18th Fighter Squadron, 343rd Group. On felt.mint
The 343rd Fighter Group was based in Alaska from the autumn of 1942 and took part in the campaign against the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands.The group was constituted on 3 September 1942 and activated in Alaska on 11 September, forming part of the Eleventh Air Force. At this point the Japanese held Attu and Kiska islands in the western Aleutians. The new group performed a wide range of duties, including bomber escort, attacked Japanese bases and facilities on the islands and hit Japanese shipping. In May 1943 the United States recaptured Attu in a fierce battle, and in August US troops landed on Kiska only to find that the Japanese had already withdrawn. The group had a few more encounters with the Japanese, but its last opposed combat mission came in October 1943.
