67 years ago: The 357th FG tangles with the Me 262

The 357th Fighter Group escorted B-17s to the marshalling yards at Heillbrunn on 20 January, 1945. Afterward, the 364^th Fighter Squadron was strafing trains when the pilots spotted two Me 262s near Braunschweig. “It appeared one 262 pilot was checking out the other one in the jet,” said Richard Peterson. The Me 262s split up, one diving from to 18,000 feet while the second one climbed to 24,000 feet, and then began to circle around the Mustangs. “It looked to me that the upper jet was waiting for me to attack the lower one,” Peterson said. He told Lt. Dale Karger and White Flight to deal with the high Me 262; they climbed to attack, and the Me 262 turned into them, coming head on but never firing. Karger and wingman Lt. Lloyd Zacharie reversed course and started chasing the jet, but the Me 262 pulled away and nearly disappeared into the distance. Then, possibly because the pilot though he had lost the Mustangs, he started a long left turn. The Mustangs cut the corner and Karger fired a burst that hit near the cockpit. The pilot bailed out and his jet did a neat split-S into the ground.

“When the upper 262 was eliminated, the remaining jet headed for home in a hurry,” said Peterson. He tried to dive on the jet, but before he could line up a shot the Me 262 sped away.

Not to be dissuaded, Peterson led his remaining two flights to Lechfeld, where he thought the surviving jet would head to land. “We were not sure which way the jet would approach the runway, so Lt. (Ernest) Tiede and I cruised toward the south end. Lt. Ed Haydon and Lt. Roland Wright spotted him coming in from the north, so Lt. Haydon went for the jet, but he was too high and made an easy target for the flak gunners.”

“I heard Maj. Peterson tell Lt. Haydon to hit the deck as light flak was coming up before he reached the field in his run,” said Lt. Robert Schimanski. Then, “I heard someone say, ‘I’m on fire, I’m bailing out.’” P-51D “Lady Nelda” was lost, but Haydon floated down safely on the airfield and became a POW.

Following right behind him after the Me 262 – but at a lower altitude – was Wright. “I continued on in, getting close to the deck, and saw numerous strikes on the cockpit and wing area of the enemy aircraft,” said Wright. “I stayed on the deck taking evasive action until I was away from the field, as the flak was thick all around me. After getting away from the field I looked back and saw black smoke coming from the field and believe the Me 262 burned.”

 

On Jan. 14, 1944, during a sweep of northern France, the Fourth Fighter Group bounced 15 Fw 190s, two falling to Don Gentile, one each to F/O Robert Richards and Lt. Vermont Garrison and one shared between Garrison and “Red Dog” Norley.

Gentile, who was flying with Richards as his wingman, saw the German formation fan out into two groups. “I picked two stragglers flying north and attacked at 8 o’clock to the enemy aircraft, which were in a 50-degree dive,” said Gentile. “I closed in and fired a long burst at the number two 190 and observed strikes around the left side of the cockpit, after which I saw smoke coming out.” Gentile’s prey went into a spiraling dive and crashed.

Gentile immediately shifted his attention to the number one Fw 190 and closed in to about 250 yards and fired, chasing the Fw 190 in a shallow dive. “As I was trying to follow him down in his slipstream to get another shot, he hit the woods. I pulled out, just missing the woods myself.”]

“Just as I pulled up I was jumped by two 190s, and then the fun really started. The number one 190 was so close to me that I heard his guns. I broke and the first 190 went over me. I stayed in a port turn because the number two was still coming in. In the meantime, the number one had pulled up sharply to position himself for another attack, but I quickly swung to starboard and fired a short burst at number two, whom I never saw again. All this action took place at tree-top height. I swung port to get away from the number one man, who was firing but giving too much deflection. I used the last of my ammo on the last burst at the number two 190. I was trying to out-turn him, but he stayed inside me.” At about this point, Gentile radioed: “Help! Help! I’m being clobbered!” When Willard Millikan calmly asked him for his call sign and position, all he could stammer was “I’m down here! By the railroad tracks! With a 190!”

