West. aaa Ti AS PEE aSERIES EDITOR: TONY HOLMES OSPREY AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES = 1 Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force Jerry ScuttsFn a rd Cnn ks Lie Jpoapesan tee Aukle Have Fin Rd c faslin 3 OB sa) Kids Mliexart. © 1904 Obgeer Pte _ forth sr fir dealing ot oo CHAPTER ONE MERLIN’S REACH 6 isc nactener wer. rocks esti, fami. tunica CHAPTER TWO NEW BLOOD 16 sen iy Ter Hes Dig by TT Drege Tony A. Sra Tris ly a We CHAPTER THREE A WILDER PONY 28 ale Drowns by Musk Srilitg Melero Hoey Kong CHAPTER FOUR OUTCLASSED 56 Ohpiey ble skid the p (Fo Why and Fight) Ler ol rks ef Clarense Ke Andesion CHAPTER FIVE MISSION COMPLETED 64 hard experier retin hee pln CHAPTER SIX Front cover and hia heat teates wnt Any medal se wl be fly ersaty Uepetched For calito orginal pore THE ‘BLUE-NOSERS’ 74 1908-801 1002 shart bio troup tthe mate leiyort front stven Cran BRenkes may cae pyr hth ign gute pai fromm whic shy Arcade of he de TIF (poet alia bls saved Ul at the cobras plates in she bnvoh mete propasnd aro senile for pat APPENDICES 81 serdela F310 461660 DLDCROW. reread coprigha mhucocer eat othe ples Preteen Al exgatica Buia he adie TOP ACES OF THE EIGHTH 82 ak raiterisa Con oc Mike Chappell Onwniand, Walmer, Kent (TIM IX tbenonth tae nf dy (Cover Th bier gy hey tan ented ih Yo cif reywiedence wpm COLOUR PLATES COMMENTARY 88 Paltg y has Wte| ‘hie ourCHAPTER ONE MERLIN’S REACH the autumn of 1943 the bomber groups of che Eighth US Army FB je Force (USAAF) based irr England faced! a crisis. For ayer ayer HD i icreasing nurnber of B17 Fortress and B-24 Liberator groups lusty both at home and in occupied hal waged! sear on Germany i Eurupe, Since the B-17's combandebut in August 1} mych destruc tion had been wrought by precision bombing of key industrial targets and ic was clear that the USAAF experiment of sending heavily arrwed hombers over Germany in daylight woulel not be exittailed unless drastic circumstances dictated it Unforuunately, the Luftwalfe’s fighter force and the German flak defences were making that event a possibility. Losses of American bombers had riser te the point where, after che notorious double n id Regensburg tn October, Vilth Bomber Command to Schweinfurt Aad to carefaly marshall its resources, The loss fig 1 Congress, and the US. | ure of G0 bombers on each mission was the subject of much deb: government began to question the merit of continuing the offensive if such wastage ecome the norm. For sonic weeks no deep prenerta- tion missions were flown from England, leading the Germans ta believe that che offensive axl been Fatally weakened Bur this was noc the case —it was Burope’s deterioratin weather more than ny other factor that pre vented the bombers penersating Reich airspace, for there was lirde point in flying sonics if bombardiets could nor sce their targets. While there was no doubt thac the Bighth’s bomber Force hal taken 9 terrible beating, a its worthwhile targets lay in cenrral and Eastern GUA the avowed Allied policy: of defeaeing the Viitd Reiely before the full weight of America’s m Germany, and zhe was turned against the Japanese in the Pacific, the siratgle bomber force had to hit those targers Reducing rhe Eighth co a shors- to mediae-range force would yield liete The isation that bombers, however heavily armed, could not barthe theirway alone ins German aitspace without fuavy losses had belatedly brought P-38 Lightings to Englind in) 1942, primarily to wet as escorey forthe bombers. There was some irony itv thisity catly plans forthe 8th Air Forse had envisaged the need for an escort, albeit with short-range Spittives. The ability of RAP lighters to cover the bombers only as £ Paris was snon overtaken by event ctsin Germany Bur the transfer of P-38 groups fiom England «w North Affica soon as the Eighth quickly cctended irs reach to cake in alter the Lockheed lightcr's arrival in Europe led wo few bomber missions being flown in early 1943 thar were protected by anything mone than sharterange fighter cover, Bombers wauld be well protected as far as an imaginary are desivn through the French capital on the ourward leg whilse the remnants.of the force would then be picked up onthe return and escorted fe the Last 200 miles oF se With fi oups being assigned ro the Sth in the iiminediate finure, the USAAF turned to a new type. the Di Thunderbolt, From March and April 1943 respectively, the 0 lc prospect of more P= to got P-515 the minute the type was intraducod to the ETO, the 4th FG at Debden experienced « great change of luck wher ‘Mustangs finally re-equipped the ‘roup in Fobruary 1844, Among the arly exponsnts was Duane Boason, sean here on the wing of his enly P81, 43-6819, nicknamed BEE. in the spring of 1984 ‘Many pitote kept pot dogs ane John, Godtray’s awn mutt was named, appropriately, Lucky, Goxdfray flew two P-518s (H Holmes)equipped ith anid! 56th Fighter Groups (FGs) began rebuilding she Bighth’s fighter Farce While th could fly & P47 did sterling work, thore were limits as te hose far ty with external fel tanks withour becoming yxcessively hall Republic products, dhe"Thunderbe heavy ~a5 yeas sommewllar on P-i7s flew their first fill the weighty side ro stary with! Neveeth Novau §.NIHaW escort mission equipped with pressurised helly fuel ranks on 12 August 1943, and by October they wore able to accompany the bombers us far a the German border, « distance from England o€ over 350 niles. Thae however, sil lefca dangerous gap ifthe horalhess targers lay be Berlin. The significance of the German capital icself could hardly be overlooked, far the Fighters could reach tliat far, thei? eflect on the morale af the hard-pressed: bomber crews would be considerable Much hope was theiefare pinned upon the P38. Two. groups Lightning missions aver Eumpe by year's end, and and 20th, were fying with its porensial co reach Berlin, the big ‘twin med the ideal aircraft to close the ‘escort g However, because of the vagaries of the Eu weather the I'-38's fuel system and engines proved t be chronically unreliable, resulting in vo end of ness, AS malfunctions and pour mission effectiv 1943 ended, ‘all the way" escurt seemed anh aldst ile gral; no other US Army fighters were readily available despite USAAF planners | ing con sidered thermal, including Navy types. Theonly glimmer of hope was ¢ England and the US to mate the Rolls-Royee Merlin engine ro. airframe of the North American Aviation (NAA) P-S| Ateomvand level VIIth FC had anew leader ftom William Kepner. He refused to accept that single outcome of experiments being made in August ~Gen a Fighters hacl framed by the ‘Two items of ln this portrait are the silk scart te provent neck and a whistle to-summon help in the event of « ditching use capability in the P-A?'s absoluce maxi- ure was widely believed in USAAF and RAE circles to be unbeatable, and Kepner's predecessor, Gen Russell O'Dell nutm of 375 miles. This Huunver, had tended eo believe British doubis—after all, they had been at this game considerably longer and had given the Eighth imme help right from the word go, Forrunatels for B-17 and 8-24 RAF we ‘Tho early Muntang groups like the 1B trom le Mordan in Cambridgeshire) ‘applied only the simplest of unit ‘markings to their sireratt. Photographed departing on ancthar ‘escort mission in the bloody month ‘of March 1984, thie Mustang howsts the group's distinetive white spinner fand 12-49 nos band, Obscured by Wing are the ‘OS: squadron code ters al thn 357th FS 7E nission went soon after the pilot's return fram) an escort mission ‘ver Germany in eaily March 1944 Gomtile’s parsonol P.51B, Shangrisba (43-8913), forms thw backdrop for this famous photograph, The Gontile/Gouteay team tained ‘el’ the loaderswingnan dep to other pets, for thar vias no disputin ‘Shanori-\s sven tere resting on Stee! planking, wich makes he Jeeation romevshare other than Debilen The autumn arrival in the ETO of the 352qd andl A59Seb [Gs ciubled Reprierto renrganise his frees which then comprised teh ktoups wl ius wuakitig the massed ranks ef fighters © Formed imu winigs, ier to comeml ance inv the aif, each geoup seas ale term: advance waiting information, via radar and (len inrercepis, anel co ensure that a rely syster provided adequate forexs fir all tasks, whieh were about to be broadened ————— ATTACK on Escort? = Fstremely long range was wor acticin in ther ctial reconnaissance type for the RAP by the British waission in L940, ie initially aroused fitsle in ia specification for the P51, Ondered asa Purchasing ¢ erest in USAAF citcles. When it proved ts allée a useful capability as.a low alti Fd (below 10,0000 ft) fighter and dive bomber, the Army placed orders, imerading w deplay the new type in the attack role, As the A-3G Apache and P51 Mustang.the NAA design went on tacare ane tion asa rugged dase-support fighter far the troops an the frontline de ing che Twolfth AAF's campaign in Tunisia and Sicily The Mustang stoev aight have ended! at thon pine, had icone been for the success of s series of fost Mights. beginning in October 1942, thai peoved the Rolly-Royee Merlin GT engine. ta be capable of oxsiand pertrmance when mated te the Misstang aititamte, The mose important autrtutte of the conversian which was nmmeasurably helped bythe P-5 1 ‘extremely efficiont wing, was a hitherto wndeeamed of rang, Careful fuel metering uf the Packard Meddity showed chat it ex only manon the Mustang's full rinkage of 100 octane duc veel also provisleerough prawer in han for five mines” comnts 1e UK ta the farthest Thar meant iar Pt couldescars hemibers frm Fehe attacking Lutiwalle, and eetur safelyUniorunately, chis awesome realisation took some