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508th Fighter Squadron

Squadron

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"During one of the many breaks in operations caused by weather, Lieut. Col. Cowart of the 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion introduced to pilots of the [404th FB] Group a radar set known as the SCR-584 (Signal Corps Radio). It had the ability to follow, continuously and automatically, the flight of an aircraft on which it had been directed or "locked"; used with a large-scale map on a table-type glass screen on which the position of the aircraft was shown by a spot of light, it could permit a controller to guide planes to a target under visibility conditions which would normally make bombing impossible. Led by Capt. John Ashby Marshall of Group operations, a special six-ship flight July 16 performed the first radar-controlled "blind" dive-bombing mission in combat in the history of the Army Air Forces. Directed by Lieut. Col. Cowart himself in the ground control station assisted by the homing station crew of the 508th Squadron, the flight was "talked in" on the target, a bridge chosen for its inconspicuousness. The planes dove when told to into a mass of clouds, and broke out of the overcast with the target dead ahead, with nothing to do but line up sights and release the bombs."

Structure

Part of
  • 404th Fighter Group

    404th Fighter Group

    Group
    A unit history of the 404th Fighter Group is available online as a pdf: http://www.winkton.net/Leap%20Off/LeapOffPdf3.pdf

  • 508th Fighter Squadron

    508th Fighter Squadron

    Squadron
    "During one of the many breaks in operations caused by weather, Lieut. Col. Cowart of the 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion introduced to pilots of the [404th FB] Group a radar set known as the SCR-584 (Signal Corps Radio). It had the ability to...

Encompassing
  • 506th Fighter Squadron

    506th Fighter Squadron

    Squadron

  • 507th Fighter Squadron

    507th Fighter Squadron

    Squadron

  • 508th Fighter Squadron

    508th Fighter Squadron

    Squadron
    "During one of the many breaks in operations caused by weather, Lieut. Col. Cowart of the 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion introduced to pilots of the [404th FB] Group a radar set known as the SCR-584 (Signal Corps Radio). It had the ability to...

Previously was
Not yet known
Became
Not yet known

Stations

Station Location Date
Based Winkton 6 April 1944 – 3 July 1944

Connections

People

  • William Abraham

    Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 404th Fighter Group

  • Wayne Anacker

    Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 404th Fighter Group

  • Harold Buelow

    Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 404th Fighter Group

  • Robert Colwell

    Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 404th Fighter Group

  • George Cuonzo

    Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Radio operator | 404th Fighter Group
    George was born in Mt Vernon New York and enlisted in 1942. He was a chief radio operator in the 508th 404th and attained the rank of Tech Sergeant. He landed at Utah Beach and fought in the Bulge and moved on to Germany. He enjoyed playing drums...

  • William Donohoe

    Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 404th Fighter Group

  • Ira Fisher

    Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 404th Fighter Group

  • George Hamilton

    Military | Corporal (5th Grade) | Control Net Systems Radio Operator
    85 Line Ave., Cresson, Pa.

  • Edward James

    Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 404th Fighter Group
    Lt. James joined the air corps on Oct. 16, 1941 as a private, was called up from college in June of 1943 for flight training, graduating with class 44A/Craig Field in Dec. '43., arrived in the ETO on May 16,1944, assigned to the 404th FG July 1, 1944....

  • Robert Johnson

    Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 404th Fighter Group

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Aircraft

Citations

None

Air Force
9th
Type
Combat
Type category
Fighter
Nicknames

Granite, 508th "AIRFORCE"

Motto
Not yet known
Insignia
Not yet known
Aircraft used
  • P-47 Thunderbolt

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
25 January 2021 04:46:03 508thRadarMan Changes to description and stations
Sources

http://www.winkton.net/Leap%20Off/LeapOffPdf3.pdf. Accessed 24Jan2021, quote lifted from p. 34. Dates at Winkton Station, pp. 11, 32.
Date Contributor Update
16 June 2015 20:41:53 tjms50 Changes to person associations
Sources

TW James
Date Contributor Update
16 June 2015 20:40:52 tjms50 Changes to unit part of associations
Sources

TW James
Date Contributor Update
16 June 2015 20:40:09 tjms50 Changes to unit part of associations
Sources

TW James
Date Contributor Update
16 June 2015 20:39:27 tjms50 Changes to unit part of associations
Sources

TW James
Date Contributor Update
16 June 2015 20:38:39 tjms50 Changes to nicknames and aircraft types
Sources

TW James
Date Contributor Update
16 June 2015 20:37:08 tjms50 Changes to media associations
Sources

TW James
Date Contributor Update
16 June 2015 20:35:58 tjms50 Changes to media associations
Sources

TW James
Date Contributor Update
09 April 2015 21:41:45 EMBLEMHUNTER Changes to media associations
Sources

404th Fighter Group & 508th Squadron
my photo
Date Contributor Update
13 March 2015 15:58:43 rossingtonj Changes to type
Sources

Type added.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:49 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Units in the UK from ETOUSA Station List, as transcribed by Lt. Col. Philip Grinton (US Army, Retired) and extracted by IWM; air division data from L.D. Underwood, based on the 8th Air Force Strength Report of 6th August 1944, as published in 'The 8th Air Force Yearbook' by Lt. Col. John H Woolnough (1980)

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