Aces of the 78th Fighter Group
Dubbed the ‘Eagles of Duxford’, the 78th Fighter Group (FG) was unique in being the only fighter unit in the ‘Mighty Eighth’ to fly the P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang operationally.
The 78th FG produced the very first Eighth Air Force ace, and flew exclusively from Duxford throughout its time in the UK. Initially equipped with the P-38 Lightning, the group received P-47 Thunderbolts in March 1943, followed by the iconic American ace-maker, the P-51 Mustang, in December 1944. Arriving in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) in November 1942, and eventually committed to combat five months later, the 78th, along with the 4th and 56th FGs, ‘wrote the book’ on long-range fighter escort by VIII Fighter Command in the ETO.
This volume charts the group’s highs and lows during its two years in action from Duxford, focusing on the exploits of the 51 pilots who achieved ace status with the 78th during World War 2. These men included Capt Charles London, the very first Eighth Air Force ace, and Maj Quince Brown, who was the 78th’s most successful aerial ace prior to being murdered by the SS after he was shot down over Germany.
Alongside stunning illustrations, Thomas McKelvey Cleaver explains how, by VE Day, the ‘Eagles of Duxford’ had downed 316 aircraft and destroyed a further 320 machines on the ground during strafing attacks on German airfields.
Thomas McKelvey Cleaver has been a published writer for the past 40 years, with his most recent work being the best-selling Osprey titles MiG Alley (2019), I Will Run Wild (2020), Under the Southern Cross (2021), The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club (2021), Going Downtown (2022), The Cactus Air Force (2022) alongside the late Eric Hammel, and most recently Clean Sweep (2023). Tom served in the US Navy in Vietnam and currently lives in Encino, California.
Artist Chris Davey has illustrated more than 20 titles for Osprey’s Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft and Elite Units series since 1994. Based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and one of the last traditional airbrush artists in the business, he has become the artist of choice for both USAAF fighters and RAF subject matter.