page_title: 394th Fighter Squadron
section_title: Training in the United States
hierarchical_section_title: 394th Fighter Squadron / History / Training in the United States
caption_attribution_description: PictionID:40971755 - Title:Airacobra Bell P-39D - Catalog:15_002687 - Filename:15_002687.tif - Image from the Charles Daniels Photo Collection album "US Army Aircraft."----PLEASE TAG this image with any information you know about it, so that we can permanently store this data with the original image file in our Digital Asset Management System.----SOURCE INSTITUTION: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
context_page_description: The 394th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was assigned to the 367th Fighter Group and was last stationed at Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina, where it was inactivated on 7 November 1945.
  The squadron was activated on 15 July 1943 at Hamilton Field, California. It trained with Bell P-39 Airacobra fighters at bases in California and Nevada before shipping to the European Theater of Operations in March 1944. Upon arrival in England, the squadron was equipped with Lockheed P-38 Lightnings. It entered combat in early May and flew missions from England until July, when it moved to Normandy. In August, the squadron was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for its attacks on Luftwaffe airfields near Laon.
  The squadron converted to Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in January 1945 and, with the new fighter, earned a second Distinguished Unit Citation for an attack on the headquarters of the Wehrmacht High Command of the West in March. The Belgian government also awarded the squadron the Belgian Fourragere for its support of operations in Belgium.
context_section_description: The squadron was first organized as the 394th Fighter Squadron at Hamilton Field, California on 15 July 1943, as one of the original squadrons of the 367th Fighter Group. Several members of its initial cadre were former Flying Tigers with prior combat experience.  It was not until late August, however, that the group received its first Bell P-39 Airacobra. After building up its strength, the squadron moved in October to Santa Rosa Army Air Field, California. In December group headquarters moved to Oakland Municipal Airport, while the 394th was at Hayward Army Air Field. The squadron moved temporarily to Tonopah Army Air Field, Nevada, where it performed dive bombing and gunnery training.   Training accidents with the Bell P-39 Airacobra cost several pilots their lives.  In January 1944, as it prepared for overseas movement, the 394th was beefed up with personnel from the 328th and 368th Fighter Groups. The squadron staged through Camp Shanks, and sailed for England aboard the SS Duchess of Bedford. The "Drunken Duchess" docked at Greenock, Scotland on 3 April and the group was transported by train to its airfield at RAF Stoney Cross, England.
caption: P-39D as used by the group for training
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