MEDIA ADVISORY: 4 FW WILL LAUNCH 70 AIRCRAFT TO HONOR WWII HISTORY
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- The 4th Fighter Wing will pay homage to WWII
history on Monday, April 16, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. by launching 70 F-15E Strike Eagles in a training
mission to destroy more than 1,000 targets on bombing ranges across North Carolina.
During World War II on April 16, 1945 the 4th Fighter Group destroyed 105 enemy aircraft as part of an
8th Air Force mission involving 1,252 bombers and 913 fighters. This mission catapulted the 4th
Fighter Group to 1,016 enemy aircraft destroyed, more than any group or wing in U.S. Air Force history.
On the same day, nearly 70 years later, the 4th Fighter Wing will launch 70 aircraft to achieve this same
objective. In 1945 it took thousands of aircraft to destroy 1,016 targets: the 4th Fighter Wing will
achieve the same goal in 2012 with only 70 F-15Es. U.S. Air Force Col. Patrick Doherty, 4th Fighter
Wing commander, will lead the launch.
The 4th Fighter Wing is home to four fighter squadrons, three of which were part of the original Eagle
Squadrons, American volunteers who flew as part of the Royal Air Force in the early days of the war.
“We proudly carry on the legacy of the 4th Fighter Group’s victory today with the F-15E Strike Eagle,”
said Doherty. “Even though today’s fight is different, the dedication of our Airmen has not wavered and
we are still Fourth but First.”
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