Fighter Aircraft Use by the 76th & other 
squadrons of the 23rd Fighter Group

Aircraft Numbering and Marking

The aircraft of the 23^rd Fighter Group – 74^th, 75^th, 76^th, 16^th, 118^th, and 449^th Fighter Squadron (The 449^th FS was a P-38 Squadron), were marked in the following manor.

Numbering

Headquarters 1-10

16^th FS 11-40 (After Oct. 43 - 350-400)

74^th FS 11-50

75^th FS 150-199

76^th FS 100-149

118^th FS 550-600 (starting June 1944)

449^th FS 300-349 (starting Oct. 1943)

Beginning in 1945

74^th FS 1-40

75^th FS 40-80

76^th FS 100-140

118^th FS 150-199

Aircraft of the 23^rd also used a Red, White & Blue colored band around the rear of the fuselage. The 74^th used red, the 75^th used white and the 76^th used blue.

From spring until fall of 1943, the 75^th FS used squadron insignia on the tail. After that the 75^th and 76^th used their squadron color on the propeller spinner. The 16^th used their squadron insignia on the hubcaps of their wheels.

In 1943 the shark mouth was dropped by the 76^th FS on their P-51s. The 76^th FS painted a black silhouette of an indian on the tails of their P-51s after their unit call sign, Pontiac.

The 118^th FS painted a black lightning bolt with yellow trim on the side of their fuselage, wings and tail.

The 75^th FS painted the tail section black with a black band.

The 74^th FS painted the nose black and had an insignia "Flying Gorilla" on their fuselage.

Group Commanders had red, white and blue bands on their planes.

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