Activated on October 1 st , 1942 in Richmond , Virginia , the 353 rd Fighter Group (FG) became one of the most highly decorated Fighter Groups of WWII. Assigned to the 8 th Air Force, 66 th Fighter Wing during the European Theatre of Operations (ETO), the 353rd was comprised of (3) Fighter Squadrons along with maintenance and headquarter functions. The Squadrons were the 350th, 351st, and 352nd.

Arriving in Britain on June 7 th , 1943, the 353 rd was under command of Major Joseph Morris. Always providing a strong escort to the bombers on their way to Germany the 353 rd stood out as they developed a formidable skill for dive-bombing ground targets. Less than a year after arriving in the ETO and some 3 Group Commander's later they had perfected this technique developed by Colonel Glenn E. Duncan (the 3 rd G/C) and Major Walter C. Beckham in their P-47 Thunderbolts. The result was several ground and air losses to the Germans as well as the creations of the Buzz Boys

On April 24th, 1945 the proud 353rd Fighter Group completed its 448th and final mission. They were simply out of targets. The war with Germany ended less than 2 weeks later.