How many fighters in a squadron?

What was the typical number of P-51s in a WWII fighter squadron based in England in mid-1944. I googled the question and did not get a definitive answer. Thanks.

 

Not really my area of expertise (not that I have one) but I think it varied depending upon the unit and mission.

 

This page gives the planes in P-51 groups which it states were composed of 3 or 4 squadrons:
http://www.alternatewars.com/WW2/USAAF_Combat_Group_Organization.htm
The diagrams following page 90 in this document may have what you want but they are a bit small:
https://books.google.com/books?id=iwBCaT7bzZcC&pg=PA138&lpg=PA138&dq=%22t/o%22+fighter+%22squadron%22+ETO&source=bl&ots=uStejmSD06&sig=5OxxIy-Qtr6Um_hRusH8blZ9P-o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2_9lVeugBfaCsQTvtYPoAQ&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Typical 1944 TO&E for American squadrons was 24 fighters, although it was sometime listed as 25(personal fighter for the squadron commander). Of course, units would acquire unauthorized aircraft for "spares". Further, there were overstrength squadrons with 37 P-51s & 57 pilots, but this may have been limited to the Pacific - How this pertains only to the ETO, I cannot say.

As to how many flew on an operational mission, this varied between 12 and 24 - not including aborts.

Here is a mission report for the 357th Fighter Group, it shows the number of P-51s participating as 50 P-51s, and they are broken down by fighter squadron 17 from the 362ndFS, 17 from the 363rdFS, and 16 from the 364thFS.
http://www.cebudanderson.com/misrep.htm

A large zip file of the 357thFGs mission reports is available here(first link on the page - 151MB, but it goes quick):
http://www.cebudanderson.com/vindocs.htm
Be warned that some of the .pdf pages are very hard to read.

 

As a basic rule I would have said 12 and 9 for the Germans.

 

Thank you all.

 

Although as has been said...12 and 9 in the air...the 'Squadron' should have more on the ground...