A significant number of Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (or 'Jug' as it was fondly known) US Army Air Force (USAAF) fighter groups fought in the European Theatre of Operations during World War Two. The most famous of these was the 56th Fighter Group, led by Colonel Francis S Gabreski, who was the top ace with 31 kills. While several other groups also scored a credible number of victories, where they really excelled was in the air-to-ground mission, especially when softening up the German defences in northern France prior to D-Day. The 404th Fighter Bomber Group (FBG) received that designation in the late summer of 1943. It trained, initially, with Bell P-39 Airacobras and then transitioned to the Thunderbolt and moved to England in the spring of 1944, assigned to the 9th Air Force. It was made up of the 506th, 507th and 508th Fighter Squadrons. In early May it was re-designated the 404th Fighter Group.
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