and several others damaged. For his action that day he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour, the highest award for bravery to go to a fighter pilot in the European Theatre of Operations. The 354th proved that the Mustang was a viable aircraft in combat and the group laid the foundations in tactics that would be followed by the other fighter groups. The 56th are generally acknowledged as the top scoring US fighter Group of World War Two. The group arrived at Boxted on 19th April 1944. They had already experienced combat at their previous bases in England. They were led by the inspirational Hubert Zemke. a great tactician, a man who would not accept second best. The 56th took part in all the major air battles during their stay at Boxted including D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. They gained the nickname Wolfpack because of the number of high scoring pilots in the unit. With 31 kills Francis Gabreski was the top scoring American pilot in Europe. Bob Johnson, another member of the Wolfpack, was number 2. From inside the community 36
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