21st Fighter Group

The 21st Fighter Group was activated in April 1944. Their headquarters was established at Wheeler Field, Oahu and they were unique in the sense that the group was to be made up of already established squadrons. The 46th Fighter Squadron, came from the 15th Fighter Group, while the 72nd squadron came from the 318th Group. The 531st Fighter Bomber Squadron was selected to join the group as well. At the time, all three squadrons were flying P-39 Airacobras, with the 531st just switching over from A-24’s. The three squadrons had seen combat service in the Gilberts and Marshall Island campaigns and had recently returned to Oahu. The group then started a change over to P-38 Lightnings which was completed by August 1944, and assigned to the 7th Fighter Command for operational control and defense of the Hawaiian Islands. However, this was to be very short lived as a new mission was assigned and the group would be receiving P-51 Mustangs, which began arriving in November. After waiting for the second airfield to be completed on Iwo Jima, the group finally arrived on March 23, 1945 and began operations there immediately with the 15th Fighter Group, from Combat Air Patrol around the island to strikes on the Bonin Islands. Just a week and half later, they would fly to Japan on April 7, 1945, for the first VLR mission.