P-47 Formation - Photo

P-47 Formation 

Dimensions: 8" x 10"

Plane Type: P-47 Thunderbolt


The infamous 56th Fighter Group, commanded by Col. "Hub" Zemke and known as Zemke's Wolfpack", could offer a serious challenge to any Luftwaffe fighter who rose to fly against them. The highest scoring USAAF fighter unit of the ETO, they accounted for some 665.5 aircraft destroyed in the air. It proved an unfortunate encounter when Major Gunther Rall found himself the focus of four of the 56th's P-47s. 
Signature:Col. Hub Zemke
Without a doubt Hub Zemke was both catalyst and driving force behind the 56th Fighter Group. Forming lone wolves into a cohesive unit challenged his leadership skills. Hub's philosophy, forged in the boxing ring as a youth and refined by the military, molded the Wolfpack into a successful fighter group. They heeded his advice to "use your wits, size up the opposition, keep hitting him where it hurts... and always keep the initiative." As the leader of the 56th Fighter Group, "Zemke's Wolfpack", Zemke is credited with several combat tactical innovations including the Zemke Fan. Before his fateful October 1944 mission over Germany he had become an outstanding fighter ace with 19.5 aerial victories and 11 ground victories. By the end of WWII he was a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft I and commander of nearly 9,000 POW's.