Riverside in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
357th Fighter Group
Photographed by Craig Doda, June 28, 2025
1. 357th Fighter Group Marker
Inscription.
357th Fighter Group. . The 357th Fighter Group activated on 1 December 1942 at Hamilton Field, California. Arrived in England on 30 November 1943 and was assigned to the Eighth Air Force; the first P-51 Group of the Eighth. First Combat Mission flown on 11 February 1944. During 14 months of combat it's primary mission was Bomber Escort. 313 missions were flown. 596 enemy aircraft were confirmed destroyed in air and 107 on the ground. 46 Pilots became Aces with 5 or more air victories each. The Distinguished Unit Citation was twice awarded and the French Croix De Guerre. The Group's greatest victory came on 14 January 1945 when 56 enemy aircraft were destroyed establishing an air combat record. This memorial is dedicated to the memory of the 82 men of the 357th Fighter Group who lost their lives in the Fight for Freedom and to all those who served in the 357th Group and it's supporting Units during World War II.
The 357th Fighter Group activated on 1 December 1942 at Hamilton Field, California. Arrived in England on 30 November 1943 and was assigned to the Eighth Air Force; the first P-51 Group of the Eighth. First Combat Mission flown on 11 February 1944. During 14 months of combat it's primary mission was Bomber Escort. 313 missions were flown. 596 enemy aircraft were confirmed destroyed in air and 107 on the ground. 46 Pilots became Aces with 5 or more air victories each. The Distinguished Unit Citation was twice awarded and the French Croix De Guerre. The Group's greatest victory came on 14 January 1945 when 56 enemy aircraft were destroyed establishing an air combat record. This memorial is dedicated to the memory of the 82 men of the 357th Fighter Group who lost their lives in the Fight for Freedom and to all those who served in the 357th Group and it's supporting Units during World War II.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is January 14, 1945.
Location. 39° 46.774′ N, 84° 6.723′ W. Memorial is in Riverside, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It
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is at the intersection of Spaatz Circle and Bong Street, on the right when traveling south on Spaatz Circle. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 1100 Spaatz Cir, Dayton OH 45431, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro and in the Miami Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 46 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 27, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
