354th
Pioneer Mustang Fighter Group
Base of Operations
This website is dedicated to the men of the 354th Fighter Group. Assigned to the Tactical Ninth Air Force the 354th Fighter Group was the first unit to take the Merlin-engine P-51 Mustang into combat escorting heavy bombers in the strategic bombing campaign in December 1943. With the Mustang’s long-range and maneuverability the 354th changed the nature of war and rescued the Eighth’s Air Force daylight strategic bombing campaign over Europe. The Pioneer Mustang Group became the highest scoring aerial fighter unit in the United State Army Air Force.
There are literally hundreds
of pages meticulously written by 354th group
historians at squadron level to headquarters
covering day to day operations. Unit histories on
this website are a concise narrative from those
pages that began at the 354th activation at Hamilton
Field, California to the end of hostilities in
Europe.
NEW BOOK: The Oranges Are Sweet
The story of Major Don M. Beerbower and the 353rd Fighter Squadron
In
The Oranges are Sweet; author Paul
Sailer follows Major Don M. Beerbower from his
upbringing in a small town in Minnesota to his last
combat mission on August 9, 1944.
In this well-researched book about Beerbower and his colleagues, the author takes us back to the great air battles over Nazi Germany, when the fate of western civilization hung in the balance between victory and defeat. See this website's Published Books Section
The book can be purchased at Loden Books
Flight Journal Collectors Edition: Issue Fall 2011
WW II Aces: Forgotten Ace Don M. Beerbower - A Mustang Pioneer's Legacy
Paul
M. Sailer article introduces the story of Maj. Don
M. Beerbower and his significant contribution to the
success of the top fighter squadron in WWII. When
Don Beerbower was killed-in-action while strafing a
German airdrome north of Reims, France, on August 9,
1944, he was the leading ace in the Ninth Air Force
and squadron commander of the 353rd Fighter
Squadron. A book about Maj. Beerbower's life,
The Oranges are Sweet, will be available in November
2011. See this website's
Published Books Section
This
issue can be purchased at
www.airagestore.com
Warbird Digest: Issue #36 May / June 2011
Southern Charm: Cary Salter and Charlotte's Chariot II
It's common for a P-51 Mustang to be painted in the
markings of a plane that flew during
World War Two but when Dan Fordice chose a paint scheme he not only knew the pilot and namesake, they were friends. This is the story of Cary Salter, a combat veteran AAF
pilot, the plane he lovingly named Charlotte's
Chariot II, and the Mustang that bears its name
today.
This issue can be purchased at www.warbirddigest.com
Contact Information
If want your photos featured on this website please contact the Website Coordinator: 354thpmfg.com. If you are interested in submitting a tribute for any member of the 354th Pioneer Mustang Group please contact the website coordinator.
Acknowledgements
These people provided assistance and contributed materials. I am eternally grateful to the 354th Pioneer Mustang Fighter Group Association, without them this website would not be possible.
354th Fighter Group Historians: Capt. Arthur F. Brown, Capt. Fredrick S. Burkhardt -HQ, Lt. Albert J. Feigen - 353rd FS, Lt Donald F. Snow - 355th FS, Lt. Gabriel M. Bernstein - 356th FS, Capt. Albert D. Fowler - 356th FS, Lt. Charles F. Kennaw - 353rd FS, Rudolph A. Tholt - HQ.
The 354th Fighter Pioneer Mustang Group Association, William W. Louie, Charles Tighe, Ray Bain, Norm Davis, Alan Grant, Rosemary Krebs, Larry Wood, Roberta Roddy, Robert D. Davis, Walter Harrington, Jon Teboe, JMT Productions, Robert W. Lamb, Paul Cornell, Jr., Jack Cook, Ted Skowronek, Hugh Gibson, The Al Styrsky family, Nantucket Historical Association Digital Exhibition - Robert Young, Jr., Jack E. Wimer, Doug Gifford, Jim Pierce, Walt Fink, Catherine and Millicent Carrizales, Tripp Alyn.
Thanks to DemusDesigns for providing this open source web template and StuNichols for allowing use of the gallery script.