“I suddenly flicked and just about wiped myself out on the trees,” Gentile said. “Recovering, I reversed my turn to starboard, and there he was, still inside me and still shooting like hell. I kept on turning and skidding. He slid under and overshot, and I reversed again. We met head on, and he was still firing.”

“For the next 10 minutes we kept reversing turns from head-on attacks, trying to get on each other’s tails,” Gentile said. “The last time he came in he didn’t shoot, so he must have been out of ammunition. He then left and I felt like getting out and doing the rhumba. I climbed up slowly and came home.”

Later, near Soissons, the group tangled with a dozen more Fw 190s, with 334 Squadron claiming six of these. Duane Beeson was one of the first to attack. “We saw 10 or 12 Fw 190s about 8000 feet below us diving inland,” he said. “I picked one of the last four and opened fire at about 250 yards. I saw several strikes and large flashes in the wing roots and observed a large hole in his cockpit hood. The aircraft fell off into a dive, turned over on the way down, and exploded as it hit the ground.”

Lt. Alexander Rafalovich was Beeson’s wingman during the attack. He fired two bursts at an Fw 190 at the rear of the formation. “I observed severe strikes on both wings and I saw fire coming from his engine. I pulled away to avoid an explosion. Lt. (Edmund) Whalen came in from behind, slightly astern.” The two shared credit for the Fw 190.

Other Fw 190s were credited to Lt. Herbert Blanchfield, Lt. Hippolitus “Tom” Biel and Lt. Gerald Montgomery.

68 Years Ago: “I’m down here! By the railroad tracks! With a 190!”

On Jan. 14, 1944, during a sweep of northern France, the Fourth Fighter Group bounced 15 Fw 190s, two falling to Don Gentile, one each to F/O Robert Richards and Lt. Vermont Garrison and one shared between Garrison and “Red Dog” Norley.

Gentile, who was flying with Richards as his wingman, saw the German formation fan out into two groups. “I picked two stragglers flying north and attacked at 8 o’clock to the enemy aircraft, which were in a 50-degree dive,” said Gentile. “I closed in and fired a long burst at the number two 190 and observed strikes around the left side of the cockpit, after which I saw smoke coming out.” Gentile’s prey went into a spiraling dive and crashed.

Gentile immediately shifted his attention to the number one Fw 190 and closed in to about 250 yards and fired, chasing the Fw 190 in a shallow dive. “As I was trying to follow him down in his slipstream to get another shot, he hit the woods. I pulled out, just missing the woods myself.”]

“Just as I pulled up I was jumped by two 190s, and then the fun really started. The number one 190 was so close to me that I heard his guns. I broke and the first 190 went over me. I stayed in a port turn because the number two was still coming in. In the meantime, the number one had pulled up sharply to position himself for another attack, but I quickly swung to starboard and fired a short burst at number two, whom I never saw again. All this action took place at tree-top height. I swung port to get away from the number one man, who was firing but giving too much deflection. I used the last of my ammo on the last burst at the number two 190. I was trying to out-turn him, but he stayed inside me.” At about this point, Gentile radioed: “Help! Help! I’m being clobbered!” When Willard Millikan calmly asked him for his call sign and position, all he could stammer was “I’m down here! By the railroad tracks! With a 190!”

“I suddenly flicked and just about wiped myself out on the trees,” Gentile said. “Recovering, I reversed my turn to starboard, and there he was, still inside me and still shooting like hell. I kept on turning and skidding. He slid under and overshot, and I reversed again. We met head on, and he was still firing.”

“For the next 10 minutes we kept reversing turns from head-on attacks, trying to get on each other’s tails,” Gentile said. “The last time he came in he didn’t shoot, so he must have been out of ammunition. He then left and I felt like getting out and doing the rhumba. I climbed up slowly and came home.”

Later, near Soissons, the group tangled with a dozen more Fw 190s, with 334 Squadron claiming six of these. Duane Beeson was one of the first to attack. “We saw 10 or 12 Fw 190s about 8000 feet below us diving inland,” he said. “I picked one of the last four and opened fire at about 250 yards. I saw several strikes and large flashes in the wing roots and observed a large hole in his cockpit hood. The aircraft fell off into a dive, turned over on the way down, and exploded as it hit the ground.”

