The Group only managed to get 20 aircraft in the air after ground aborts. After the bombers they escorted diverted to their targets the P-38s contended with 50-60 enemy aircraft alone. From the 94th, Lt Meredith crash landed in Yugoslavia. Lts Griffis and Devenney, also of the 94th, went down in flames south of the target area, both surviving their shoot-downs and becoming POWs. Another pilot, Jack Pettus, couldn't jettison the belly tanks in engage the enemy aircraft and was further plagued with a small fire in the right engine. He overcame these problems by making sudden motions with the plane, dropping the tanks, and feathering the burning engine. After all this, Pettus even managed to strafe a train on the way back. From the 71st, Major Horace Hanes, squadron commander, went down with an engine fire but successfully bailed out, returning two and a half months later. Lt. Reed Owens became a prisoner of Stalag Luft 1 after his bailout, and F/O Lee Rowe, after being hit in the pilot's nacelle, went down, was captured, and became a POW as well. Another 71st pilot, Lt. Corbett, was shot down and killed in action. Of the 4 "tail-end charlies" in the 4 flights of P-38s, all 4 were shot down, graphically illustrating the dangers of this position in the formation [information on this mission updated 19 May 06 courtesy of Mr. John Burton, whose uncle 1 Lt Jim Corbett, flew on the mission but did not return ].

During a strafing mission in the Po Valley, the 27th lost three pilots; Lts Richard Cooley (KIA), Robert McIntosh (MIA), and James Lilly (POW), who all went down during intense weather in the mountainous region south of Bologna. Lilly was the only one heard from again, bailing out only to be captured.

Lt. Richard Cooley was a victim of unfortunate timing. Some minutes before the 27th's attack, the Reggio airdrome had been strafed by other allied planes (believed to be P-47s) and the base was in an alert status. Reportedly, Italian fighter pilot Lt. Amedeo Lugari took off in his Macchi MC-205, pursued the three p-38s, and shot down Lt. Cooley over the hills about 7 miles SW of Reggio (near the Vendina Stream). The other two P-38s disappeared heading towards the Appennine mountains (south of Bologna), in strong thunderstorms. It is believed that they crashed in a forested mountain about 21 miles SW Reggio.

While tasked to provide top cover for the 82nd Fighter Group to strafe enemy airfields at Villa Franca and Ghedi, targets of opportunity in Italy, the 1st never found the 82nd and instead strafed alternate targets at a heavy cost. The aircraft of Lt.'s Schaper, Hammerstrom, and Duff, all of the 94th, fell victim to anti-aircraft guns. The squadron claimed two Me. 109s, and three Mc. 205s in addition to power stations, gun emplacement, and railway assets. Lt. Schaper had been considered dead when no parachutes were observed, but he bailed out at a dangerous altitude of 50 feet only to be taken prisoner. From the 27th Ronald Delaney parachuted from his burning aircraft near Pianoro, Italy. Captain Rafael and Lt. Joyce were hit but made emergency landings north of Termoli.

The 27th also aimed their guns toward railway and military traffic to include two hangars at Reggio Emilia, setting afire a Macchi 202 fighter and damaging or destroying seven others. The 71st strafed at least three airfields, damaging or destroying almost two dozen aircraft on the ground. Lt Franklin Pate was downed by flak, and crashed in flames near Reggio Emila Airdrome. Lt Pate died two days after his crash in the Modena hospital.

Lt Lyle Morehead survived his bail out after his P-38 caught fire and flipped on its back, crashing near Bologna. Unfortunately, he was killed by a young fascist "black shirt" (later found guilty after the war by an allied War Criminal Court, and spent 20 years in jail for his crime).[Details of 12 and 17 May missions near Reggio Emilia provided by "Mick" from Reggio Emilia Air Finders]

Two 1st Fighter Group aircraft were lost in action in northern Italy. After the strafing of Reggio Emilia airdrome, Lt Perry was hit by A/A fire, crashed into a house at the east side of the airfield, and became a POW (the crash was witnessed by Mr. Sergio Govi, who said that "in the local newspaper the pilot was declared dead, but as ever newspaper was under control of the fascist propaganda"). Lt Maxfield was hit by flak and plowed into a forested area near Bologna, Italy. He successfully evaded capture and returned to the 1st in September.