time wa mate- sialve the fm oF neve aircraft. Firing a foreign engi ina perfectly sound American design wasan idea that tonk some explaining to certain parties. This was pesfectly. under standable ay the P-51/s original powerplant, the Allison 710) was good engine, buritwas nor designe! for range. patral work, Also, dite 10 3 710, despite the fet that its devetopmene had bequin three years earlier than the Merlin! Widespread acknowledgement of the etitical point the daylight bomber offensive had reached led to the Medlin Mustang project evenusally f enthusiastic backing at the highest levels on both sides of the Atlantic, Among the personalities who became involved were Sir Wilfred Freeman. a USAAF Commanding General, HH “Hap! Arnold With this kind of'suppoct behind the project there was lit tl ‘would not be hlessecl mice thar the mart Development work ac Rolls Royce had produced the Metin 65 by the end af 1942, this engine offering 6OOhp more than the Allison V-1710-39. Forrunately, ageeement had already: been reached benween Rolls-Royce and the Packard company to build Mertins under licence, and by the rime the XP-51B was ready for flight testing in November 1942, US engine supply was fully guaranteed, North American Avinion twoled up co build Mustangs both ae their vast Inglewood plane in California ~ they rolled our their first P-51B th June 1943 —and in Dallas, Texas, where the first newridentieal P-S1C flew nwo months later: Despite the Mer in Mustang being seen as the answer to the long-range «the initial P-SLB group, the 354th, was grill locked into the USAAF's procuremenc policy as a close-air support unit. Allison= SIs wer orth in the fralian campaign and the USAAF continued te consider the Mustang purely asa ground attack type. They viewed the ‘Pioneer Mustang’ group as the ideal cadre for the owly F (reformed in England on 7 Seprember 194.3) to cur their teeth on the type. However, much behind the scenes wheeling and dealing brought a crunsferofthe 354th invo the 8th in exchange forthe 358th FG, who were equipped with Thunderbolts, This move had many long-term benefits for it aoe only focused the P51 primarily as an escort fighter, bite revealed the potential of the radial cngined P-47 in the ground autack tole — its air-cooled Pract Se Whitey R-2800 Double: Wasp powerplant was more survivable when itcame to enduring light flak damage thay he liquid-cooled Medlin. Both types were 10 serve their sespecrive air Forces well, escort proble engined proving the constiruted tactical Ninch Gentile shows how eramped the P.5IB's cockpit could became once the pilot had swathed himself In Hight/survival gone The sad wreck of Shangrisha which Gontile crash-Janded at Debden on, 13 April 1944 — just days before he was due te go home. Had jt survived the accident It would undoubtedly have boea shipped to the US for demonstration purposes. Asit was the aircratt was good only for serap pile. The 4th FG commander, LtCot Don Blakeslee, was livid wisn ‘the earatully-staged press show for Gentile was abruptly terminated {ollowing tha crasiy. Rumour hax It that the wreck was bulldozed jnta a farimer’s pond near to the Essex aiefiald, where it remains to this day Hoval S.NITHaWCHAPTER ONE Initially, it was agreed thar the 354th woud operate as patv of the Fighth for am indefinite period, or at feast uncil enoug Mustangs were available to re-equip its Own as rect ple American bomber crews that groups. To innuimamersh vial lifeline for the remwini change was to be. months of the war Duero the erisical nature of the daylight bomb: vin Europe in the autumn of 1943, ing campa the 35th were thrown inte combat withour the side training on the P-51 benefit of anys Commanded by Gol Kenneth Martin, the Soup had’ to sears hota to prepare itself for the first shakedown escort mission prior 10 bei over Germany. Having Mowit P-39 Airacobeas in the US, the 354th found die ETO a very different The first P-51Bs were shipped i prospect Liverpool and the group be Greenham Common, Berkshire, in early November 1943, betie moving fo Bostes later chav month, Foy new alteraft make an entirely trouble-free oper tional debut, and the P-51B was no exceprion. European weather, which often appeared to side entirely with the Germans, sue the early Merlin Mustang missions almost as much chnical Faules contrived to pl as it had earlier done with the P-38. A long caralogue abo kept the 3544th’s grounderews, and NAA's full reports, more than busy. Fortunately, few of these wete serious enough to ground the P- 1 forany length oF rime Gradually most of the bugs were eradicated, although a few were inher entin the de and could only he compensaced for. Among the worst of these was the modest armament of Four Browsing .50 in machine guns. Asa resultof che P-51's slender wing profile, cach pairof guns was canted over to allow the weapons to fit within the crarmped confines of the lying uurfaces, This asrangemenc restilied in the nition having to negori urea acute angle as ic fed off rhe belt tracks into the the guns’ breeches, Prone ta freezing in the eald, thin, air 25,000 fr over Germany, the belt feed design caused! rounds 10 jam on the tracks, resultin stoppages. On countless occasion had only ar less gin Numerous pilots suddenly found th half their original firepo Neither did the highly-tuned Packard Medlin take kindly 16 the hostile condirions. Coolant leaks routine fixes! far the is did fouled spark plugs and. hose join became al Boxted groundcrews, hay cracked underthe ultra-low temipes- anures. There was also a lengthy lis of other minor irritations. Nevertheless, the P-51's perfor mance was clearly: superior to any other Army fighter, and it soon Dan Blakeslee commanded the famous th FG at Debdon for much, of 1984. Rated as one of the finest fighter leaders of the war, ho ended the conflict with 15:5 victorios to his Credit, four of which were ground kills. Don's renard for his pilots also ‘made him one of the mast popular Os inthe Eighth ARF (Harry Holmes) Everott Stewart. ike other commanders, had.» busy war passing on his skills to others. ‘Stewart flow with three groups. the 44th, 352nd and the a5sthRAF slang personified om a 385th Group P-S1B at Stoople Worden [Mission markors on early Eighth [AAE Mustangs commonly took thw {orm of yoltow bomb stents, this aircraft alo boasting Five brooms whieh donioted successtully comploted fi Wotier Karolesti Je of tho 354¢h FFS/385th FC mad score of 554, Vis tomturos ‘of the early model Mustang, Rear- view mirrors, thounty non-standard, ‘were adopted by many pilots to Fesiuce the possibility of an anerny fighter “touneing’ thom, a8 vision alt theaugh ths framed "graenhouse’ ‘canopy was linuted to say the lowst Henry Brown was top ace of the 356th FG, with a final score of 14.20 Inthe air= the fifth ofa kill denotes 1 shored victory with another pilot His most successful day in eomtsat wae 27 September 844 when ha downed four aireralt iy P.S1D5-NA. 444-13305.In total, strafing vietori ‘brought his seore te 28.70 made its mark, Tothe horror atthe German, Jagelfiteger, the P-5\Bowhich borea marked resemblence to their own BE109G also appeared the equal of fac only their best aircraft, but also their most highly experienced pilors, coo, Worse, th new Mustang was cleatly: superior to th Linfewalfe's twin interception to back u ined types, which were the singles One of the first pilots to demonstrate this larrer point was Jian Hawaeal of he 354th who, ssleypacched eight BF 10s in shot ble faut with a gradually dwindling number of guns in his 1-518 — by the rime tha: he eventually broke off conthav only a single Browning was functioning, For this feat, Howard hecamtie. one of anly sie Army fighter pilots to fe uwrarded the Medal of Honor in World Ward. News of the ‘hot’ tiew Mustang spread quickly. At Debden, Lt Gal Don Blakeslee, CO of the 4th FG, “Eagles! 10 be allowed co replace their P-A7s wich P-SINs, This fisnous rks of Spitfire during thelr Engle Squadron’ days within the RAF and, ag. result of this experience, had never felt fully confident with she immense Thunderbolt. Blakeslee eve got his way. As oneofthe moscexperienced fighter commanilts in the ETO, he was tempararly seconded to the 354th to gain experience on the Mustang tharwould in surn allow bis own group's comiatdebut ro heas painless possible: He led the First 24-ship mission. 