Perhaps the most overlooked USAAF fighter outfit of World War 2, the 57th FG was not only the first to fight in North Africa but it also pioneered the fighter-bomber tactics that are still in use to this day. The group's shining moment came on 18 April 1943 when, during the famous "Palm Sunday Goose Shoot," its pilots shot down no fewer than 74 German aircraft in a 20-minute battel over Cape Bon. Converting the P-47D Thunderbolt in late 1943, the 57th continued pounding the retreating Axis forces in Italy until the end of the war in Europe. The 57th FG produced a number of aces during the war, and it was also recognised for its developmental achievements in the fighter-bomber role.