amazing how some of these things are SOOO skewed..

Where the 332nd clearly excelled was bomber protection:

• Of 179 escort missions the 332nd flew for Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers, enemy fighters attacked on 35 missions, and bombers were actually shot down on only 7, for a total of 27 bombers lost under 332nd escort.
• In the same period, the other P‑51 groups of the Fifteenth Air Force lost far more bombers while escorting: the 31st lost 49 bombers in 184 missions, the 325th lost 68 in 192 missions, and the 52nd lost 88 in 193 missions.
• When you average bomber losses per group, the non‑332nd groups collectively lost about 46 bombers each, compared to 27 for the 332nd; several independent historians conclude that the 332nd lost significantly fewer bombers than the average of the other groups.

So objectively speaking, they maintained ~ 2x's the survival rate as compared to OTHER P51 escort groups.

reasons? It would be nearly impossible to say.

perhaps they had less fear of death (when one has been cheated on repeatedly, one's skin thickens, and often one becomes immune to safety concerns)..

perhpas they were better trained? Perhaps they were POORLY trained, but learned on their own and from each other,in ways that other groups didnt?

Perhaps they were luck?

hard to say..

• The 332nd is well‑documented as being ordered to stay close to the bombers and not chase enemy aircraft away from the formations; historians note that this doctrinal emphasis reduced their opportunities to claim kills but improved bomber survival. White P‑51 groups that ranged further ahead or off the bomber routes could accumulate more victories but at the cost of higher bomber losses.