Frustrated at the minimal effect of the high altitude raids on the refinery the 15th Air Force planned a low level dive bombing attack. At dawn, 45 aircraft from all three squadrons of the Group  met 48 P-38s of the 82nd Fighter who led the attack. Air aborts took out of the attack a total of 21 P-38, nine from the 1st Group. A segment of the 71st, Blue flight ended up cut off by the 82nd through a series of navigational corrections. En route to the target the 71st spotted at least a half-dozen Dornier bombers. When the 71st attacked them, they underestimated the numbers of Rumanian IAR 80s, often mistaken for the FW-190s, escorting the bombers. Although six were credited as shot down, two by Shepard, two by Lt Hoenshell and one each by Hisey and Flack, the 71st lost nine aircraft within the minutes. The pilots lost were Willie Flack, Lts William Potter, Joseph Jackson, Vernon Baker, and Albert Smith.  Rudolph Janci and Ralph Hisey were also shot down but became POWs. Later, Lt Carl Hoenshell who was credited with shooting down at least three aircraft, including the two bombers, was killed himself on the way home when he and Lt Hatch were caught without ammunition. While the 71st was fighting a desperate battle, the 94th literally busted through an unexpected covey of enemy aircraft at low altitude to include more Do-217 bombers, an FW-190 aircraft, and trainer type bi-planes.
Also at this time, the 82nd Group, along with the remaining aircraft from 27th and 71st Blue Flight still escorting them, climbed to prepare for the dive bomb run. Something, most likely communication from the aircraft the Group had already run into, tipped off the Ploesti defense forces and the beginnings of a smoke screen and a hail of anti aircraft welcomed what was supposed to be a surprise attack. The AAA fatally struck seven P-38s as the 82nd rained down 36 x 1,000 pound bombs on the cracking plant, storage tanks, and refinery units. Two more were lost in strafing attacks on the return to Italy. After the attack, targets of opportunity presented themselves. The 27th engaged 30-40 Me 109s resulting in four destroyed, four more damaged and two probable victories against the enemy. This happened at the cost of four 27th aircrews. Cpt August Bischoff caught a wingtip while strafing and was killed. Harry Noone fell into enemy hands. William McClellen ended up in partisan custody until late June, and James Joye died. One 94th aircraft, flown by William McClellan, went down but partisans returned him to Italy in June.
Overall, the 1st lost 14 of its own but claimed 18 aircraft shot down, including five from a single pilot, Lt Herbert Hatch, one of the few the 71st who survived. This mission to Ploesti resulted in the heaviest loss ever experienced by the Group in a single day during the entire war.

Renowned composer, Irving Berlin, visited the 1st Fighter Group to have dinner with Colonel Richard and enjoy a P-38 piggy back ride with 71st pilot Howard Standridge.

1st Fighter Group escorted B-17s and B-24s in attack on Blechhammer North synthetic oil plant in Germany. Lt Jerome G. Schweikert and Lt Karl O. George from the 94th each downed Me-109s near Lake Balaton, Hungary. (information derived from mission report provided by Slovakian reader Villiam Klabnik)

Escort mission for B-17s of the 5th Wing attacking airdrome and installations in the vicinity of Memmingen, Germany. Over 100 enemy aircraft were engaged at various times during the mission, breaking off their attacks on the B-17s when the P-38s engaged. Six enemy fighters were destroyed. (Information derived from official mission report provided by Slovakian reader Villiam Klabnik)

Major Francis "Bucky" Harris, a veteran of the 71st FS, assumed command of the 94th. Major Francis Pope  relieved Cpt Thomas Rafael of command of the 27th.

In July 1944, the 1stFighter Group flew a total of 23 bomber escort missions and 2 fighter sweeps to targets in Germany, Hungary, Rumania, Austria, France and Italy. 32 enemy aircraft were downed in July, bringing the total to date to 422.(Information derived from official monthly report provided by Slovakian reader Villiam Klabnik)

During this time, the Group learned the fate of two of their pilots; Lt William Grieshaber and Cyril Nolen.  Lt William Grieshaber escaped his aircraft which crashed off the coast on 10 August 1943, swam to the shore only to be discovered, searched, robbed and shot in cold blood by German soldiers.
Cyril Nolen, who went down earlier in the war on 20 April, ended up as a POW but escaped with buddy Dick Mart and worked their way through dangerous obstacles to American lines.

The 27th lost Lt. Lauren Erickson (MIA - MACR# 7977). A flight of eight aircraft composed of both the 27th and 94th strafed an ammunition laden train west of Avignon and headed for the invasion front. The resulting explosions from this mission crippled three aircraft. Dick Arrowsmith crash landed not far from the target area near Toulouse (MACR#7963), Walter Gonring also crash landed at Cape Calvi, Corsica.

Cpt Tom Maloney, a leading ace in the 27th with eight victories, ditched his battle-damaged P-38 in the Ocean 5-6 miles off the French Coast. After drifting toward the beach, that evening a land mine welcomed him back on shore. Maloney was severely wounded, and spent the next three days drifting in and out of consciousness. Eventually he moved inland to find water by means of pulling himself backward in a sitting position. This ordeal itself lasted five more days and after constructing a makeshift raft, he navigated a marsh into a small French settlement. Due to his severe pain, he was unable to be transported via a car and was instead carried in a stretcher by several French men to a French hospital over three miles away. Little could be done for him in the French hospital, but the Americans were contacted, and two days later he was delivered into the better-equipped hands of U.S. Army medics. Maloney was hospitalized in Naples, then in the USA until September 1945, when he was miraculously able to take his first few steps again.

Dick Arrowsmith fared better and was sheltered by a French family for a week after evading for 3 days on his own. The French resistance eventually repatriated Arrowsmith through the German lines and into Corsica to rejoin his squadron.

Lt Galen Rhoades of the 27th was killed in an accident.
Lt Henry Inge of the 27th was killed in an accident. (a collision with Rhoades?)