1 days liter, following the arival of 75-gal drop tanks, the 354th’s Mustangs escorted bombers to Emden. On the 12th the target was Kei, where again the [5 7s bombing the naval hase and shipyards throughout the 960-mnile round rip from Englind, Don Blakeslee fed the 3541h on a further four missions befare returning ro Debden, convinced beyond all doube thar with Must ngs; the 4h FG, which was having a lean time in terms of acnal victories, couli become the scourge othe Lufiwate, Few P-S1Bs were carrnas ie this time as the P38 ‘yas performing well in ths Pacificand che D-40 and B-47 were available ini suffciony mumbeis w fill most other immediate requirements. Once the Merlin Mustang encered service. itwas realised chur the slccess oF fail: f the daylight hombee offensive in the J plan sp bear Gi requenly used on bomber M1 January 19: onder. And he performed this emad J, pleaded and cajoled fot his group had ually on | December, and LBy covered forother theatre ETO <9 key clement in the many frac ~ cestedalinest encirely on having. Woval s.NinwaWCHAPTER ONE Besides being a good all ound combat sirratt, the P51 could also fendurs rough hoedling. The Packare {Merlin oltan protected the pifot ‘during a hard tanding. of indeed an overly low strafing pass onainst » ‘round target ~ this 3390h FG P-515, nicknamed Saily, returned fram France with electricity cables ‘snagged around ita spinnoe! The 329th proved ta particularly adept at strafing, elairving more than 100 alreraft destroyed en tha grouind on two soparate occasions — 105 ana ‘April 1945 and 118 a wook later. No ‘other group evar topped the century ‘mark more than once Ain orcorly group take-off involved ‘much work by the grounderaws. {ineluding placing the drop tanks ‘nga each aircralt ready for atlachiment, Buzz Boy, 8 P-518 of the 355th FG's 3581h FS, will ‘ebviously fly the next sortie fitted ‘with the tons ying in the. foreground. Its nickname eame from the slang tarm ‘buzzing’, a word which summed ap the strafing role ‘of the Eighth, Indeed, pilots who indulged in this practice dubtvod themselves Bill's Buzz Boys’ after ‘hoi boss, Gen Bill Kepner enough — Mustany Broupe in simple as thar As Gen Kepniet stid ar the dime; the P-51B in ‘di Fighter thar ave a Pngland. tewa going £0 get over here, They an going ro be the unly satisfactory answer, Finst Ace —— The Eighth AF began 1944 confi. dene that its existing fighter force sted by new D5) squadrons, then csaining in the US Ten groups equipped with cither would soon be the P-38 formed the backbone of the fighter force, with the 354th thew che sole Mustang group. All had seen some aetton by the end of 1943, alshough che ion’ share of confirmed victories had underseand- ahly fallen o the numerically superior P47 squadrons, The first ETO sas Charles London of Dusford’s 78th FG, who achieved the magic five down on 30 July 1943, Since then, the ‘ace race! had acquired a number of fivourites for Wop honouts. Maj Eugene Roberts, also of the 78th, eas} the second pilot to score five confirmed kills following 2 successtul mis- sion on SU August Membership of thissclect band of pilots had, by theend of 1943, been | expanded to include Col Hubert Hub’ Zemke, Maj Dave Schilling, Capt Walker Muhurin, Le Rober: Johnson and Cape Gerald Johnson all ofthe 6th; Walter Beckham of the 353rd; and Duane Beeson and Ma) Roy Evans of the adh. Jim Howard's victory over the BF 110G Zanstorergeschn sof (ZG) 76 made him the world’s premier P-SI ace, and the first of many ‘aces in a day’ in the ETO, ag the winter months of 1943/44, the P-S1B steadily proved that id a marked superiority over the P-47 and P-38 in che esenet cole, although both of the latter eypes were subject to a lengthy programme of chnical improvements, This meanc thar the Lightnings and ‘Thunderbolts of early 1944 were far more capable combat aircraft than they’ had heen only six to eight months before, The P-47, for extnple, could now casily cover th separate witha the bers on their rerura leg, and providing a ntl support force soon featured asa regular mission for | pups tll eiptipped with the type. These sorties gave: Thunderbolt pili the chance to gain air combat victories, thus preventing the P-5) groups from stealingall che glory. Burt ic was the busi fact chat the Mustang was the only type that could stay with the "heavies’ all the way 10 thele cargets and back char endeared if so highly wo VELlEh Bomber Command, Enemy fighters siill penetrated sheescore screen, but tow the bomber gunners, who despite their entirely circumstansial ever-claiming of kills, were alsahelping co-grocually: whitde dew the pilotstiength of the fuga —— Bic WEEK —— With Don Blakeslee command the 4th Janury 1949, original Bigh ssigned FG fom 1 the day when an AAF unit would receive its first D-51Bs came th rer. Ina determined effort much n wo reduce German opposition in che ape, the AF Jaunched an all our attackon Fighter skies over Eu production sites and airfields, piv- ing its pilots carte blanche ta bunt the Ja across Germauyand the ink Directive’. and dubbed er gros, this offensive ws scheduled for occupied countries. Codenamed the Poin Big Week’ hy the fi February Meanv arated to delay: the Mustang reaching the 4th FG, orsoitseemed ro Don Blakeslee Ninth AAFP-5 1 jv had beet despatched to the ETO pri- marily as a ground-attack wing, bur once in-th ile, more skulldugpery was being py second soup, the 3 e quickly swapped with the P-I7-equipped 358th FG, who had only cecently wed in the UK as parr of the Eighth AAF. Installed ar Raydon, the 357ch moved to Leiston, Suffolk, and by 22 January hae 15 P-51Bs on surenghs, Aethe end of thar month ie July AAP hind Finally received its first Mustang group. The 357th was inface the announced thatthe Ei ‘ovelfth fighter group to be assigned to the Eighth, and chey few their fist mission on 11 February The ath needn't hh worried for it also te February, and eager wo put the new type through began pilot conversion onto type in the middle af fying 25 Febnusry) sorties in their P-A7s, With tore than les’ were ready to fly thelr shakedown Mu weatherdecided atherwise, however, and che long-awaited day Big Week’ (20- 51 Bs on hand, ie thission on the came on the 26th, One hazard thavan infinite number of P-51s could nor oversome was Eumpe's notorious winter weather, Fog, mist and thick cloud often stands when they should otherwise have been ined aircraft vo their ha i ssinn ifthe covering bombers. There was litle poin weather prevented any hope of 3 n launichingon rendez vous benveen the fi with the ad the ‘heavies’, ev assistance of Engh system of ra i's. excellent ion. The roll io dire of lost pilogs wasted cough ether callision or the nor inconsiderable hazard of becoming lost and rn out of Fuel, rose steadily during the winter months. It nfien hap: pened, ofcourse, thar hoth bombers ‘Aftor D-Day the USAAF cireulnied a ticective indicating that (ull camouflage paint no longer needed to be wern by combat groups. The 357th FG proforrad s top coat of ‘oreen, however, and retained this ‘modification to the standard polished metal through into 1545, particular P-RIB-10-NA was the ‘of four Mustangs used by the 357th second top scoring ace, John B England, and contrary to other published works on the acos of the Eighth AAF, the aerate ‘actually evare the serin| 42-106462 (nits fn, not 483, Englan suscossful day in combat ear 27 November 1944 when he fou aircralt while flying ina P-510, ff the 362nd FS ‘Tactical eamoutlage was also widaly used by the 35st FG. as portectiy itlustrated Nove by P-S1B-15 42- 10682 of the 374%h FS. This ‘as the fest Mustang assigned to Maj Wallac Hopkins, who Firishod the war with four aerial vietorles ‘nd four strafing kills, Untike Hophins’ later P51, this machine ian adornd with ha famous sabriqunt, Ferocious Frankie incrate qua 13Photographod in mics 1944 whilst stilla squadran ass, Col trvin Drwqne took over command of the 23571h FG on 14 Jaruinry 1245. Ho Finished the war with sevon kills (Olmsted via Bowman) a CHAPTER ONE Aolueting ond an engine check tor P4518 42-106923 of the 364th FS/I57th FG at Leiston, Swf, in July 1944, The baroly readable ‘namoplate’ on the ground indicates the aircraft may have been hicknamed Pistol Pete. Fav groups, In Eighth AAF adorned thet Mustangs with fall wraparound Invasion stripes ws shave her, ost restricting thelt applieation to the Wings and luealage beneath the “star and bar’ and fighters took off in cleae conditions, only 0 have the elements jig for actually over, the carger. In that case, he viking nasty en route ation, leading co an inevitable would invariably lack a good! concent return so these targersat a later date Fr the fighter pilots, more escorr missions meant greater chances ro chills earn , whilst not exactly encounyging the cack up victories, and to pethaps achieve the minimum f chub NAF headquarte cat the fighter aces nevertheless lid litle 1 prevent groups compiling tallies of their mastsuccessful pilots, believing thar this fostered a healyyy sjpivit de corpse inspived all pilows to try to *Acedom’, however, remtined an unoflicial accomp provided that sich enchusiasin for persort nuilate the high scorer ment. and seoring did now con id Tirdle choice but co ‘concur. They did sttess, hanvever, that an escort zeoup tal to have its main task ~the protection of the bombers —in rind at all times thing of a compromise Tn chat inalividusl pilots rightly believed thar chasing away theenemy and shooting promise teamyvark, geauyy commanders this was sin them dawn, even well away from che bomber sireara, prevented that particular aigeralt from rising ¢o batch theie charges could consequently on a subsequent sori svi unguarded for vital min: utes, This problem was soon solved by che groups dividing their the closing wecksof 1943 had seen an inilincaf replacement bombers. so that by early 1944 Eighth AAF groups could be sent to a number of targets simulaneously, This eon: fused und spread the defending German the US esenrta usefial clement of surprise, On 14 January Capt Don Gentile of the sth’s 336th Squiadion had shor down wom Fwy 190s. t0 achieve ace stytus. A hazardous dogfight ensued when Gentile’s P47 was atnicked by other Focke Wulfs soon after shooting down his second Kill, bur he made it home. Afterwanls, he viewed the experience as having been highly wakuable. Having been onthe receiving end of atv attack by 4 pilot who was elcarly a German expertert Gentile reckoned chat he would find air combat that such easier in future! The Law of averages had it that you couldn ’ralways be up aiginst the best experten in the Jagdwuffeall that alte Thae said. air combat was nor in ranted on every sitigle The relatively low level of aeriviey dur ighvers and on occasion, gave any « sortic. There were days whet the war all Jagdwiffesinaply did mors and pilors could quite easily fly a car shyt series of aperarions and tussles with the Germans enly by prowy, Qverall though, January 18444 yeas an