Lt. Alexander Rafalovich was Beeson’s wingman during the attack. He fired two bursts at an Fw 190 at the rear of the formation. “I observed severe strikes on both wings and I saw fire coming from his engine. I pulled away to avoid an explosion. Lt. (Edmund) Whalen came in from behind, slightly astern.” The two shared credit for the Fw 190.

Other Fw 190s were credited to Lt. Herbert Blanchfield, Lt. Hippolitus “Tom” Biel and Lt. Gerald Montgomery.

67 years ago: the Fourth’s Franklin Young destroys a jet

The Fourth Fighter Group celebrated the new year of 1945 by flying a two-part escort to Stendal, with Maj. Frank Glover and Maj. Pierce McKennon leading. Glover’s group was vectored toward the Wittenburg area, where 15 enemy fighters were spotted at low altitude. Four more were above them as top cover. Lt. Ben Griffin was on his first mission and he followed his leader, Lt. Donald Pierini, down on the bounce, watching as two of the Bf 109s were sent crashing into the snow-covered fields below him by Lt. Franklin Young , Lt. Gilbert Kesler and Lt. Alvin Wallace. Meanwhile, the high cover remained above them, “and finally one began to dive behind our section,” said Van Chandler, who was on Pierini’s wing. “I called him into Lt. Pierini and he told me to go after him and he would cover me.” Chandler lost sight of the Bf 109, but a few minute later spotted two more Bf 109s on the deck at about 50 feet. Chandler fired a short burst and got strikes, and his target rolled over and crashed to earth. The second Bf 109 led Pierini across a town before he began getting strikes. The plane suddenly “pulled up sharply and did a wingover into the ground and exploded,” confirmed Lt. Young. At that point, the section spotted three Me 262s from III/JG.7, which were charged with supporting the piston-engined fighters of JG.300 and JG.301. The Americans dove on them and Young scored hits on the aircraft of Lt. Heinrich Lonnecker, whose jet crashed west of Fassberg.

67 Years Ago: the 362nd FG loses Lts. Robert Daw and “Mouse” Maucini

The 362nd Fighter Group flew seven missions, five in support of III Corps, on December 30, 1944. A sixth went to the Neunkirchen marshalling yard and a seventh one attacked gun emplacements east of Bastogne. At Neunkirchen, six large fires were started among about 1000 rail cars stretched over a 10-mile span of rail lines, and 200 rail cars north of Baumholder were hit with napalm. A supply dump northeast of Bastogne was set on fire. The 378th hit a supply dump near Bourcy, leaving it burning, and destroyed two tanks and 14 gun positions near Derenach. Lt. Robert Racine and Lt. Robert E. Daw of the 377th spotted some armed vehicles on the edge of some woods and began strafing them. “On our last pass I looked back and saw Lt. Daw going over the edge of the forest very low,” said Racine. “In a few moments, I looked back and saw Lt. Daw going straight off his pass about 100 feet off the ground. About the same time, Lt. Daw, sounding very excited, called over the radio that he just flew through some trees and he was going in. Red Leader, not understanding his call, told him to bail out if he was in trouble. Lt. Daw then called again that his engine was dead and he was going in.” Daw, flying “Spunky,” P-47D-11 42-75392, bellied in safely near Benonchamps, Luxembourg, about a mile from American lines. It wasn’t until a month later he was declared killed in action; Daw may have been captured and executed by SS troops in the area. Lt. Joseph J. Maucini Jr. of the 378th was hit by flak and bailed out south of A-82, but his parachute failed to open.

