The 397th Fighter Group was activated June 1, 1943 in Westover Field, Massachusetts. The order that activated this squadron also activated the 395th and 396th Fighter Squadrons, the other members of the 368th Fighter Group. The entire fighter group was established to fly P-47 Thunderbolt heavy fighters. The initial set of pilots assigned to the 368th Fighter Group came from the 326th Fighter Group. Specifically, the 397th Fighter Squadron came out of the 320th Fighter Squadron. Between June 1 and their deployment to Europe, the 397th Fighter Squadron would be training its pilots and enlisted men.
Special events did happen from time to time. On November 3, while the squadron was stationed in Mitchel Field, New York, The Duke of Windsor visited the base. The whole of the 368th Fighter Group put on a show for the Duke, circling the airfield in 4 planed V’s, then making a low pass over the airfield of 150 feet at 300 miles per hour. After the demonstration, the Duke was introduced to the pilots of the 397th. On November 6, an exercise was held in which the armament, ordnance, and transportation sections of the squadron attacked an established headquarters of the engineering, communication, operations and miscellaneous sections. The defenders prevailed against the thirty minute assault. An hour after that, members of the 395th Fighter Squadron captured the mess facilities of the 397th. The members of the 397th rallied and successfully retook their mess facilities, using considerable tear gas against their opponents and routing them. In the last assault of the day, a party of officers attacked the transportation and ordinance headquarters, but they were unsuccessful, driven away by posted guards. The exercises were halted because some smoke bombs set off during the last attack began to seep into the tents of one of the squadrons. The 397th left the United States on December 28, 1943 from Boston of the SS Argentina, and they would harbor in Greenook, Scotland at 2am on January 9, 1944. However, the squadron would not leave the ship for another three days. The same day as getting off the boat in Scotland, the 397th would begin to make its way to Chilbolton, England, where they would arrive January 13. The squadron would spend twelve days grounded as their first P47 did not arrive to Chilbolton until January 25; only one plane was received that day, but they would have nine by the end of January. |