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Group Echelon (Philippines Campaign: 27 Jan 45–22 Feb 45) Flight Echelon (Philippines Campaign: 31 Jan 45–22 Feb 45) Advance Echelon (Philippines Campaign: 10 Mar 45–4 Jul 45) Rear Echelon (Philippines Campaign: 17 Mar 45–4 Jul 45) CO, MAG-32; Col Clayton C. Jerome (until July 1945) Col Stanley E. Ridderhof. ExO, MAG-32; LCol John L. Smith
With the surrender of the United States Army on Bataan, Philippines on 8 April 1942, the remaining air echelon of the 24th Pursuit Group withdrew to Mindanao Island and began operating from Del Monte Airfield with whatever aircraft were remaining. The last of the group's aircraft were captured or destroyed by enemy forces on or about 1 May 1942.
The air echelon of the squadron was evacuated to Batchelor Field, Australia on 24 December 1941, while the ground echelon stayed to fight at Clark Field, as infantry in the Philippines as part of the Battle of the Philippines under the command of 5th Interceptor Command.
When the United States entered World War II the squadron was deploying to the Philippines. Its ground echelon fought as infantry , with most members surrendering at Bataan , while the air echelon fought in the Netherlands East Indies, earning the squadron three Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC)s.
Re-equipped with Douglas A-24 Dauntless dive bombers, then in late 1941, ordered to Philippine Air Force in response to the growing crisis in the Pacific. Ground echelon arrived in Philippines in late November 1941, however outbreak of World War II in the Pacific caused A-24 aircraft to be diverted to Australia.
Port Moresby Airfield Complex, New Guinea, late August 1943 (air echelon) Nadzab Airfield Complex, New Guinea, November 1943; Mokmer Airfield, Biak, Netherlands East Indies, 7 November 1944; Tanauan Airfield, Leyte, Philippines, 11 February 1945; Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, June 1945; Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, 30 September 1945 – 15 ...
The air echelon squadrons of the 7th were en route to the Philippines and arrived in Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941. They consisted of 9th, 463rd, 492nd, and 493d Heavy Bombardment Squadrons. The air echelon was diverted back to the US and then routed to Java through Australia.
Established in November 1941 to provide air defense of Luzon, Philippine Islands.After Japanese invasion on 24 December 1941, mission changed to provide ground defense of island, with ground and air echelon personnel of unequipped Fifth Air Force units on Luzon attached to fight as ground infantry units during the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) after their aircraft were destroyed or ...