67 Years Ago: The 362nd’s Battle of the Bulge Begins

On December 17, the 362nd Fighter Group flew 10 missions in support of XII Corps and VIII Corps. Although weather prevented the results of bombing from being seen in many cases, the group claimed nine gun positions, four locomotives and 55 rail cars destroyed or damaged. The 378^th Fighter Squadron caught a 100-vehicle road convoy moving north from Brenschelbach and repeated strafing left all of the vehicles burning. The group earned kudos from the ground controller by silencing mortar positions north of Sarreguimines and for strafing an artillery position in the woods nearby. Near Dahlen, 40 Fw 190s, probably of JG.4, attacked eight 377^th FS planes “very aggressively” and, in the ensuing scrap, one Fw 190 was destroyed by Maj. Loren Herway who terrified the pilot by firing four five-inch rockets past him, resulting in the panicked German flying into the ground. One other Fw 190 was damaged at no loss to the Thunderbolts. However, flak claimed Lt. Col. Richard Harbeson, the deputy group commander, while he was strafing a train near Landstuhl. After fighting to keep the plane in the air, “He finally hit a steeple on a building and ended up upside down,” said Lt. Ralph Ellis. Harbeson brought P-47D-28-RA 42-28801 down atop the belfry of the Eichelscheider Hof farm, splintering the wooden roof and ripping off the wings of his P-47 in the process, and was able to get out of his plane and wave from the rooftop that he was okay before being captured. Maj. Berry Chandler was selected to replace him, and Carroll Peterson took over as the CO of the 379^th. A second 378^th train-busting mission destroyed a 15-car train and its locomotive with phosphorus, general purpose and napalm bombs.

Richard Harbeson's P-47D "Barbara" atop the belfry of Eishelscheider Hof

On December 18, the group sent out planes loaded with the same ordnance mixture as the previous day’s last mission to the Nunschweiler area, where they put it to good use, destroying 53 trucks, 24 rail cars and a locomotive, 21 gun positions and three supply dumps. The group ran a second mission with 11 planes, dropping into the woods where tanks were reported but observing no results. On the way home, they strafed and destroyed two tanks on a nearby road.

The next day, the weather moved in again, limiting the group to one mission per squadron. Gun positions near Gersheim on the Blies River were silenced by general-purpose bombs and M-76 incendiaries dropped by the 378^th. The squadron also bombed a gun position near Bliesdalheim, but the results were unknown. Meanwhile, the 377^th went after a tank column near Oberstein, and flak was heavy. “We were orbiting over the target area when several bursts of heavy flak (went off) behind me,” said Lt. Robert Campbell, who was leading Yellow Flight. “Lt. (Stanley) Krzywicki was crossing under me and called he was hit.” Campbell told Kryzwicki, flying P-47D-28-RE 44-19783 “Nancy Jane,” to jettison his bombs and head for home, and Kryzwicki started back to base, but a few minutes later, with bombs still on board, he radioed his leader. “He called in and said he thought he was OK and wanted to bomb with me,” said Campbell. “I said OK. Smoke was coming out of his supercharger in large black gobs. He no sooner entered my flight when he said he couldn’t make it and headed out once more. He changed to a different radio channel and called ‘Ripsaw’ and headed out.” Kryzwicki bailed out of his plane a few minutes later, and watched it slam into the ground just east of Kirn. He evaded and was able to return to the group.

The 379^th sent 12 planes out to hit the marshalling yard at Weilerbach. “We made our bomb run from east to west and found that the target was protected with intense light flak,” reported Lt. Barton Williams. “As I pulled off the target to the north, I noticed that some of the flak was coming from some gun pits just to the south of the tracks. I turned back south and made a strafing run on these pits. As I pulled away, I saw Lt. (James) Nance who was flying Red Four, coming up behind me trailing white smoke. Just then he called in that he had been hit and was heading out. I then turned around to pick him up. He was headed east and going down as I came around.” Williams watched Nance belly-land “Toochy,” P-47D-26 42-28389, in an open field. “I then circled to see if he was all right and saw him climb out of the plane and run towards a woods about a quarter of a mile from where he landed.” Nance successfully evaded to return to the group.

67 years ago: “Kit” Carson goes to town, and Frank Gailer makes ace but goes down

On November 27, the 357th Fighter Group, and especially Leonard “Kit” Carson, had a huge day at the expense of the Luftwaffe. Near Magdeburg, two large formations of German fighters were reported; records show this was JG.300 and JG.301. “One of the formations made a turn and came toward us at 8 o’clock,” Carson said. “We dropped our tanks and turned to meet them. We tacked onto the rear of the formation, which consisted of 50-plus Fw 190s. I closed to about 300 yards on the nearest one and fired a medium burst with no lead, getting numerous strikes. He started to burn and went into a turning dive to the left. I believe the pilot was killed. He never recovered, but crashed into the ground and exploded.”

