67th Fighter Squadron (67th FS)
U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF), 13th Air Force (13th AF), 347th Fighter Group (347th FG)

Background
On November 20, 1940 constituted as the 67th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) in the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). On January 15, 1941 activated in the 58th Pursuit Group (58th PG) at Selfridge Field, Michigan with the P-36. On June 20, 1941 became part of the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF). On May 15, 1942 redesignated as 67th Fighter Squadron (67th FS). On October 3, 1942 assigned to the 347th Fighter Group (347th FG). On October 6, 1941 moves to Baton Rouge, LA. On January 17, 1942 departs overseas to the South Pacific (SoPAC). The squadron operated P-39 Airacobra, P-400 Airacobra and later the P-40 Warhawk and later the P-38 Lighting. Their emblem was a cartoon fighting gamecock with a with boxing gloves created by Walt Disney.

Wartime History
On August 22, 1942 five P-400 Airacobras from 67th Fighter Squadron arrive at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal while the rest of the squadron remains on New Caledonia. They are the first U.S. Army Air Force land based planes on Guadalcanal. The squadron's P-400s and P-39s operate under control of Marine Aircraft Wing One (MAW-1) but will prove to be no match for Japanese Zeros or high altitude bombers and will instead be used for ground attack and low level sweeps.

On October 15, 1942 at noon, P-39s and P-400s took off on a bomb and strafe mission against Japanese transports off Guadalcanal. Lost is P-39K Airacobra 42-4287 pilot 1st Lt. Leonard R. Farron (MIA). Japanese Zeros made three claims for P-39 Airacobras shot down. Possibly, one or more of these claims was for Farron's aircraft. At 5:15pm, seven Airacobras (three P-39s and five P-400s) with SBD Dauntless dive bombers to attack a "Tokyo Express" run by Japanese destroyers spotted to the north. Ditched due to damage was P-400 Airacobra pilot Lt. Edward E. Barr (rescued).

On November 7, 1942 eight P-39s armed with bombs took off on a mission against a "Tokyo Express" convoy of eleven destroyers. The formation includes SBD Dauntless from VMSB-132, TBF Avengers from VT-8 escorted by 21 F4F Wildcats from VMF-121. Approaching the convoy, the Wildcats engage the air cover including six A6M2-N Rufes from 802 Kōkūtai (802 Air Group) and four F1M2 Petes from Kamikawa Maru and are joined by the P-39s after they jettison their bombs. In total, the fighters claim ten Petes shot down (five by the Wildcats and five by the P-39s). In fact, only one Pete is lost.

On December 3, 1942 P-39 pilots from 67th Fighter Squadron claim three F1M2 Petes shot down in air combat.

On December 22, 1942 the squadron returns to New Caledonia.

On January 29, 1943 moves to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal.

On June 1, 1943 the squadron moves to New Caledonia.

On July 23, 1943 moves to Narewa Airfield on Woodlark Island.

On August 12, 1943 lost is P-39 Airacobra pilot 2nd Lt. John K. Boyles (MIA) on a patrol mission off Woodlark Island.

On August 7, 1943 at 5:20am C-47 "Eager Beaver" 41-7733 crashed into Cleveland Bay southeast of Townsville aboard, two 67th FS enlisted men were killed: TSgt Grant W. Caldwell and Cpl Venard H. Trebon.

On January 23, 1944 moves to Russell Islands.

On March 5, 1944 lost is P-39Q 42-19587 pilot 2nd Lt. Carter Barrington (MIA).

On March 12, 1944 lost is P-39Q Airacobra 44-2451 pilot 2nd Lt. John H. Bodge (MIA) armed with a single bomb on a dive bombing mission against Rabaul and went Missing In Action (MIA).

On June 15, 1944 became part of the Far East Air Force (FEAF) when the 5th Air Force (5th AF) and 13th Air Force (13th AF) were combined until the end of the Pacific War.

On November 21, 1944 lost is P-38J Lightning 43-28885 pilot 1st Lt. Stephen A. Borne (MIA) strafing a "destroyer".

On December 31, 1944 crashed is P-38H Lightning 42-66562 pilot Captain William C. Gronemeyer with passenger 1st Lt. Charles W. Springer from 67th FS on a cross country flight with both Missing In Action (MIA) in the Tsili Tsili area.

On February 22, 1945 moves to San Jose Airfield on Mindoro while the rest of the squadron remains on Morotai.

On April 13, 1945 ten P-38s took off from Puerto Princesa Airfield on a mission to bomb and strafe targets at Tarakan and Sandakan on Borneo. Lost is P-38L Lightning 44-24519 pilot 2nd Lt. Harry B. Smith (MIA).

References
347th Fighter Group Advanced Echelon APO 709 "Preliminary Intelligence Summary of Operations of Army Fighter Planes at Cactus - December 1, 1942 to February 17, 1943" February 21, 1943 pages 1-3
Combat Squadrons of the Air Force World War II (1982) pages 251-252 [PDF pages 263-264]