encouraging month for Vilth Fighter Command, whe elaieved 172 enemy aircraft show down far the Iss of 65 of its o¥™ However, ban weather lua reduced the homber offensive 1 only nine effective rads thar same month—— On THE Deck —— Follawia actacking he Lufiwalle a opportunity, VIN BC: also intra duced sce stam for pilots who desttuyed five oF more enemy aie the ground. This new cx cept receives! swived reception, announced on 8 February as groundl strafing, white ans, No otherair force counted ground vie tories in this way, and ie was to remains controversial decision, c aerial kills could hee craft 0 when it was nimand, however, Kaew that ve, particu larly for swerage plas. There were alna periods when 1 units were just Hor in the right place ar the righerinie, a situation thar could ca ‘morale problernif pilots consistently filed to score on multiple risions By Kepnie knew that more enemy’ aire suraging ground strafing vicrories — and therefore aces — Rill ifr would he destrayed, which was, afi ll, the whole poine ofthe exercise Kepner hirnself believed in the pilots had the skill to carry if out to macimnum effect. Me therefore ur uc of strafing, but realised chit nor all group commanders to select their best erews to thoroughly lextn the tech tricalities of grounc attack work asan adjunct to reguhir escort aperations. By carly: March, VIUth PC temained predominantly equipped with the P47, although most groups svere slaved 10 receive Mustangs at the earliest opportunity. Standardisacion of Fighter and boraber sypes was a coal never achieved by the USAAF in England, but availability of mere Fs male she prospect af all groups flying this ype much more possible than irhad been in 1943. Similarly, a command preference for he B17 over the B-2d hegain working through during 1944, Having all units fly ‘one typeof aircraltaided serviceability and reduced the number af spares thar needed to be stocked ~ most parts liad to be inivially shipped in form the US. Establishment of base air depots inthe UK, nombly dar at Buctonwood (county), eased reliance on the vagaries of North Atlantic aircraft to he repaired in-theatre. New P-SIs convoys, and enabled were usually shipped by sea as deck cargo an transports or escort carriers craft cocooned!’ agsinst the ravages of silt water aprocess that save ch sand then thorwuxhty The conversion af all groups to P-S1s ay in the fusuire and one unit the ‘56th, resisted all atcempts to part i fron its beloved P-A7S, As one of the origital saviours of the Eighth, the ‘Wolfpack wa allowed this indul gence. Not hua Hub! Zemke's oarfie was the only one co protest at the Tin particular the 364xh ang 479 EGs, which sly 1944, hevwled loudly’ at the ned upon ageival in ehe UK. impending conversion, sirived in the EFO with P-3%s during alecision, However, most complaints were forgotten hha experienced the superiority of the M51 aver the P-38 in com Although nat an ace in the tue senne of the word, Capt Lee Eisenhart nevertholesx Now 9 full our of duty avith the 339th FG's 505th FS trom Fowlmers, in Camoridaoshixe, during the height af the daylight bombing attonsive in spring 1944, Looking plensed! with East Anglia base, Ei hristerod his P-518 (42-108833) Bonny Bou nlter his sweetheart back Jn America, He is wearing the ‘standard surnmer tying rig of the day, with Wis parachute ack: parched on the wing alongside him wsar HOvaY S.NFUaWCHAPTER TWO. 16 NEW BLOO » the Mustang had rit nally’ been ordered’ for ser vice with the RAF, it was duly “blooded! Iyy the British firs Numerous tess were carried our by: Rolls-Royce and the ASABE (Aircraft & Experimental Armaments Esablishment) ar Boicombe Down ta ‘improve the breed’. and 3 numt tio of modifica Were omnide io service machines. Fairly models fitted with the ‘greenhouse’ canopy came in for criticism as the high angle of the nose made g denn hood, which was manufactured ih three sectinns: Other modifications round muanacuvering «pite ding, and chis was not improved hy the multiple framing of the nuide to British aiteealt, including the adoptic plevighass canopy cenire-sovtion designed by a Sqn Lr Robere Maleolrn visibility problems. First rested ar Boscorabse Dow in February 1944, and subsequently finted 1 most RAF P51 extremely popular wich pilots, and as the umber of USAAF airerat in of te RAF, which virnially eliminaved a (Mustang Hfs), dhe Malcolm hood was the UK inereased, there was widespread demand for it. Prodvetion in Brit with many cleliveries the Bighth Air Force bur the Ninth. who widely fired he hood vcteal P55, That lef iwined modest, however their service depots serambling to acquire stocks of Maleolm hoods unolfi cially, and although a number die! work their way’ through vo service units, and the fighter groups really enough vo mect demand Jn November 1943, as the Base Air Depots in the UK issued she first of € 1 operations) a series of modifications and servicing requirements for the P-51B, NAA ew the protutype ofa new Mustang model, On the 17rh of hac manth a modified 1-518 (43-12101), recoofigurealas the NP-S1D, ight. This aircraft would eventually: rectify or elinvina wade its fest mast of the drawbacks experienced with the early Merlin Mustangs ——— Gun Power npariion with British practice, which aw faras fighter armansent was concemed vended to concentrave on two brow excremes of the rifle cali inte 24) America aircraft armament sloged adminihly henween the nyo. The 403 in) machine gum (MG) amd the shell-firi Eaily P'510-5 Inckod the dorsal (in fet, 95 44-1373 of the 3871N FG's 36310 FS cloarly shows. Akhough UR by MAA ter jel modifiestions™ The darsal appendage was designed to correct minor directional siaiity problems encountered wi 1B. fnabol wars two: roses under ite wind RBannert) Alice Marie Halo alee from tho 362d FS, and was photographad in spring 1948 In one of the units nurablooking revetments that wero {to al 22rd FS P-51Ds In November 1844, The praviows OD gree sshenne worn by most 357th FG Mustangs woe removed in the futupan of YO whan VON FC ‘woaliied that its groups Were Not tpoing to France (Ethelsj MG ls sane che sraniland Cole Brown 5 awerdfi avery [with all headvantages of commonaligy),ancdused in batteries af feu sroie i the P-5 1S abil D respectively, te conild deal effectively with The weight of Tite possible with such heavily-aniwed Ghenman sirctaft as the Fw 1900-4 and BE TUG, by comyparisens wn fr hugher diver & hatter of “filties’, and wher the Lattwatle was able to fie the XP man ME 108 ja their main fight rye the lang-suifering horbercrews face onenthe must devas cannon ever used operationally, This quite capable of desesoying & fighter stelvas the P- Single nual if ie hit the righe spo Them was their weight, both in terms of the wea Vwi a inv Urawisack ot stich heawy calibre guns, bower adie smauition. Similarly, only a limited amount af space was wile vw devigiens foe thie Firmen of suc large weap, dk fighnir's acwalynamies ssuild be critically compromised by: che uns, Whurcas the ['-5 UB cattid a anal of ads for its quarter of MGs. the Fay 190A-3 typically sheer bulk af these ied 2520, cannon and ia MGs. However despie rounds fi ts WF 20 his ‘main ing thi feasome firepower, the average German pilot usiy on on bombers consistently scored! hits with nly wo per of rounds expended jyrimarily beenuse he fired hora too fare tt Fighter 10 the average 300-400 yards, and is widest, therefore, chat an American pilor closest with the German susriety Was up tothe ath the fact that the enemy hal more fisepover was not a geese advantage thar rarely Failed of the P51 w ‘Geet i elise, shen you can’t is Hiroughour the eat months of (944, deliverie Fngland incteased, che priogty hing go everally eguippall the in-the uipsussigned to the Eighth Nir Force. aswe hor that were pa are fight Hay anda mun she new tactical Ninth Air Fores. By the end of May Hid Ville FC hd ics full complement of wy i7Hch oth aps) hve arrival af she highest numbered fighter unit ro be-assigiea 00718 M3N Actos rans view of leabe! Ml, {natured an the preceding page Proudly posing in front ot th machine, the craw ehiot, arrwourer and arnyourers ‘quate’ are joined by the group's RAF liaison ofient Secondiment to the Eighth of experienced RAF personnel helped amacth aver many of the ETO's lusique challengas (Via TR Bonaett) LL Allwrt Hinson of the 239th FG srikes a p080 in Keant of fis porsonl 516, Ass Priss (4413911). Like all ‘Mustangs ying out ef Favvimers in aircratt is the syring af 194, ‘damod with Nigh. vieiility B-Day Invasion stejpes (USAF) "7CHAPTER TWO. A pairot P-510-5s assigned to the 440) FG's 335th FS are joined by an ‘axormpl from the 2361K FS. all three ‘Mustangs are equipped with tho 14 108-gal ‘paper’ Tika IV ol the 36451 FG peols away hip to al the grounderow, ware always ‘stroked with oll and grin tran ‘oporationo! tying at high altitude usar (oral of 15, plus the 354th, which would vemain under its com for che time being. By chen the 352nd ar Bodney, the 895th at Steeple Morden, the 35h at Bast Weetlant andl ehe 8Gtst at Wactishan hand all switched fo the P-51B, Widh the bomber force also strengthened, funate praseey sion of the ale war aver Euype without peobibitive lasses was naw far sounder prospect than it fasd been just sis minnths previausts RAF Fichren MetHons ———_ ved RAP Fighter Command techniques and procedures, witls USAAF tighter groupe ty ing operations similar io composition to thase oftheir Allies these ely their British coders. Li fi missions were introduces, with a few American appl ascertain rypesof fightersweep were morcor less unique tothe Eighth Air Force, The most cammon sorties were codenamed: Remitovh Cina Jackpot and Rudco. NMlely