The Fighting 56th BY STAN PIET

P-47D UN-V, NAMED "PAT," from the famed 56th FG, 63rd FS, prepares for another fighter sweep in support of the D-Day invasion. The second mount of Capt. Gordon S. Stevens, it survived until early September, when it was lost with Capt. Roy Fling at the controls. Stevens himself was lost in a "Pat" replacement on September 18, a victim of flak over Belgium.

- 

From its inception, the 56th was destined for excellence and historical significance. As the first fighter group to be challenged, and possibly intimidated, by Republic’s new radial-engined beast, the group took on that mission and remained faithful to its charge till the end of hostilities.