Leading the second element in Carson’s flight was Lt. William Gilbert, who came around on a group of Fw 190s, selected one, and began firing. “I observed numerous strikes all over the enemy aircraft and pieces flew off,” Gilbert said. “He burst into smoke and flame. The ship went into a spin and went straight into the ground. The pilot did not bail out.”

Carson returned to the main formation, again closing on the last plane. “I opened fire at about 300 yards, firing two short bursts, getting strikes all over the fuselage. He started to smoke and burn. He dropped out of the formation and turned to the right until he was in sort of half split-S position, never recovering from this attitude. I saw him crash and burn. The pilot did not get out.

“Closing again on the main formation, I pulled into the nearest man. At about 400 yards I fired a short burst, noting a few hits. He broke violently to the left and I broke with him. I picked up a lead on him and fired two more bursts, getting strikes on the cockpit and engine. He started to smoke and burn badly. The pilot jettisoned his canopy and bailed out. The Fw 190 crashed about 50 yards from a house in a small town.

“I could still see the main formation about a mile ahead of me. Starting to catch them, I saw a straggler on the deck. I dropped down to engage him, but he saw me coming. He turned left away from me and I gave chase for about three minutes before I caught him. I opened fire at about 400 yards, getting strikes on the right side of his fuselage. He turned sharply to the right and I picked up a few degrees of lead, firing two more bursts, getting more strikes on the fuselage. The pilot jettisoned his canopy and bailed out.

“I pulled up and set course for home base when another Fw 190 came in at my wingman and me from seven o’clock high. We broke into him and started a zooming climb. I chased him, gaining slowly. Suddenly, he dropped his nose and headed for the deck. I gave chase and caught him in four or five minutes. I opened fire at 400-450 yards, but missed. I closed further and fired another burst, getting several strikes on the fuselage. The plane started to smoke. I fired again as he made a slight turn to the right, observing more hits on the fuselage. Then the pilot jettisoned his canopy and I broke off my attack to the right. I waited for him to bail out but he didn’t, so I turned back to engage him again. I was still about 700 yards away when the pilot pulled the nose up sharply and left his ship. His chute opened a couple of seconds later.”

Maj. Andy Evans saw an Fw 190 turning in an attempt to flee. “I turned as tight as I could, rolled to the left and down, firing as I came out of the turn. Before I could fix my sights on him and get off a good burst, he rolled into the ground from 1500 feet, exploding as he hit.”

John Sublett was flying on the wing of Capt. John England when they spotted 40 to 50 Fw 190s at about 10 o’clock to them at just below their altitude. “I pulled up behind the rearmost enemy aircraft to within 600 yards, opened fire and saw strikes around his cockpit and smoke and fire coming out around his engine nacelle,” said England. “This enemy aircraft flipped over and the pilot bailed out.”

England was still closing on the gaggle and picked out a second Fw 190, closed to 300 yards and fired again. “He broke, but I got good hits on his wings and cockpit while he was breaking and during one or two turns immediately after this break, his canopy and pieces of his wings came off. The pilot bailed out, but I believe he was seriously injured.”

Sublett saw England cull the first two Fw 190s from the formation and “was busy covering his tail expecting the Jerries to break into us, but thet just kept going and stayed in formation,” he said. England continued his murderous work as the gaggle dove for safety, picking off another Fw 190. “He flipped over and went straight into the ground. The pilot was definitely killed. Then I pulled up behind another Fw 190 and went through the same procedure, starting to fire from 800 yards and closing to 150 yards, observing strikes on his cockpit. The plane dove straight forward, went into the ground and exploded.”

“Capt. England finally called me and said that he only had three guns left and instructed me to shoot them,” said Sublett. “I pulled up on the tail of one Fw 190 and fired a short burst from about 800 yards and missed. Another Fw 190 cut across between us and I tacked on to him because he was closer. I fired from about a 10-degree angle from about 400 yards, observing strikes all over the ship. Pieces started coming off and the pilot jettisoned his canopy, pulled up and went over the side.