FC alto adlopied the RAF fighter pilot's stan dard war of dury of 200 fight hours. Tailored wo the shor-tange sweeps undersaken by most Hritish unitsaver seestern Europe, chit yardsti sone drawbacks for the Americans as it often rook four hoursto complete an evqut vo Berlin ~ thus individual pilors son fecarue vimesespired The USAAF therefare raised the numberof bonis fr on or 75 missions, Pikats could (ard many duly did) volunteer tor sn exten: sion, buat ihe systeit mean that tere was a constant easton uf fees piloiscoming into frontline squadrons. Given the chen berween risking, their necks furth opted far she hatter. Surprisingly perhaps this diel nor work against the fighter farce, bux wid) mean that rohitively few American pilors, in common with all the Western Allied air ams, were able to achive high Jif combat scares, Only tens pilots in fet shor down 20 nr more enemy rerafi, anal miost of these did so only by flying extended ours Aci for even the tap combat pilus 0 siay, As the war progressed the AMies processed so, many pilots throagh training schools in the US and the Commonwealth thar there was never a shornige in the shar had had w «wen foack into Russia now atyempned co join the party, but any ane made it ta Sicily, where he crash-landed on the beach — the other wwe Linde ar the [SSS Italian mutinland sistiele spe at Foggia. ‘That only left the Kidd whe, cene ao orm, ignored orders, went afer 4 gaggle of WE TO%Sand | thers can lo on fuel nea his lest nation, Luckily forbimhewasinter cepted by Spiafiresiand gulded safely Fo Malis, Thieme day he few otto Foggia, via Catan, justin time te rejoin his group fr their ness sortie Bakealce had arganived a cor oily was part of the sooth FS, DIAN FG, the P-51 alse weating the name Happy IV a srnall tack rectangle below the port exhaust stubs. It was the personal mount of the Group's last wartima CO. 13 Cal Witlary © Ctork, who assumed command of the 333:h em 18 Agi 1945. This P-51D enudod the war ring 11 Kills bonenth ita eoekpit all but one of which danted strafing victory. i fact Clark was credited vty no Hess than sx ls in ne sortie tivo days after toking the hols, This tranquil seone was photographed during the Easter service at Fowlers in 1845 | Robert Burtke, a qwortour veteraa of the SSth FG, scored 5.5 ils lying 44-15025, christaned Loven iEthol)A black and white ‘plano keyboard nose marking was chosen for the 20th FG's Mustangs, Photographed at Kingschif sorties in th third ranking nee of the Group, Harley L Brown, who jelned the 55th FS upon his arrival in the ETO in Auigtist 1944, AC that time, the 20th FG was just transitioning from P-SICs to Ds, and Brown soon came {o Grips with the type. Returning home in Maren 1945 having scored six hill his most success(ul sortio veo fawn on2 Noveriber 1944 when he claimed two Fue 190s and a ainale 1100 hive fighter veep finn Traly, in company sith the 352nd and 325th they found ardund 80 BF 109s, The P- icious combats fallowed FCs, w the Budapest area, whet Sishad stirred upahorner's nest, snd aseties of which resulted in four th PG aircraft being rapidly shot down. Deacon ded ealy on in thedog- Group's leading t, bur still destroyed thece fighters, whilst hiswingman, Grover Siems. was jumped and hit hy a burst oF fice thar straddled bis cockpit. He too a BE 109 off Hively’s tail n’s) war, as he was soon roraced uatainedl painful wounds, bur wasable 1 sho Ie was, however, the end of the ‘Dea home, OF the quartet from the 4th who were shot down, two became PoWs and ovo were killed — of the latcer, crash ie seemingly ihdestructuble Hofer was one farally at Mostar, in Yugoslavia, The 4th would withous the antics of the Kidd’ from Missouri, never be the same agi Whilst the ?-51D could do most things outstandingly well, one feature tae NAA had nor considered was its ability 1 perform as an imprompur frontline rescue aircraft. Due 10 its generous cockpit space, it could accommodate Eo men In -an emergency marginally better than the P- 518, and on more than one oce jon a pilorwas eternally grateful forthis unexpected bonus. It was sell a tight squceze, however, and nor are ended practice, clespire the fact that pilots were successfully rescued, ine such rescue was perldrrmed in Germany on 18 August when, 355th FC ice Lp Royce Priest heard 2 plaintive RUT transmission My plane’s been hit by flak Pay gonna helly icin’ Tesvts Cape Bert Marshall [ea fel low ace from the 355th, Priest acted! quickly aroad, coach, 1! land anid pick you up. ‘land Howls of protest came aver the RIP, Such action could mean nwo P-51s lost co the group, Bat Priest Marshall failed’ 16 id his P-51D was now {ying in field, Theearth looked too softco ake-ofF fn w heavily laders Mustang, so Priesepickeda field of com scubble about three quarters of a mile off, Heside-slipped his big fighter in, cui jc just abave stalling spec g ta atop with oom t spare, Priest hauled his P-51 around and taxied ie hack along the ppadk he had earlier made wher he land a temporary runway: was adamant find a mad pe thro ~ he had now made for hinnself Marshall, meanwhile. was setting a less than Olympic pace towards his react. Tewas cough going. [iyasn’c in sh out Fy efortharkind of tuff, lor pooped nowand then | had to slow down tou fase walk. And I got kind of mad bectuse [remembered that f only had nwo American cigarettes, and | didn’t like che idea of stiekiny ‘Ametican cigarettes Priest abligingly eased the Mustang across the rough and! Marshall slambered aboant, accompanied by-a stieam oF profanities which only ig around in Fries with only twa ANOd W30TIM ¥CHAPTER THREE a4 out ail ended when Pries stood up in hs enckpi threw his said Get ted by He then sat int Marshall’ lap, ‘gunned! the engine and tase He to bis home-made sunay. ‘Phe overweight P51 eventually unstuck and cdl Iuystack at the end of the field. Back gt Steeple Morden. the tower sas infinmed thay there were two pilots aboard rhe wirctafi, and clearancew: urely ch given far a straight in approach anal landing: A roucine recovery etistid, and nw very happy pilots dule climbed our af the cockpit ——— Sighting tHe Guns ——_____ An optical sight was fitted to the [510 anid early Demedels, his particularly if their heaters here blind, looking atian oassv1aLn0CHAPTER FIVE 4 MISSION COMPLETED fier its last beief fling on New Year's Diy 1945 duting, Operacion Bodenplaire. che Jagcuffewasnever again taappearin such foree * on) a single mission. VIlIth FC, the RAF sind’ other Army Air Force formations, not te mention the Red Air Horce in the east, had the enemy totally surrounded. Gradually the separate fighting fronts con- tracted to squeese the remaining life out of the Third Reich, The last nhs of the war saw VIIIth Bomber Command continu ermany targets from the west while the Fifteenth Air Force flew fron its ' to pound southern lralian aitfields to hi Austria and eastern Europe Pscomr diities occupied the Eighth’s Mustang force throughout the period, there now being lrequene sorties which were merely routine our- ings forthe pilors, with lite sign of the fighter Yer Radenplatie had shown thar the enemy force Geemans were quite capable of suc~ prising the Allies, and the piloys realised they avere overllying what amounted t0 a horlsed af eehnolog- ical genius, however battered air fields, factories, railyards and seapor(s might appear co be fom an altituele of 30,000 ft ast numbers 0 buildings, any one of whieh could have housed a small production line for a secrer weapon, were never bombed, anid even with the gift of hindsight, itis impractical to imagine that all these tugets could have heen destroyed {ny any case with the technology then available. Strategic bombers could only concencrate on the maint arban sentrey and recognised tacrical targets as briefed, and while the medium bombers and fighters did shat they could ro de roy manysmalller¢ ant aumber had wes n untouched a¥ they ajypearesl to be Seemingly innocuousand totally waconnccted with the war effrt mans also went inderpron il inorder to continue the produc ters and rockets, as well as an amazing arniy oF advanced weapons. Camouflaging of airfields, utilisation of mad sections a6 run Ways and an elaborate system of dispersing fighter strips in wood andl heathland enabled Lufiwalte insercepeors tv keep fyi Allied fighter fo nA enstire that there Ww ast inchisttial ellore ma 0 femvaln al te ild he Fightérs for pilots to fly, and bya near-miracle enough fuel 10 power them: Supplies of oil and high octane petrolewin Arguably one ot the most famous pilots to serve in the USAAF d tho wae, Col Jolin Landers was also amongst the mast experianced. He was an ace in bott the Pacific and European theatres (one of only 9 hhandiul of pilots to achieve the double}, where te saw action in all the major combat types, Landers sobriquet, Big Beautitul Dou, wad his impressive scoreboard, adorned simost a dozen airframes during his e:aroor, but reached its zenith with P.51D.20.MA 44.7218, which ho How tram Oacember 1944 War's ond Whilst C0 of the 78th FS‘litte Dont, and some distance from its home base of Duxford, this restfiton 83rd FS, 78th FG P-51D was photographed at an Inolotod Soviet strip dipping boty Mulda aftar ono of the many Shuttle ‘icsions iw aarly 1945, Judging by the damage ta the wheal nearest the camera, Lottie may have ‘experienced a ground laop on handing (USAR) Lt Worran Blodgett of the Btth FS, 78th FG, tlying LITTLE CHIC (44. 