69 years ago: the 362nd Visits Busigny

After a five-day break, the 362nd Fighter Group  attacked the marshalling yards at Busigny on May 17, 1945. 27 planes bombed, with 16 providing top cover; the load of 54 500-pound bombs was split between two areas in the yards. Lt. Bill Moore of the 379th Fighter Squadron noted in his log that the bombs “caused “railroad cars to be blown into the air.”

Bill Moore with his P-47D razorback

Four planes strafed the second area but were dissuaded from this activity by a flak tower in the woods northeast of the target, which threw up an intense barrage. One P-47, 42-76199 flown by Lt. Bernard J. Elson, was damaged by its fire; his fellow pilots heard him radio that he had been hit and didn’t know if he could make it. After five minutes, Elson radioed, “Sorry, I can’t make it. I’m losing altitude. I’ll have to go down.” A response from one of his flight members came back: “OK boy, hurry back!” Elson was last seen near Quant, west of Cambrai. No one saw a crash or a parachute and his status was listed as missing in action. Lt. Ed MacLean had to force-land P-47D 42-26113 at High Halden when his engine failed; the Thunderbolt was a complete write-off.

 

69 years ago: the 378th FS loses Lt. Daniel Sipe

On May 12, 1944, the 362nd Fighter Group escorted three groups of A-20s  to three different airfield targets in the morning mission, striking Merville, Achiet and Menchy. Later, the 362^nd was supposed to escort three groups of B-26s to three different coastal targets, but the fighters were unable to make the rendezvous. Lt. Donald Gipple of the 377^th crashed on takeoff in P-47D 42-75240 and died of his injuries a few days later. The 379^th pressed all the way to Bremen in the face of heavy flak, which to date was the longest dive-bombing mission in the ETO. The 378^th, with Lt. Col. Joe Laughlin leading, took the opportunity to conduct a fighter sweep around LeHavre but found no business. Another sweep on May 13 in the Doummer Lake area found no activity, so the Thunderbolts headed north to the Bremen Municipal Airport, where they dropped their loads of 250-pound bombs. They encountered almost no flak as they strafed the hangars and buildings, but on the way in Lt. Daniel Sipe of the 378^th, flying P-47D-15-RE 42-75619, suffered a sudden drop in oil pressure. “Lt. Sipe called to see if anyone knew what to do in such an emergency,” said Lt. Kevin Gough. “He received no answer.”  Before the flight could reach the Dutch coast, Sipe radioed that his oil pressure was continuing to drop. Eventually, said Gough, his plane began issuing heavy black smoke and the prop could be seen windmilling. Shortly thereafter he stalled the ship and made a clear jump. This was at about 9500 feet.”

Gough called search and rescue, but reception was poor and he could not hear the return messages clearly. Sipe released his parachute and plunged into the English Channel 15 miles west of Danhelder, Holland. Gough watched him inflate his dinghy and climb into it, and was able to circle him for two hours before being forced back to base, but the weather worsened. Before leaving, Gough buzzed Sipe, who waved back. Despite Gough’s efforts, radio transmissions to rescue forces had gone unheard, and by the time he was able to report Sipe’s situation after landing at the forward base at Southend, it was too late. Sipe was never recovered.

 

68 years ago: Peace at Last

All that needs to be said… besides, “Thank you.”

 

 

69 years ago: Four for the Fourth

On 1 May, the 4th Fighter Group covered the heavies’ egress from Saarbrucken, and a dozen Bf 109s were spotted east of Luxembourg. John Godfrey went after one and chased it to low altitude, where the German pilot bailed out. Now-Lt. Ralph Hofer knocked down another one; the pilot “bailed out in front of me so close I could see his dress uniform and his black shiny boots glistening in the sun,” Hofer said. “He waved as I flew by within 50 feet of him.”

