315th Fighter Squadron

World War II
The 315th Fighter Squadron was constituted in 1942 and activated on 6 July at Mitchel Field, New York as one of the three original squadrons of the 324th Fighter Group. The squadron moved immediately to Philadelphia Municipal Airport, where it trained with Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters until October.

The squadron moved to Grenier Field when its parent group moved to the Middle East between October and December of 1942 for operations with Ninth Air Force, the 315th joined the group in Egypt January 1943. The unit trained for several weeks with P-40 aircraft. While group headquarters remained in Egypt, the squadron began operating with other organizations against the enemy in Tunisia. Reunited in June 1943, the squadron and group engaged primarily in escort and patrol missions between Tunisia and Sicily until July 1943. It received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for action against the enemy from March 1943 to the invasion of Sicily.

The unit trained from July to October of 1943 for operations with the Twelfth Air Force. It resumed combat on 30 October 1943 and directed most of its attacks against roads, bridges, motor transport, supply areas, rolling stock, gun positions, troop concentrations, and rail facilities in Italy until August 1944. During the assault on Anzio in January 1944, it patrolled the beaches and protected convoys. It aided the Allied offensive in Italy during May of 1944, receiving another DUC during the Battle of Monte Cassino for action from 12 to 14 May when the group bombed an enemy position on Monastery Hill, attacked troops massing on the hill for counterattack, and hit a nearby stronghold to force the surrender of an enemy garrison.

The 315th continued to give close support to ground forces until the fall of Rome in June 1944. The group converted to Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in July and supported the assault on southern France in August by dive-bombing gun positions, bridges, and radar facilities, and by patrolling the combat zone. The unit attacked such targets as motor transport, rolling stock, rail lines, troops, bridges, gun emplacements, and supply depots after the invasion, giving tactical support to Allied forces advancing through France. The unit aided the reduction of the Colmar bridgehead in January and February of 1945, and supported Seventh Army's drive through the Siegfried defenses in March. It received the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for supporting French forces during the campaigns for Italy and France in 1944 and 1945.

The 315th Fighter Squadron returned to the United States between October and November of 1945 and was inactivated in November 1945.

Lineage

 * Constituted as the 315th Fighter Squadron on 24 June 1942
 * Activated on 6 July 1942
 * Inactivated on 7 November 1945

Assignments

 * 324th Fighter Group, 6 July 1942 - 7 November 1945

Stations

 * Mitchel Field, New York 6 July 1942
 * Philadelphia Municipal Airport, MD 6 July 1942
 * Grenier Field, New Hampshire, 23 October 1942 – 31 January 1943
 * RAF Kabrit, Egypt 29 March 1943
 * Tunisia,
 * Kairouan Airfield, Tunisia 2 June 1943
 * El Haouaria Airfield, Tunisia c. 18 June 1943
 * Menzel Heurr Airfield, Tunisia 3 October 1943
 * Cercola Airfield, Italy 27 October 1943
 * Pignataro Maggiore Airfield, Italy, 10 May 1944


 * Le Banca Airfield, Italy 7 June 1944
 * Montalto Di Castro Airfield, Italy 15 June 1944
 * Ghisonaccia Airfield, Corsica, 19 July 1944
 * Le Luc Airfield, France 22 August 1944
 * Istres Airfield (Y-17), France c. 1 September 1944
 * Amberieu Airfield (Y-5), France 6 September 1944
 * Dôle-Tavaux Airfield (Y-7), France 17 September 1944
 * Luneville Airfield (Y-2), France 2 January 1945
 * AAF Station Stuttgart/Echterdingen (R-50), Germany 3 May 1945 - 20 October 1945
 * Camp Shanks, New York 6 November 1945 - 7 November 1945

Aircraft

 * Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1942-1944
 * Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1944-1945