“I pulled over to dead astern (on) another Fw 190 and fired from about 600 yards, closing to about 500 yards, observing strikes at the wing roots and fuselage. Many pieces started flying off and the canopy went under my right wing. The pilot pulled up and sailed over the side.

“I broke to the right, just in case anyone was on my tail, and fell in behind another Fw 190. I pulled up to approximately 500 yards and fired a long burst which went under him. I raised my sights and fired another long burst. The enemy plane just disintegrated. I had to pull up to avoid the flying debris.”

“This was one of the best shows I have ever seen,” England gushed. Carson downed five, England four, Sublett three, Capt. Alva Murphy and Lt. Chuck Weaver two, and Lts. Clifford Anderson, Herman Delager and William Gilbert one apiece.

Lt. Robert Schimanski was leading the 364^th; flak diverted the group slightly, resulting in their somewhat late arrival to the fight. Even so, Schimanski soon “dove into five enemy aircraft circling around 15,000 feet, losing my own flight,” he said. “I pulled in sharply on a Bf 109, spanned him, and gave him a short burst, hitting at the wing root. On the second burst I cut the left wing off and the enemy aircraft snapped over on its back as I overshot.”

Capt. Charles Yeager heard another group call the bandits and the 363^rd turned left and spotted two “gangs of enemy aircraft,” Yeager said, “one (with) 50 plus and the other (of) approximately 150 plus. I passed in front of the little gang and climbed over the back end of the large bunch to 32,000 feet. I jumped the last enemy aircraft, which was an Fw 190. He went into a rolling dive to the right. I shot a deflection shot from his right and got hits from around 200 yards. He snapped and the tail flew off and I saw no chute. I pulled back up into the bottom of the gang and another Fw 190 jumped me. I broke into him and got a deflection shot from 90 degrees at around 100 yards. I got many strikes on the fuselage and the enemy aircraft started smoking and went into a dive. I followed it down to about 15,000 feet and the enemy aircraft flew apart. I climbed back up to the tail end of the gang and jumped another gaggle. The enemy aircraft started a circling turn with me and I turned inside and closed up to within 100 yards at around 40 degrees of deflection. I fired a short burst concentrated on the cockpit; a sheet of flame came out of the cockpit and the enemy aircraft nosed down in a dive on fire. There was no chute.”

In the same melee, Lt. Frank Gailer of the 363^rd was lost. He had downed two Fw 190s, making him an ace, when two planes made a head-on pass at him. He thought they were Mustangs, but in any event they opened fire, knocking off his canopy, cutting his oil lines and wounding him in the shoulder. “I heard Lt. Gailer say that he was shot up and oil was coming over his windshield,” reported Yeager. Gailer was last seen about 15 miles southwest of Magdeburg; he was captured and spect the rest of the war as a POW. “Bud” Anderson also scored two, while Lts. Ray Wolf and James Sloan each shot down one. In all, 31 German fighters fell to the group this day.

67 Years Ago: the 362nd FG moves airfields

As the weather continued to worsen, the advanced echelon of the 362nd Fighter Group moved to A-82 Airfield east of Etain, France on November 5. The group tore down its buildings – including a mess hall that was finished only two weeks earlier – and transported them to the new site. Etain was a far cry from Reims, said Gene Martin of the 379^th, who reported to the base upon assignment to the group. “There was mud up to your eyebrows, and we all lived in pyramidal tents,” he said. “Each one had its own little stove, and we always had a pot of coffee brewing on it” to stave off the cold and miserable weather.

As bad as the pilots had it, the ground crews had it worse. “They were out in the cold and the rain and the snow,” Martin said. “There were no buildings for them to work in; they were out in the elements all the time.”Ralph Sallee,

Keeping clean was another area that provided a daily challenge. Showers were luxuries available only during leaves to London; on the continent, the men had to improvise. “Most of us being around 19 to 20, shaving was not a big problem because our beards did not grow that fast,” said Ralph Sallee. “We were still too young. But when that shaving time did come, it was out of a steal helmet half full of water that had been heated in an old juice can over on a stick fire. This led to the famous ‘spit-bath.’ We did the job with a little hot water and a wash cloth. Actually, that was not too bad. That life lasted for nearly a year… That the water did not touch the old body makes me relish every shower I take nowadays.”