Ralph Hofer taxis his famous P-51B “Salem Representative” at Debden in 1944

Frank Jones chased a Bf 109 into a cloud, and when he pulled out he saw three enemy aircraft chasing a Mustang, he said. “I turned one and fired a good deflection shot as he turned into me. He rolled over on his back and went straight down. His canopy came off, but I did not see him bail out or a chute open. I followed him straight down and saw him hit and blow up in a great ball of flames. He crashed in a large town behind some houses.” An additional kill was scored by Lt. Bernard McGrattan.

69 years ago: the 357th’s Peterson makes ace

On April 30, 1944, while heading back to Lieston, the 363^rd Fighter Squadron saw a box of bombers under attack by a swarm of German fighters. “Six Fw 190s came through my section head-on,” reported “Bud” Anderson. “Two broke down and the others turned right. By using 20 degrees of flaps and full throttle, I pulled around on their tails in one turn and started firing. It must’ve scared the hell out of them as they all hit the deck. I then picked out two together and followed, attacking the last man and getting three good bursts. I had to pull up as I was overrunning him. He straightened out and ran; I then rolled back and followed. As I closed in again, a blue-nosed P-51 came in very steep and fast in front of me. He pulled up and out, the Fw 190 pulled up and the pilot bailed out and the ship crashed. I don’t even know if the blue nose even fired.” Anderson’s victory was one of nine the group scored that day; the other victories fell to Capt. Joe Broadhead and Lts. Robert Becker, Gilbert O’Brien, Joseph Pierce and Lt. Richard Peterson, who downed two to make “ace.”

Bud Anderson recounts an air battle for ground crew

68 years ago: the 4th FG scores its last victory of WWII

On 25 April, Col. Everett Stewart led the 4th Fighter Group on a fighter sweep to the Linz-Prague area, where Lt. William Hoelscher spotted an Me 262 and dove to attack. He scored strikes all over the jet, but while chasing it he was hit by a 40mm round over the Prague/Ruzyne Aerodrome that tore off the left elevator of his P-51D and had to bail out. Hoelscher landed amidst a group of Czech partisans, who hid him from the Germans. Hoelscher hitched rides on motorcycles, jeeps and airplanes to return to Debden on May 12. Hoelscher scored the group’s last victory and was its last loss of the war.

I mention this because this is the anniversary of the event – for a longer version, see this post featuring more detail. I have a couple of Mustangs on the workbench right now; one will become “Bunny”/”Miss Kentucky State” flown by Roscoe Brown of the 332nd FG, and the other will become Hoelscher’s machine. Stay tuned as the assembly line creaks into action…

Next Fighter Pilot Symposium: June 2 at the Hiller Museum

The Northern California Friends of the Aces (NCF) has announced its next – and possibly final –  symposium of American Fighter Pilot Aces, entitled simply “WWII USAAF Aces.”

On the docket to speak at this event are:

* MAJ Bill Allen  -  5 aerial victories, flying the P-51 (also flew combat in the P-38) withe the 343rd FS, 55th FG;

* COL Abner Aust – 5 aerial victories, flying the P-51 (the last pilot to achieve “ace” in WWII) with the 457th FS, 506th FG

* LT COL Frank Hurlbut – 9 aerial victories, flying the P-38 in the MTO with the 82nd FG

* MAJ Ralph Wandrey – 6 victories, flying the P-38 (flew many missions with Dick Bong) with the 9th FS, 49th FG

The event is June 2 at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California (601 Skyway Road, right out by the airport off Highway 101). The price is $30; I strongly suggest you reserve your space early by sending a check and the names of the folks in your party to:

Northern California Friends

PO Box 5943

Concord, CA 94524

These events are always interesting, and they represent your last chance to meet these aviators in person. Phil Schasker, the president of the NCF, says that it’s harder to get a quartet of aces to speak at these events, just because health and age work against such events. Once the pilots are there, though, the talk is vivid and animated; when you get four pilots speaking of events 70 years ago, they often jog each other’s memories and new stories untold for years come out.

Is anybody interested in staging a model display for this event? Let me know and I can coordinate it with the NCF!