72099), formates with Cont James Farmer in 44-1573), nicknamed Mischievous Nell The Kill markings fon the former's canopy bar denote {ound strafing victories (Ethel) were ever dwindling, and this was onc of the hy a severe pilocshort ing Allied fears of mid-1944 thar these advanced fighters would ain the ascendancy ajor factors (compounded se} that crippled thie Lufewaffe’s jet force, thusseas- er Germany, = —— LAST KIL eS The Luftwaffe’s dire position by 1945 was also the cause for serious cv cemon English fighter ries with the enemy keeping his head down? The only chance a pilor had oof descraying an enemy aitcra, ler alone becoming aniace, was by claim ing ground kills, Even thar was becoming difficult, ory the scuttleburt said. VIth FC way inv shie exasperating situation oF having mote than ses — how eould new pilts hope to score view enotigh eager pilots, bur few targets lef for tem to shootar This was 4 period! whem groups of fighters, ranging freely across the length and breadth of Germany. could tum up little thar war worth the ammunidan expendivare. Bugaame groups scemed ta be able to find the Lifewalfe in its hides One such outfit was Joe Thury's 339th FG number oF accasions in whe, 0 April 1945, came hack with ev: dlence of mulsiple strafing. passes and widespread destruction Pitots also noceal grimly: chav as Germany's tertirery concmeted so. the available number of flak batter des roves both large calibre guns and the small and deadly multi-barrel rmobilerype thar frequendly guarded airfields, and could put up wither: ing sheets of fire in the path of low g3137dW09 NOISSIWflying fighters, proliferated. These weapons begin to surround’ any worthwhile cirger it’ subsincial numbers Noe thar air-to-air combar had entirely giveri way to victories on the ground. The 359 Wretham in Norfalk, were another fof those units who rarely hit the CHAPTER FIVE G at Easy headlines, bur thar fact hardly dereredl the pilorsofthe green-nosed P-5ls froin carving theirown nichewithin VilIth FC. TheGroup'slead- | Lt Charles Olctiold was shot down ingace, Ray S Wetmore, emeng ofthe foremost exponentsafthe | le oe el Atecmte Absit P55 indheETO, scoring Wot hie 21-25 ei vcioviesin che Mustang, | pear Geran border ith Weinnore served two combat routs which caabled him to witness the | 3658} on 25 Febrvory 1845 Ne then last gasps of the Luftwatfe's once mighty fighter force. Thar the enemy | successfully evaded the enemy and could still make things more than a little uncomfortable for qhe | rived back at Dustord courtesy of tho Duteh rosistwnce on 5 April Americans had been amply: demonstrated on 27 November when | Qemmurgorenine eat sty Wermore and his wingman Lr Robert York, hecame embroiled ina | ew several more patrols over ingly one-sided dogiight — the odds were 50 to ane! The former | Germany telore VE-Day (Ethel quickly called in help when nwo further gigeles of fighters numbering roughly 100 aircraft each weresighted north of Munster. Unfortunately, therest of his Hight had aborted due to engine erouble with oneof the P- 5 Kittod out for a long-range Shuttle mission to Ri 4 Wetmore and York found themselvesstalking the massivefoice | gurzm march 186 aloite, Wha the eneniy sir the size oF the opposition, the hunters beeame the hunted. We had to attack in sel <: With litte choice remaining, the 5 Is wacled {nto the fighters and Wetmore and York quickly reduced the odds by one a piece. A good burst with 20) dees deflection brought Wetmore's second Kill He vurned ineo the an 109. ad the pair ke of another BE seed and turned as the respective pilots strove for the Upper hand. Tt finally fell to the American, and he shor off all his femaibing ammunition, where ‘upon his fine hailed our. Defenceless no) et ten + bluffing out attacks by more fighters, before extricating. himself Wetmore spent ¢ minu from the mele. He followed up this success with another big score on Valentine's Day 1945, Vee shemy fighters In the vieiiity of an aero, drome westof Dummer Lake, he sighted four Fw 190s fying in trail Nelow him. The 459%h dived and thor down the last Focke-Wulf fn line Firing ar a seeond, Weimore saw the pilot arrempy eo ed by groiind. control unto 66“The code ‘N2" andl cirefodt individual airerattfottor signified tho ‘383d FS of the 364th FG, based at Honington. Although the only troniling combat unit at the large Suifolk basa, the Group was always surrounded by assorted 1B-17s (rom the 3rei Bornb Division as the aiffold wars home to the 1st Stratagic Air Depot, who specialised [repairing and overhauling the big four-ongined Boving bomber. This tose relationship with elements of Villth Bomber Command could ‘xplain why the 364th was one of only two groups (the 20th was the other outitl to adopt bamber-style tall markings for its individual squadrons break and dive, bur he had no alti- tule and snap rolled into” the ground Shooting down a third Fw 190, Wetmore called ity his wingman to take out the last enemy: machine. Shows were exchanged before a fowged fuined the pilot's aim, and Wermore finished him off Reforming, he and his windscreen wingman climbed) up to artack another pair of Fw 10s and as they made their pass another P-51 joined the fray. The newcomer and Wetmore opened fire simultaneously, and both Germans bailed out—the3 ed with four downed and one shared. His last kill of the war occured on 15 March, just over a month before the 359ch’s final mission. The Mustangs were again operating around Berlin when Wermore, leading a flight, sported avo Me 163s orbiting around Wittenberg. Closing to 300 yards, he watched in aweasone of the fighters zoom climbed, He followed the Kometas well as he could, andar 20,000 fritsengined flamed out. The Me 163 executed a split-S and dive, with Weernore’s P-51 stuck to ies tail. The ASI spun aad with 600 mph indicated, Wermore opened fire at200 yards. Throwing his machine into a right bank, the German took several telling hits. More strikes then chopped aseay half the lefe wing and the pilocjumped our. Ray We ighth Air Force pilorof 1945, bur oth- ets were contirming to build theitscorestoo in the last months of the war, more was the leading including Donald J Strait of the 356th FG. Having flown one tour with the group duting its P-A7 period, Strait was posted buck ta his old group inthe aucumn of 1944, thus giving him the chance to fly both the P-51, and possibly increase hisscore. He had been credited with three killswhile flying the Thunderbolt. traits irsc opportunity to re-aquaint himself with aerial combaceame 26 November whilet he was leading the 361s¢ BS it the vicinity of Osnabruck. Over 40 BY 109% appeared, hell bene on attacking the bombers his Group was escorting thar day. The P-51 pilots punched off theirdrop tanks and bounced the enemy fighters. Soon after engaging the fit gaggle, Strait saw the German top cover some 1500 ft above Climbing up to deal with this threat, he closed on a lone BF:109 and scored many hits an i from abour 350 yards, sending ic dowa trailing smoke. A new wingman joined Strairas he looked our fur mare enemy aircraft at 13,000 fr. The nvo Mustangs latched onco another BF 109, which characteristically dived. Straits shots hichome, but the Jagd sought a curing march in onder to secure hisescape. His wingman scored ‘wore hits, then Strait finished the damaged fighter off with awell-aimed butse from 250 yards away. With ovo vicwories on 5 December, Don Strait found moneair coimbac on Christmas 1ay. In action again with BF'109s, he biad anasty moment when his first victim of theday deposited niland coolant all over his wind- screen. Skidkhing away, Strat almost sammed his foe, whose propeller had Stopped, He flew past the /ageflieger lust ashe belly-Landed ina field Gala 14Wwoo NOISSIW 67CHAPTER FIVE 63 Strait watched his wingman fire on a second BF 109, hut the Mustang boi ly calling for his colleague to break, Strait could not prevent the om scoring hits on che turning P-51, Quickly onto theenemy'y tail, Sait wasstill hampered by the flmofco piloc had apparently not seen another enemy fighter puasui lane ont his windscreen and could or see well enough ta shoot, Sensing his chance, the BF 109 pilot snap rolled! away andthe Mustangs called ic aay Another pilot who did well an the P-5 1 was Robin Olds of the 479th, Destined to make moreoF a name for himself over 20 years later asa F- 4 Phantom II pilot in the Viemam conflict, Olds flew the P-38 well ice an the type (nine kills), before Vin Seprer the group switched rw the P. he came on 6 October 1944, and he wene in to claim shree more kills in the P-51D beloce VE-Day, an achicvernent helped immeasurably by is abil ityacdeflection shootingin conjunction with the K-14 gunsight Having knocked down an Fw 190 with a nodeflection butst on 6 His first Mustang vierory Ocwber, Olds did nor scrre again unl 9 Februury: 1945 wher, aking et the BE 19 square in the K-14 and allowing a small degtee of rs he Jes the sight con tat 450 yards when he opened fires anid was therefore cue to detlecti away fron the tar purer do the rest. He wassome distance very surprised when this first burst hit the enemy aircraft. Twice mae Olds ranged in the BE109, and again hitswwereseen, the third burst heing enough to send the German down. Similar results wvere obtained on another BE109 and an Fw 190 on 19 March, Approach Olds m with 4 50-degree dellection burst, whilsr the second sally hit publicity shots ever token by Eighth | AF war photographers, this mined | formation of 375th FS, 361st FS ‘Mustangs was scen up from Bottisham, in Essex, just weeks alter D-Day on 11 July 1944 during the provious two months the Group had besn hoavily invavied in sorties, and had claimed no less than 23 Incomotives dastroyed in France. Sadness surrouncs this stunning shot, as the pilot leading the four-ship in LOU WV, Group CO, Col Tam Christian, was shot down and killed on 12 August 1944 In this ory machine. On