Tom Beeson flew his last mission as CO of the 377^th this day before a 30-day leave; Capt. “Ace” Herway became CO in his absence. The 378^th mounted a 15-plane escort of A-20s to a target near Bastogne. The squadron also finished off two locomotives and 15 rail cars for good measure. The 379^thescorted A-20s to attack Homburg, and between Eichelscheider Hof and Bechhofen, two flights were protecting the left side of the A-20 formation while Red Flight was assigned to protect the leading flight of bombers and Yellow Flight was stacked about 100 feet below Red Flight protecting the rear flight. “Red Flight seemed to be getting too far forward, so the leader called a 360-degree turn to the left in order to fall back on the tail of the bombers and take up the position previously held by Yellow Flight,” reported Capt. Raymond Mitchell. “Red Two, Lt. Warner H. Marsh (flying P-47D-28 42-28463, “Jewel”), being on the starboard side of the leader, seemed to take a very abrupt turn, crossing over Red Leader and then pushed the nose of his ship abruptly down about 150 feet, right into the cockpit of Yellow Four, Lt. Donald H. Wilson (in P-47D-28 44-19953), from the starboard side. Both ships exploded and no parachutes were seen to open. Since the accident happened at about 1420 and we were headed south, and the flights were flying line abreast with Yellow Three and Four on the port side, Lt. Wilson had the sun in his eyes and I am sure he never saw the aircraft piloted by Lt. Marsh.” Wilson’s plane plunged to earth about 300 yards from the railroad station in Eichelscheid and was completely destroyed.

 

 

This day, 67 Years Ago: the 357th Dodges Flak and Finds the Luftwaffe

The 357th Fighter Group flew a bomber escort mission in the vicinity of Naumberg on November 2, 1944. When the bombers started their runs, the 362^nd turned to avoid the flak directed at them, planning to pick them up again as they reached the south side of the target area. “As we were doing this, a single Bf 109 came 180 degrees to us in a dive for the clouds,” said Capt. Leonard Carson. “Leading the last flight in our squadron at 15,000 feet, I immediately attacked to prevent his escape into the overcast. I began firing from 100 yards dead astern, closing fast. I chopped my throttle and dropped flaps. Nevertheless, I could not avoid overrunning him, so I fired continuously until closing to 30 yards, still dead astern. I got strikes on his cockpit and wing roots. The plane rolled several times, going straight down out of control. I pulled off and watched him crash.”

After witnessing Carson’s victory, Capt. John England saw Major Lawrence Giarrizzo in P-51D-5-NA 44-13735 G4-H (nicknamed “Toolin’ Fool”) chasing a Bf 109 at about 6000 feet. “I was flying about 1000 yards directly behind Maj. Giarrizzo when the Bf 109 with which he was engaged flipped to the left,” said England. “Maj. Giarrizzo did the same. At this point, his left wing broke completely off about two feet from the fuselage. I watched the rest of the plane plunge straight down from 6000 feet at approximately 450 mph, hit the ground and explode. Maj. Giarrizzo did not get out. There is not the slightest doubt in my mind about his death.”

The 363^rd’s Lt. Harold Hand and Capt. Thomas Hughes became separated from the rest of the squadron, and spotted a single aircraft flying at their level. “We turned toward him and he headed down,” said Hughes. The two closed fast on the plane, and Hand “overran it just as I identified it as an Fw 190,” said Hand. Hughes pulled up behind the enemy aircraft and put the K-14 sight on him. “He flew straight and level and at about 250 yards I gave him a full burst. Strikes covered the whole cockpit area and inner wing. He wavered, then headed down and started to burn around the cockpit and fuselage as I overran. He headed down and went into the cloud. As we pulled up we saw four Bf 109s heading down.”

“I broke into the four as they headed for the clouds and just before I reached the clouds I fired a short burst at tail-end Charlie from about 500 yards, using a K-14 gunsight, and saw many strikes on the wing root and engine,” said Hand. “The pilot jettisoned his canopy and bailed out.” Hughes also opened fire, hitting the No. 2 man in the formation seeing strikes on the wings. He headed for the clouds, but as Hand and Hughes pulled out of their dive, The Bf 109s also pulled up. “I fired on No. 1 of the enemy aircraft because I pulled up right behind him and fired another burst and saw hits on his fuselage but he went in the clouds also.” Hand fired a short burst at another Bf 109, getting a few strikes in the left wing root, before he ducked into the clouds and got away.” Hughes said this aircraft was “trailing smoke from the left wing as he went into the clouds.”

