELGIUM
advancing along the waterfront near Flushing
with shells bursting ahead
British forces occupy Salonika, Greece, and distribute food in Athens, which is experiencing famine.
"Operation Infatuate", an Allied attempt to free the approaches to Antwerp begins; amphibious landings take place on Walcheren Island.
Canadian troops take Zeebrugge in Belgium; Belgium is now entirely liberated.
BATTLE CONTINUES Hürtgen FOREST GERMANY
8th Regiment, 4th Infantry Division
By U.S. Signal Corps
U.S. National Archives
The Hürtgen Forest lies within the area of the U.S. First Army under Hodges. Responsibility fluctuates between the V Corps and VII Corps. Heavily forested its slow going.
As the battle progresses, German reinforcements are added. American expectations that these troops were weak and ready to withdraw were overly optimistic.
Nov 1944
506th FG Publication