a more positive note, the second | P-510 in the formation was belng guest flown on this orcasion by the Group's third-ranking aee, Tat Lt Urban Drew, wo usually piloted P-51D 44.1416, nicknamed DETROIT Miss— he finished hie ETO tour with six aerial kit, Including ‘Two Me 282s on the same sortie Alowosico him is Lt Bruce Rowlett his personal Mustang, Say Bouncer, Whilst oecupying the number four alot in soon to ba rotired P.S1B 42 | 1106511 is Lt Francis Glankor(elie Fy 190) ceded tyre way icoF OL" Bite, bu ra nenvall (On 7 April his group was part an autachi Duneberg. Rapidly woving eon ls below the hember strean soit far B-2as « hretrayed the presence af jets, and Olds’ Hight iwmedisiely performed 4 split-S and plunged down an the Me 262s. the Germany uscd their speed 1. maxima advantage, and Olds’ solitary burst wwastited more asi token gesture a the “uikend Charlie” ontof sheer frustration. Netter results were, haw. ever obtained nearer to the bombers, where Olds found BF 109s hackie atthe Liberators, He chased one through a forrustiow af B-24s, hold fiee let he hic one. Enierging our the other side, Olds unleashed mone bursts until die enemy bailed out, Among the dh FG pilots at Debden who returned For secon bout with the Jaye aff- as Louis ‘Res! Dog’ Norley. Wack in the sudleof'aP. Sth his rime D-model, beset about itpeeving wn his previous seane uf 8.841 fro the frst cous. Now a flight leader with the 335th 5, Norley tuned wo Fev 1906 darinyg operaions in support of Openarion Market Garden ovee Arnhem in September 1944, as well as an Me 163 over Merseberg on 2 November, to complere his scoring with the 539/h, He was then promoted co CO af the Uh FG's 334th PS in famuary 1945, Fiving. in chac capacity on 19 March, he was leading A Plight as they cledred! the skies ahead of the bombers. Nothing much was seen fon the outward le. bue on the sevasn "ed Dog” gor a BF 109 in his 2ights and soon sen it down, OW AT Aprile Norley, whe remained 334th conumander anti) war's end, scored his las kl, nn Pov OD. Cutting off the enemy's “pproach co the bombers, Notley ted ar his quarry From over 600 varus away in the hi peor searinys him off ashe knew he would never hie the Frcke- Wulf from that distance. He then stopped Firings his bese was taking hitw and his anger dangerously sloseto the bombers. Then, ro Norley’s horror, the Fw ID cutied ap and ctshed headlung iste a B-7. Both irivmedintely went dows, the Mustang piloc convinced chor dhe Gernuany must have heen billed by his Hongerange burst, ayshe lacter hadn't fired a single round ax he clave ow the Fortress, While the Ad te always bil healthy competion with dhe S¢th for Neadersbigs in ferns of combined air and ground kills the Sonceding the lead to the Thunderbolt quitit. By 16 April they were look: Mefora uirger chat would ue thems ahesh Flying Nana f groups, with gles’ have A close-up of 44-13526, taken during tho kame photo-shoot a8 fentured ‘rudy sprayed appliction of OD paint hastily addled to 375th FS P- 51s when Vilth FC thought it was going te have to forward deploy ightors to France soon after O-Day, 44-13926 wns almost brand new When this shor was tekan from a 81st BG 8-17, Lator assigned to Lt ‘Abs Rosenberger, tho P-51 was \ittensaff ina exth soon after on 9 August 1944 whilst being Hlown by a Lr Don Doitinger, wtia was Kilo Capt Charles ‘Chuck? Yeager named ll his P5¥s ator his Future wite, Glunnis This Is number thea (44 14888), coded "BEY", anit wae ‘63rd FS flight commander to down considerable chunk of his 11.5 alter a sriow squall had blows through the Sutfolk base ~ ane of many dusing the tast bitter wintor of the war (USAF via Yeager! 03131409 NOISSIW 69CHAPTER FIVE 10 Norley leading the Initers the 4rh found rangers on German airfields and came home with a score of 105, destroyed. Notley's concrihurion was four strafed co destruesion on Gablingert aerodrome, making his Final warsime roral 11.3 acral kills and five destroyed on the ground. Top Aces mong the 4th's most successful was Diere W “Mac! McKennon, an individual who had initially endured the not unusual experience of being fold by the USAAF thar he lacked inherent fy ing abvlity, Washed our, MeKennon was undeterred and promptly There, the RCAF’s training syllabus was much nd McKennon waseventaully shipped out vo Canad more realisticin its appreciation ofability UK and assigned to Spitfire Squadron. Hesaw no action, ind transferred ro the USAAF in November 1942. Posted to the posted to 4th, MeKennon quickly showed how liteleralent he had by becomingane ofthe groups fist P-47 aces! P-51 Kils followed, and by the rime hewent hhorne av the end of his frst cour, he had 10.5 kills in the air to bis eredit He returned to Debden on 18 August 1944 and soon set ahour hoost- inghisscore, Things didn't turn out 100 wel forhim, however, and on 28 August he was shor down ans, MeKennon spent nearlya month with the F. gland in eptember. On Christmas Day: 1944 he shared a BE 108 with another pilor but thereafter all his subsequent victories wete ground kills, Then, on 18 Match the Neubrandenburg airfield flak claimed McKennon, He salely bailed out and Le George Green headed in ta pick him up. With ‘Mac! on his lap; Green lew back to Debden, Being twice shor down whilststrafing didn't deter MeKennon from futtherlow-level sorties, and he finished the war with w score of 20,68, 11 of them aerial kill Like ‘Bud’ Anderson, John Enghind of the 3 combat success 10 both the K-14 guns Kill, he reckoned, would nor have happ th A resistence, before returning to E th owed part of his ai rand the G-suir, One patticulur ened had it nor been for the fact he was wearing such a suit. On 13 September, England was leading 62nd FS) ar 8000 fe wher he sported a BE109 in iewassoon overhauled as England closed to 800 yards distance am altitude of 3000 fr. Seeing thar his quarry was heading for an air ngland wound his P-51 up 1 400 mph and warned ¢ ange 10 500 yards, With the K-14 ‘locked-on,F sitiket on the BF 109's engine and cockpit before it tedown two more BF 109s on thar mission, England’s score continued te Tise until he was rotated back co the US with his toval at 17.5. Dollar Squadron’ (the 3 adiv hdy eo close the nd fited, observing, shed —he went Withours doubt Leonard Kit’ Carson found thea war in Europes as opposed to the Pacific, much more to his taste. On the poinc of head: nig for the Par Ease with a P-39 outfit, he instead joined the 357d FG Hisfiest victory wason8 April 1944, and his chosen technique Forsuccess Yeager thought extramaly highly af his Grounderew, who fad to turn his ‘Mustang around between sorties in some of the worst weather aver recorded in East Anglia in the first months of 1945, Ever conscious of their well being, he has ventured ut here to ‘shoot the breezo’ with his crow chiaf and armourer as they take a broak from tending to GLAMOUROUS GLEN Min February 1945 (USAF via Yeager!was no bare ii elise bis vies iaihee tian relyian deilection shoo ing. This method beoughe with ir sree flea, Anal ikevther piles tn the group, he wwe mam ‘Clobber die 357th's combat Col school. for a time, passing pique skills on his There were ao tactical around to spread the gospel seay alive i a dogfight with the Lufiwalle when we atrived it England in December 1943. Our raining in the States had never exis. jit missions at 30,000 fr in weather whee uafamniiatty rumen! flying would kill you Faster than the enemy could with When he addressed newcomers, he jpalled fee puinelies abiiut how things were in the FTO, and honw their first missions would see thems fly= 1 pills, F rw ship eenent. 1 will be evident in ing asseingmen.to the more sen ‘We always start ort the basis a matter of seconds whether ts going 0 he a.nne-on-one scrap oF nd thie beable co pick your own targer, bur lear yourself te he sear before you sur leader will rows it and so will you. Ifthe ensiny is d do. If you're threatened from the rear, eall your leader by name and tell Irina you leaving: hind, Hel help you ihe ean. Dai’ freeze and don'e panic, H’you'rejunnped remember in she PTL you've gor (other than the Spiitite) the best defensive fighter inthe bust ness. Reef in with full power and mannpeavring flaps or shove the stick right into the insteunsest pafiel ~do anything you can ta break his line of sight on yuu, Once'ynu've done thar, he ean’t lay glove wn you. Ewan recommend jn you Fits encounter oe v0 dia wrenching dogfights. Y yours don't doit, Geeshe feel oft patterns they run it dhe attack. Stick 4 your leader — you'll live hanger. You'll be husy enough as iis Don 1 do nor attempt Macon, may have to, hut if the clivice is st, sie up the enemy and ote the fret because you think you've in isolated post asa wing- min We havea lor of wingmen in this group who are aces. Thisis an alien shy and a hostile envitoniiens, 30 ct. ased to ita little tfore you Fake othe hard dines, Me was equally straight about she weather, “Two ourot te days thar yous, youre going to hae 10 cht it There's lots af rain, snow, ice anal Door sisiility ard its as hig prob lem as the enemy. Lis noe as hard an it sounds a the 51 is a good Weather simpline with gy¥s instou ments. Horget che nccdle-and-ball Youvine of cadet training. The & 51 primary Might instruments are “This ath FG P-51D, seknanved Fede, wees phatographed duri RAF Dighy, in Lneoinshi summer of 1848.11 was lator ronamed Betty Jane land erosited with three tals When hostilities exasad, love Hying rosirictions ware quickly ‘nintroduced in England to sliscourage pilots, who wa waiting transtors hore, Andutging ir bitte using’ to eve the beradom.Ineividual aireratt codes were quickly applied {marge black letters under the ‘wings 