67 Years Ago: The 362nd Fighter Group Loses its B-26 and Hits a Snag

On October 19, the 379^th launched another escort attempt, but when the medium bombers were recalled because of weather, the fighters went on a strafing mission, destroying five locomotives and damaging a barracks area. The 378^th bombed the village of Vehe; the pilots spotted seven or eight tanks in the town, and the spotter said their bombing was very accurate. One of the 378^th’s planes was hit by flak but it returned safely.

The same could not be said for “the Plastered Bastard,” the group’s B-26 Marauder. The Marauder had replaced a Cessna UC-78 as the group hack; it had been left behind by a bomber unit when it moved, and Col. Joe Laughlin was told by Gen. Otto Weyland that it was his if the group’s mechanics could get it working. That they did, and for several months the B-26 (less guns and armor) was a reliable transport, hauling parts from Britain and taking personnel to and from leaves in London, Paris and elsewhere. This speedy air taxi made the group the envy of other Ninth Air Force fighter groups, especially the 406^thFighter Group, whose commander, Col. Anthony V. Grosetta, made a point of how he needed a B-26 “like Joe has” at every Tactical Air Command staff meeting.

Grosetta, known by his nickname “Snag,” contended that the 406^th should get its turn with the B-26, or that the 362^ndshould at least share.

In late October, with Maj. Tom Beeson at the controls, the B-26 made another run to England and back, but on his return, Beeson found the continent socked in. Controllers gave him a steer to Reims, but it was completely covered in cloud; they then helpfully suggested that he head for Mourmelon le Grand, where a C-47 had felt its way out of the murk and made a landing 20 minutes earlier. Mourmelon just happened to be the base of the 406^th.

Beeson headed for Mourmelon, still in the thick of zero-visibility conditions. When he finally spotted the runway, he was over the very end, and he’d have to go around again, but fuel would permit only one more pass. He radioed that he’d try one more time and, if that failed, all aboard would be bailing out. He lined up and descended through the clouds, and touched down on the PSP field – but again, well down the runway. With only a few hundred feet of runway left, the B-26’s crew pulled the emergency brake handle, and the three wheels locked and dug into the PSP, resulting in several hundred feet of steel planks dragging behind the skidding bomber. The fuselage was bent, PSP planks had fouled the propellers thanks to the violence of the landing, and the engines’ planetary gears were now shot thanks to the props’ sudden stops. Beeson sheepishly walked to the 406^th’s control building which was nearly empty thanks to the weather’s adverse effects on operations; he found a phone and called Col. Laughlin, asking if he should travel into town to find someone from the 406^th.

“Tom, find a jeep and get the hell back here as fast as you can,” said Laughlin. When Beeson was safely back at Reims, Laughlin called Grosetta. “Snag, this is Joe,” he said. “You know, we’re grounded today too, and I’ve been thinking about how well our groups have done by cooperating and backing each other up. You know that B-26 you’ve been asking me about for so long? Well… Maybe I’ve been unfair to you, so I’ve decided to let you have it.”

“Joe, that’s a fine gesture on your part,” said Grosetta. “I might even let you use it sometime if you need it. When can we get it?”

“Well, Snag, as a matter of fact we’ve already delivered it. That B-26 is sitting on your field right now.” Grosetta was effusive in his thanks and went to see his gift; Laughlin told his staff to wait 15 minutes and be prepared to see “smoke curl out of the receiver.” Sure enough, the phone rang. “Joe, you lousy sonofabitch! Don’t you realize my airstrip is destroyed? How the hell am I going to explain to General Weyland why we can’t fly any combat missions?”

Luckily, the runway damage was less severe than originally thought and the engineers had the field repaired before the weather cleared enough for flying. The B-26 was hauled to the scrapyard; the next 362^ndutility plane was a more sedate C-47A.