The 57th Fighter Group

Photos and History of the 65th Fighter Squadron
by P-47 Pilot Dwight V. Orman

Quotes from Dwight Orman appear in blue lettering

On the left is a photo of a painting Bob St. Vincent did for me - It's very accurate and you can see the colors used on all 65th P47s. It's a snapshot in time --- I've just taken off from Grosetto with the Marina Di Grosetto directly below - Apennines in background and Dotty my fiance (typical 1940s bobbysoxer) in the cloud. Corny? Maybe but I like it!" On the right is a color one from my one roll of Kodachrome - 20 year old kid from Massillon, Ohio."

"I got my wings at Craig Field in T-6s but we were introduced to the P-40 afterwards. We each logged 10 hours in the P-40. I arrived initially in Naples in early August, 1944 and was assigned to the 65th stationed on Corsica in late August at Alto air strip. When I arrived on Corsica they were equipped with all P-47s. We moved over to mainland Grosetto a few weeks later. Late in the war, probably in May, 1945 we moved again to Villafranco, near Verona, near the foothills of the Italian Alps. The war was over in early May and we returned to Grosetto. In early June, 1945 I joined a B24 combat crew for the trip back home via the south Atlantic route. I had completed 100 missions and about 214 hours of combat time. I was a 1st Lieutenant and I held a DFC and the Air Medal with 5 oak leaf clusters."

 

 

"I'm pretty sure the pics of "Jerry Jinx" were taken on Corsica. We still flew the aircraft from Grosetto as well."

Original USAAF combat photography of the 57th Fighter Group based at Alto, Corsica in 1944 with an introduction by Jimmie Stewart is shown the movie Thunderbolt.