79th FIGHTER GROUP COLLECTION --
The 79th Fighter Group supported the British Eighth Army from 1942 until early in 1944, then fought at Anzio, in the south of France and in northern Italy, where it once again operated with the Eighth Army.
It moved to the Middle East in October-November 1942, and joined the Ninth Air Force.It went from Egypt to Casablanca and later joined the key attack on the German flank at El Hamma on 26 March, which allowed the Eighth Army to break out and get behind the main Mareth positions.The group spent a time supporting the final attack against the Tunisian beachhead.
The group supported the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky). Part of the group moved to Malta before the attack, and was given the task of protecting the convoy of over 3,000 vessels when it was within 50 miles of the island. The group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for supporting the Eighth Army between March and August 1943.The group was under the command of the Desert Air Force during Operation Baytown, the Eighth Army's main contribution to the initial invasion of mainland Italy.
In August 1943 the group moved from the Ninth to the Twelve Air Force, but continued to support the Eighth Army.The group supported the Eighth Army's landing at Termoli, on the Adriatic coast of Italy, flying a large number of sorties on 5-6 October 1943, when the British beachhead was came under fierce attack.
The group took part in Operation Shingle, the landings at Anzio, where it helped provide fighter cover over the landing area. After fighting over the beachhead from January-March 1944, the group took place in the final advance on Rome. In mid-July the group moved back to the 12th Air Force, and was moved to Corsica, in preparation for Operation Dragoon, the invasion of the south of France. It spent July 1944 cutting transport links in northern Italy. In August-September 1944 it was used to support Operation Dragoon.
The group spent the rest of the war supporting the Allied armies in Italy. It was awarded a second DUC for its role in supporting the Eighth Army attack on the Santerno River (16-20 April 1945).
