HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 406TH FIGHTER GROUP
HISTORY IN WWII

What follows is a succession of highlights providing the 406th narrative of their World War II experiences starting with their formation as a unit. They are numbered for easy referencing.

1.	3/1/43	The beginning: Activated at Key Field, Meridian, MS.
2.	12/1/43	Arrival of P-47's. Up until then it was trainers followed by P-39's and P-40's. The Jug was a big change.
3.	3/23/44	"Sterling Castle" trip to Liverpool- a floating metaphor of their entrance into war.
4.	5/9/44	Ashford: First base, first missions and first taste of war.
5.	5/44	First V-1 bagged by American pilot Raymond M. Welsh, 513th Sq. Ashford lay squarely in the path for V-1's heading for London, zooming overhead daily with some close calls.
6.	6/6/44	D-Day top cover of Utah Beach. Uneventful though epoch.
7.	6/44	L.C. Beck story of 1) flying piggy back in a P-47 back to England after being shot down and 2) his later being hidden by partisans and eventual execution. Book written by him while in hiding.
8.	7/44	First tactical mission to Cherbourg as devised by Tactical Air Command's on the ground support of troops idea. Strong signs of "Distinctive willingness to aggressively press home the attack and to pay for it". Excellent results though 5 planes and 3 pilots lost.
9.	7/44	513th gets rockets; first unit in air force to receive them followed by good results.
10.	7/24/44	Move base of operations to France- now on the continent. Living in stark quarters occupied by the Germans only weeks earlier.
11.	7/44 through end of hostilities	"Gypsies" habits and in spirit. Nine different bases, always on the move and learning to live with it.
12.	8/45	Maturation of ground controller liaison with skilled ground attacks just in front of allied troop placements paying off "I didn't tell them to attack, I merely suggested it. To them, suggestion was enough".
13.	9/7/44
		Battle leading to Presidential Citation #1. This is General Elster surrendering a column of 20,000 men to the Air Force rather than the 3rd Army.
14.	9/44	French town folk visit base to greet Americans and watch P-47's take off and other examples of gratitude and friendship.
15.	12/44	AV Grossetta while on leave visits Tucson for war bond drive and appears on stage at the Tucson Theater which was reported in the local newspaper and broadcasted by radio.
16.	12/23/44	Battle of the Budge participation and 2nd Presidential Citation.
17.	12/45	During crunch of the Bulge 5 group mechanics and 4 armorers of the 514th changed a tire, replaced a machinegun, replaced 8 gun barrels, reloaded and retimed all guns, refueled and reloaded ammunition and bombs on three Thunderbolts in a turn around time of 35 minutes.
18.	1/22/45	"Crescendo of Destruction"- single biggest day for Group and Tactical Air Command.
19.	3/24/45	Operation Flashpoint and the crossing of the Rhine. Group supports allied airborne landings behind the lines.
20.	4/45	Move to Handhorf airfield, Germany. First encounter with German citizens.
21.	4/45	Group pilot Roland Funk acknowledged as one of the two top American "tank busters" with 22 kills.
22.	4/45	End of war. Slowly unit scatters, planes destroyed or redeployed.
23.	1981	First Reunion, held in Arlington, Texas. Many had never even met each other during war.
24.	1980's	Return visit to France and the battlegrounds in which they fought. Locals came out, visit to cemeteries etc.
25.	1980's	Memorial erected at the Air Force Museum in Dayton. Big financial drive and ceremony.
26.	1996	406th moves its archive to PASM, the start of "Tucson's Own".
27.	8/29/05	US Postal Service issues commemorative stamp of Group P-47 "Angie".
28.	2002 to present.	Franklin Mint issuance of three 406th P-47's.
29.	8/05	513th KIA pilot Mazal recovered still with his P-47 in Germany.
30.	4/07	Final Reunion in Tucson. Association to carry on Archive work.