This day in 1945: the Luftwaffe loses some Me 262s, and the 357th FG loses Jim Browning

The 357th Fighter Group flew a two-part escort of bombers to Leipzig, with Col. Irwin Dregne leading “A” group and “B” Group led by Maj. Richard Peterson. “A” group was treated to a milk run, but “B” group was able to add to the group’s tally of jets.

The 363^rd Fighter Squadron was able to muster more Mustangs than were called for on their orders. That allowed the squadron to muster a flight in “B” group designated “Cement Spares,” led by Capt. Jim Browning and including Capt. Don Bochkay. “We were doing nicely on our escort at 26,000 feet, crossing our bombers and holding a very good formation,” Bochkay said. “At 1145, around the Fulda area, four Me 262s were called in by one of our flights under us at about 4000 feet below, headed for the bomber formation. We dropped tanks and Capt. Browning dove to the left for attack. The four Me 262s broke up; two dived to the right and two dove to the left. Capt. Browning never did get within range of the two going left and down. I climbed high, balls out, keeping the Me 262s in sight as well as covering Capt. Browning. I climbed to 28,000 feet and leveled off. Just as I leveled off the two Me 262s broke right in a steep climbing turn. I called Capt. Browning and told him I was cutting them off. I dove my ship to gain more speed. The sun was in my favor and I believe the Me 262s did not see me. I came in on the lead Me 262 but couldn’t get my sights on him. I passed under the lead Me 262 and broke hard to the right, coming out on the second Me 262’s tail at a very good range of 300 yards. I fired a long burst as he was pulling away from me but I observed some very good hits about the canopy and right engine. That really slowed him down. The lead Me 262 headed straight down. The one I hit broke to the left in a gentle turn, so I opened up on him again at about 400 yards and kept firing all the way in on him. I saw many strikes all over him and his canopy shattered, along with large pieces flying off the enemy aircraft. I broke off to the right to keep from running into him. As I passed very close to him the pilot was halfway out of his cockpit. The ship then rolled over on its back and the pilot fell out. The pilot never opened his parachute and the plane went straight on in. I then pulled up in a climbing left turn to rejoin Capt. Browning, but we got separated because of so many P-51s in the area with the same colored tails. I found myself alone so I set out to join up with someone in our own bunch.”

Jim Browning (center) and his ground crew

Unseen by Bochkay, Browning had headed for the Me 262 of Oberstleutnant Freiherr Von Riedsel, the commander of KG(J).54, flying werk nummer 500042. Although no one in the air saw it, people in the town of Woersdorf saw Browning’s Mustang, P-51D 44-15630 BG-L “Junior Miss II” (usually the mount of Glen Zarnke), converge on the jet, then collide with it. Both burst into flames and spun in, the Mustang landing near a train station and the Me 262 falling some 600 meters away. Browning was killed; Riedsdel was severely wounded and died in hospital the next day.

Meanwhile, Lt Robert Foy had spotted five more Me 262s behind and below the first four. He went after the two that had broken right. “Just as I pulled up well in range of the element of two jets which broke to the right, the No. 2 jet split-S’ed and went straight toward the undercast. I continued on the tail of the lead 262 and he continued turning to the right back into the bomber formation. Several strikes were observed on his wings but he continued on to attack the bombers from about seven o’clock and low. He went directly beneath the bomber formation and I was in close trail with him, giving him short bursts and obtaining many strikes on his wing, both left and right. The 262 turned left, made a feint at the bomber formation, and it was during this turn to the left that I gave him a long burst, hitting his left engine which began to smoke quite badly. The jet swerved to the right as his left engine started to smoke, and then he straightened out on a straight course and pulled rapidly away from me.” Foy claimed a probable.

Lt. Johnnie Carter in Green Flight had given chase to the being pursued by Foy but had been outpaced by the jets and the diving Mustang. As the fight drew away from him, he looked down and saw another Me 262 below him, apparently without power. Carter split-S’ed onto the jet’s tail, opened fire, and hit the Me 262. The pilot’s canopy came off and the German flier bailed out.

Bochkay saw another Me 262 “going like hell followed by about seven P-51s, but out of range. I was about 7000 feet above them. The Me 262 then started to climb to the left, so I firewalled it again and cut him off in a left turn, pulling my sight down on him a about a 20 degree angle at 400 yards. I pulled the trigger but only one gun fired, and about six or seven rounds came out. I did not see hits on him so I broke off, leaving him to someone else. I then returned home alone, out of ammunition and with my windshield covered with oil from the first jet that I shot down.”

 

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