Pilots Individual Combat Chart

[Eagle0025]

I have some forms for several 474th FG pilots called a Pilots Individual Combat Chart. It is essentially a summary of the combat missions flown by a pilot. The form appears to be a standard AAF form. It has five columns listed as follows: Date (of mission), Time (mission duration), F.O., Sortie (no. of missions flown on that date), and Destination (type of mission and target area).

The field I need help with is the "F.O." column. I believe this stands for Field Order (the official AAF document ordering a mission), but I'm not sure. The numbers in this field go in ascending order (197, 204, 218...). Some of the later missions show a letter (e.g. 410-B, 433-K, 437-L...). Some later missions have other designators such as 138 (Y21-8), 140 (Y21-10), 142 (Y51-2) and so on.

Can anyone tell me the exact meaning of this field and it's contents? Many thanks in advance.

Cheers, Gary Koch

[shooshoobaby]

Gary :
It is designated Form 5.
Air Force continued their use to modern day.
Documents total Flying Hours Monthly and
Documents Monthly Hours to Receive Monthly Flight Pay.
Also Tracks Total Hours for future promotions to Command Pilot , Senior Command Pilot.
Mike

[drgondog]

FO does stand for Field Order. There may be a Wing Order (W.O) although that was much more common in 8th AF than 9th.

Muliti part Field orders were common in late 1944.

The 1732 A for example would be Part A of Field Order 1732 (which in case of 8th AF may have been at least two or more major Task Forces).

When the Field order was broken down it may have called for two squadrons to execute Group A assignment and another Squadron re-inforced by a couple of flights from the other two squadrons would fly Part B as Group B.

You would typically see a Red, Yellow and Blue Flight in each of the two Squadron in the Part A above, then a Red Yellow, Blue, Green from the third squadron and perhaps White and Purple flights in Part B.

In the B Group, the "White' would have been from one of the A Group squadrons and Purple from the other A Group squadron.

Many of these A and B Group combined efforts would put 60-72 fighters in the air instead of an ordinary three squadron, four flight each, mission with 48 as a desired number of effectives for the Group

From November 1944, the TO&E of the 8th and 9th AF Fighter Groups was far larger than early 1944.

Often the Groups would separate into two large forces of 30+ fighters in an "A" and B" Group to support two different missions under a different leader, including an occasional "C".

Bill