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306TH FIGHTER WING HISTORY
MONTH OF DECEMBER 1944
NARRATIVE
Since the end of the year 1944 found the 306th Fighter Wing settled down and functioning smoothly in its fourth month of operations in the field, the only change in personnel this month was the addition of seven enlisted men. The status as of 31 December was as follows:
OFFICERS
Assigned & Present for Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Assigned & on DS with Other Organizations . . . . . . . . . 20
Attached, Assigned to Other Organizations . . . . . . . . . 1
Attached, Asgd Other Orgnz & on Further DS . . . . . . . 4
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
ENLISTED MEN
Assigned & Present for Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Assigned & on DS to Other Organizations . . . . . . . . . . 84
Attached, Assigned to 306th Bomb Wing (H) . . . . . . . . 37
Attached, Assigned to 306th Sigh Wing (H) . . . . . . . . . 2
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Lt Col N.D. Hagins was promoted from Major on 17 December.
One enlisted man was promoted to Technical Sergeant.
Four enlisted men returned to the United States on 30 Days Temporary Duty, three from the Signal Detachment and one from Headquarters Squadron.
On 26 December all Group commanders and their A-1 and A-4 officers met at the headquarters to make recommended changes in present Squadron, Group and Wing Tables of Organization and Tables of Equipment. This was in response to a War Department request for recommended changes based on experience under actual combat conditions. It was unanimously recommended that a Group Headquarters Squadron be authorized to perform the necessary duties of a Group Headquarters.
These duties are now being performed by personnel drawn from the Squadrons. General changes and additions were made in all Staff Sections of the Squadrons, Groups and Wings to take care of necessary duties that are now being performed by qualified personnel even though no T/O vacancy exists for such.
Approval was urgently recommended chiefly on the fact that the pilot strength is almost double that originally anticipated and that each Group is maintaining 95 aircraft instead of 75. It was further pointed out that more personnel and equipment are necessary under present long-range escort missions than would be necessary for local defense for which the original Tables of Organization and Equipment were intended.
Bad weather brought out deficiencies in the winterization of the camp. Gravel roads and drainage systems, which had taken weeks to build, were found to be inadequate. The nature of the weather reduced any “on the spot” corrections, consequently a major nuisance program is now in progress. Other maintenance projects include construction of an all-weather motor pool garage, improvement of a waste water disposal system and construction of items for increased efficiency of mess facilities.
Group briefings and interrogations were attended throughout the month by Wing Intelligence officers in order to obtain a clear comparative picture of performance by the Groups in this connection.
These visits have been reciprocated by various Group Intelligence officers.
A standing operating procedure was worked out by Major H. A. Long for the telephoning of Intelligence mission reports from Groups to Wing and Wing to XVth Fighter Command. Designed to standardize and clarify reporting, it is expected to speed up the mission telephone reports and aid in achieving greater accuracy in reporting the information needed by higher headquarters.
Despite considerable inclement weather, there were only five days in the month when no operational missions were flown by the 306th Fighter Wing. There were 66 regular missions (Group), 108 escort missions for photo reconnaissance aircraft and 5 special missions. Also, despite the bad weather and number of missions requiring all available operational aircraft, the training program reached a new high in both sorties flown and total hours of flying time. Visits to all Groups were made by officers of the A-3 Section, particular attention being given to briefings and interrogations.
Mr. Hugh Turrintin of the Operational Analysis Section, Fifteenth Air Force, was an observer with the Wing during the month, primarily interested in the armament of the P-51 aircraft.
Major Wyatt P. Exum, Wing Gunnery Officer, supervised the reharmonization of the guns of all fighter aircraft to the new LD #1 bullet pattern. Progress was made in the installation of the K-14 Compensating Gun Sight (See “Special Accounts”).
Colonel B.S. Kelsey, Eighth Air Force Engineering Officer, visited the Wing with a party of officers of the Eighth Air Force and held a conference with the Commanding General of the XVth Fighter Command, the Wing Commanding Officer, the Wing A-4 Officers and the North American Aviation, Inc. Technical Representatives. Engineering problems of fighter aircraft of the Fifteenth Air Force as compared with those of the Eighth Air Force were discussed.
A meeting was held by A-4 of all Group engineering officers and Technical Representatives to work out current engineering problems in the Wing. Approximately 20 officer-visits were made by A-4 officers to the Groups this month.
Mr. Frank Otto, North American Aviation, Inc. supply agent, was at the Wing for some time, working on supply problems with the A-4 Section.
The new AN/RC two-way radio set, to be used in case of line trouble, was set up and put into operation by the Communications Section, a test between the 306th Fighter Wing, XVth Fighter Command and 306th Fighter Wing being very successful. This month an SCR 299 mobile radio station, to be used as standby equipment, was added to the Section.
The morale of the Wing was given a boost with the opening on 25 December of the recently completed Enlisted Men’s Club. (See “Special Accounts”). During the Christmas season decorations brightened the mess halls and on Christmas Day a fine turkey dinner was the high point in the celebration of the holiday.
Passes to the Rome Rest Camp continued, 19 enlisted men and 1 officer attending this month.
Captain Warren T. Gunter visited with the First Tank Battalion, First Armored Division, at the Fifth Army Front north of Florence, Italy. At meetings of the officers and enlisted men of this headquarters, he told of the conditions and recounted his experiences at the Front, subjects of considerable interest to Air Corps personnel.
A briefing of the enlisted men on news and progress of the war is given each week, usually by a non-commissioned officer of the A-2 Section.
It is expected that in the near future the Wing will have its own movies, as a motion picture projector with sound has been obtained from the Fifteenth Air Force.
Movies and USO shows, presented at the 325th Fighter Group’s nearby theater, were the main recreational activities. A Wing basketball team was organized and four games were played with squadrons of the 325th Fighter Group, two of which were won by the Wing team.
A large and varied Wing library is in the process of being built up, the books coming largely through the efforts of the Rhode Island State Library’s Book Pool for the Fighting Services.
The health of the unit was the lowest since moving to the present location, 67 man days being lost due to diseases (mostly respiratory) and accidents. No venereal diseases were reported.
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