From: "Phineas Pinkham"

Nice story, old chap but the 12th was a B-25 outfit during the war, didn't
become a Fighter-Escort unit until 1950, assigned to SAC.

The 12th Fighter Wing mentioned in this anecdote was "Provisional," assigned
to the XII Air Support Command for the invasion of Sicily.

The "B-25 unit" you may be thinking of was the 57th Bomb Wing, part of the 12th
Air Force. Although organization changed during the war, the below is the
arrangement as it was toward the end of 1944:

The 12th AF, divided into 3 main units:

- MATAF (Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force)
- MACAF (Mediterranean Allied Command Air Force)
- XII TAC (Tactical Air Command), based in France after the landings there.

These 3 units were subdivided thus:

MATAF
42nd Bomb Wing (B-26)
17th BG - 319th BG - 320th BS

57th Bomb Wing (B-25)
310th BG - 321st BG - 340th BG

DAF
79th FG (P-47)

XXII TAC
47th BG - 27th FG - 57th FG - 86th FG - 350th FG - 414th NFS - 416th NFS

51st TCW (C-47)
60th TCG - 62nd TCG - 64th TCG

3rd PG (P-51)
3rd PG (P-51)

MACAF

417th NFS (Beaufighter)

XII TAC

324th FG

111th TRS

415th NFS


Perhaps the booze was flowing too freely when you were priming the old vets?

E-mail exchange.

We have the same recurring problem periodically on RAM NG.

No kidding.


Chris Mark