36th Fighter Squadron | The Flying Fiends | 8th Fighter Group | 5th AAF CBI | 4 patches

[walika]

36th Fighter Squadron | 8th fighter Group | 5th AAF CBI

The Flying Fiends

 

 

During World War II, the "Flying Fiends" were island hopping in P-40 Warhawk, P-39 Airacobra, P-47 Thunderbolt, and P-38 Lightning fighters.

 

 

LINEAGE. Organized as 36th Aero Squadron on 12 Jun 1917. . . . 36th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 12 Mar 1941; 36th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942.

STATIONS. Mitchell Field, NY, 15 Nov 1940-26 Jan 1942; Brisbane, Australia, 6 Mar 1942; Lowood, Australia, 13 Mar 1943; Townsville, Australia, 4 Apr 1942; Port Moresby, New Guinea, 26 Apr 1942; Townsville, Australia, 30 Jun 1942; Milne Bay, New Guinea, 18 Sep 1942; Mareeba, Australia, 22 Feb 1943; Port Moresby, New Guinea, 22 May 1943; Nadzab, New Guinea, 22 Dec 1943; Finschhafen, New Guinea, g Jan 1944; Nadzab, New Guinea, 14 Mar 1944; Owi, Schouten Islands, 17 Jun 1944; Morotai, 19 Sep 194; Dulag, Leyte, 5 Nov 1944 (operated from Morotai, 5-30 Nov 1944); San Jose, Mindoro, 20 Dec 1944; Ie Shima, 6 Aug 1945; Fukuoka, Japan, 24 Nov 1945.

OPERATIONS. Combat in Southwest and Western Pacific, 30 Apr 1942-16 Aug 1945.

CAMPAIGNS. World War II: East Indies; Air offensive, Japan; China Defensive; Papua; New Guinea; Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon with Arrowhead; Southern Philippines; China Offensive.

EMBLEM. On an irregular cloudlike background of golden orange bordered in blue a “flying fiend" proper with a gutte de sang dropping from tongue, blue helmet and white goggles with black rims. ( Approved 13 Jun 1931.)

 

Below are four examples from my collection. This first image compares the styles of three of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The detail:

 

Australian embroidery on wool. 5-3/4 x 6-1/2".

 

 

Fully embroidered. 5 x 6".

 

 

 

 

Fully embroidered. 4-1/2 x 7".

 

 

 

Theater-made. Hand-painted on leather. An impressive 7 x 8-1/2". (This patch is mounted below glass, hence the distortion in the image.)

 

 

 

 

The 36th Fighter Squadron arrived in Brisbane on 6 March 1942 with the rest of the 8th Fighter Group. They had sailed to Australia on an old cattle boat called "Maui", leaving in about late January 1942. The 8th Fighter Group were equipped with P-39's assembled at Eagle Farm airport. These P-39's assembled at Eagle Farm were originally intended to go to the Philippines but the convoy was diverted to Brisbane. They moved to Lowood airfield on 13 March 1942 and relocated to Antill Plains airfield near Townsville on 4 April 1942 where there were 2 landing strips. Ground elements of the 36th Fighter Squadron arrived back in Townsville on the ship Tasman on 30 June 1942. They boarded a train and were taken to Antil Plains airfield where they boarded trucks and were taken to the camp formerly occupied by the 40th Squadron. They were met by the pilots and the men who had returned from Port Moresby by air transport and the men who had been on duty at Horn Island since 1 April 1942. The 36th then moved to Ross River airfield, arriving there on 2 August 1942 where they used the new runway that was nearing completion on the edge of Townsville. They moved to Milne Bay in New Guinea on 18 September 1942. On 22 February 1943 they moved to Mareeba airfield in north Queensland and moved to Port Moresby in New Guinea on 22 May 1943. They moved to Port Moresby, arriving on 26 April 1942 (another source gives the date as 30 Apr 42). They later returned to Townsville area on 30 June 1942 for various rest and re-equipment tasks.

 

While at Gurney Field, at Milne Bay, in Feb 43 Kenneth Meriam of the 49th Service Squadron took this photo of a memorial to Tojo, the Mascot for the 36th Fighter Squadron. The memorial signs reads: "Here Lies Tojo April 20 - Oct 3 1942 AD / Killed in Action." Across the top of the grave, and in front of the vertical post the sign is on, appears to be five cartridge casings pushed open end down into the dirt. Apparently the dog was killed by strafing.

 

 

 

 

 

[doyler]

Nice.

 

Local man flew P38s with the squadron. His son still has his A2.

[[email protected]]

Here is one on an A-2...

 

 

Thanks for sharing!

[The Iron Brigade]

[Leroy Simpson]

Very cool, any additional information on this units time at Antil or Reid river airstrips?