90 that any bystanders an the ‘ground who witnessed such high spirits could accurately repart their sightings to the ratevant authorities. This P-510 woars the letters ‘PB! under each wing, thus denoting that {1 belonged to the 352nc's 36m FS, ‘nnd was usally owen by Lt Jaenes Chartton (H Rutland sagerly ag1374WOo NOISSIW, nCHAPTER FIME n bowed with yellow tape for empha. sisi gor fimiliay with using the artifi~ cial horizon and the gyro compass Withia litle practice you can My chis aleplane down toa. frog's hair on instruments, Anyone wha has a scastual atinude towards flying inthis climate is going to wind up wearing, an 8000-Ib aluminium coftin atthe baroit oF the North Sea, Ifyou hase visual contact with che man ahead when climbing through clouds, go on instruments instantly. Trust your gyros — they work very well ‘Weather aver here compels You to do a lor of low altitude na in poor visibility. Sometimes visibility is bad at h you're separared, remember those nwo course headings. IF you're at Berlin, the course home is 270 degrees, If you're over Munich its 310 degrees ti, OK Steer a mericlian course home on 290 degrees. Britain iy 600 miles long — yoUlean't mis i! The squall lines and thunderstorms we get over here in thespring and summerare violent— stay our ofthemn, Either ‘over them, in ber Your mission today. pus you somnew he ouround or ser @ know the coastline of England as thiswill be your biggest wil to zervitigin on homme base. | refer ofcourse to the east coast, say trom Dover round to Yarmouth, While you're at it, pinpoint the RAF emergency Strips av Mansron and Woodbridge, They'te nor only la ertat places to land in pinch. ‘On gunnery, “Both the RAF and we have found thar the common problem ofnew pilors in combat iso underestinnare the ta bya fictorofitve. When new: lmarks bus cof rangers hey're shoring yt 2000 yards, itsactually closer ¢o 400, Don'c tay for che big deflection shor, that is 30 degrees and jp; You'll miss at feast four times our of five, Gee dead astern and drive in to 200 yards or less right on down 10 50 yards, Deflection shooting isn't the whole storys if you close up 10 200 yards and, fire a couple of one-second bursts; you'll nail ins, Your 50 eal ibreshugs Have steel cores. Wedlon't We thiceray it gives a false sense of disiitice and direction, bue shen the steel cores hit hone, they strike spits which appear as. winking lights so you'll ajoveyou're senriny: When the guns fired in the P-51 the velocity loss was less than ane ‘mile per hour. All pilors fele was the vibcation of the guns fiting Finally, Cason imparted these words nf advice, “Thistle srrategic Horb Rutiand's airsratt, also pictured postwar at Martloshaen Hoath, wore tho code ‘PLA’ beneath its wings, ‘The stylish scroll on the canopy bar that danoted the pilat’s name on ‘each machine was a feature applied to the 360th FS's P.51s towards the fend of the war. Herb Rutland shipped back to Amerien with the rast of his Group in ctober/Mavembar 1945 iH Rutland) A more than familiar sight ori seven-hour mission! The instrument panel of the P-51D was functional, and few pilots complained about any lack af visibility through that great perspex dorsNo photograph in this volume ums up the sheer might of VIlith FC In last your of tho war than this remarkable shot taken on Thursday, dune 7, 1945 during a victory open day held at tho 78th FG's Duxford home. Esch of tha theae rows of Mustangs was comprised of n singte ‘squadron, with the 83rd FS fling the middle rank, A close study of the Inttor unit’ aireratt raveals that they Jn fet Dallas: built P&SYKS, unlike the aireratt of tho remaining two lines, which are standard D-modols, Behind P-S1K 4-17563 In “FHL Which wears five small swastikas and a large groan clover leat motit bnolow its cockpit, Like the 366th FG, the 78th also shipped back to 1 USA in November 1945, escort: get in the habit of thinking about Five andl six anid even seven-hout missions. Dress for the missions as if you were going to walk out of Germany, Make sure you havea good pairof boots, Aboyeall, make sure you havea good foam rubber pad co sicon; thar goddamn dinghy pack is like a slab of granite and it will ruin you. Regarding the fatigue problem on long missions —fiye houryand up is where it gets you inthe legs and fanny. When you lly six and seven hour missions, the groundérew will probably have wo lift you oucof the cockpit.” That the new bload ofthe 357th learned thecurriculuns setae Clohber Gollege’ well is in ng doub — the group had she highest scoring vietory tate for the last year of the war, and boasted na less than 46:aces. ceded up with 18.5 kills o place hian 11h ia the overall Eighth Air Force ace listing, Fellow 357th ace Chuck Yeager reckons thar approximately one in missions had to be shorted hecause of the weather, and that it vwas flight rather than group commanders who had the most effectum the performance ofa unic in the ETO, His acknowledgement of the part played by the groundcrewsincluded this comment, “Many of our 51s flew 50 straight missions withousan aborv and my crew chief got a bronze sar medal for his work. Regarding the fighters themselves, | flew the PAT, P-38, BF 109 Fw 190, Spifire and several, otherlesser known types, and the P-51D wasby far the hest war machines the Mustang would do for eight hours what the ‘Spit’ would do for 45 smite! "The P-S1D solved all the problems we had experiences with the B: ‘model and the only bad Hight characteristic (af both) came abour when the fuselage tank was full, This wasn't exactly dangerous, burine hid to be careful when tuining, We were also glad wo sec the back of the P-S1B \with it fewe guns and bud ammunition feed Another pilot who was co wit lasting Fane’ (as arguably: the most ay est pilor oF all time) after the shooting had! stopped, arson a31374W09 NOISSIWCHAPTER S(x 1% THE ‘BLUE-NOSERS’ Fall the Ejghth Air Force's illustrious fighter groups, the 352nd O: betrer than most iit the air combar sakes, coming fourth in the overall group liscings with an impressive 519 confirmed kills Among other ‘claims to fame’, the group curned in the second highest number of aerial kills in ane day — 38.0 2 Novernber 1944 — and its 487th FS was the only squadron in VIHth FC to win « Distinguished init Citatation, Subsequently, the roral fram 2 November was adjusted t0.25, bus thisin noway downgraded « truly meritorious display of flying. Formed at Mitchell Field, Long Island, in October 1942, the 352nd consisted of three units, qo of which —the 486th and 487th — were orig inally the much alder 21st and 34th Sqns respectively. The thitd was the 328th, a brand new ourtit tharstood up at the same tim On 9 March 1943 the group moved (© Farmingdale Army Air asthe Group. Field, adjacene so the Republic Aviation plant, and began training on the P-A7. Ie moved to Westover and thence to Camp Killer, New Jersey, on reccipr of overseas mavement orders—group personnel acraally embarked in the Jiner wheth for x fase trans The 552nd was assigned to VINIch FEon 6 July 1943, andl asserabled as Bodney, in Norfolk, wo day's later under the command af Col Joseph L Mason, who had lead the group since May’ Its iniria! combat sircrait wasthe Thunderbolt, examples from the P-47D-5 tw D-16 (razorback) production blocks being flown forthe first nine months of operations. The 352nd flew its first escort mission on 9 September 1943, and was heavily engaged with the Lafiwaffe right from the start. These sorries fies took them (o just inside the German border, the limiv of dhe PA7"s The fifth group to be assigned to VIllth FC, the 352nd became parc of the 67sh Fighter Wing in October 1943, under whose control i was to remain, apart from a shore break in the winter of 1944-45, until theend of the war, The group received P-51.Bs in April 1944, fol- lowed by 4 few P-S1Ds in Juine. Both models Looked resplendent in tiie dark blue group colour from whieh iewas to take its nickmirne, In.comman with all other Eighth Air Porce fi S52hu!'s suc iter groups, the ss in combat carried a Capt Ralph Harton of the 437th FS was not at all pleased when Invasion stripes wera applied to his P-S1B in May 1944 he stermed around the dispersal at Bodney demanding to know who had vandalised his formerly pristine Frances 8 TOO. \ranically, on D-Day {itself Gorge Praddy actually flew this aireraft over the Normandy beaches! George Preddy’s GRIPES A’ MIGHTY AD, pictured in the dispersal at Bounay with its faithful grounderew. On 6 August 1944 this machine hod bean used by Proddy te despatch 9 racerd six Bf 1033 aver Brandenburg = this shot was taken only a matter of days latter during a large prose to Badinay to moot the Eighth’s newest “ace ina day"Another of tho shots takun on the samme press day shows armorers of tHe 487th busily tolling awvay undor the altertoon 340, replenishing six 50 callsre the wings of throughout his combat exe, Proddy nover once sultared ‘mallunetion with his guns, The squadron artist had been kept busy fcfing haw crosses to CRIPES A” INGHTY 30's uniquely placed scoreboard prior to the press descending an the small Nerfalk tunge ~ the fruits of their labour are sfearly visite inthis shot reddy was on hia way to becoming ‘he top overall ace of the ETO yhen the was thot dawn by US anti alrratt fire on Christinne Day 1944 tis thing for English colloquialiams siretched to him naming four out of ve five P70 and P51 he flew with, Fis favourite saying of shai al price — om 8 April dhe d Merony, wasshordowa and muadea ace with nine kill, Cape Vi ‘OW. but on the 24th, Edwin Heller amore thar evened up this loss by desteaying seven entemyairerafe (both in theairand on the ground) tw becomeaniace, Bioopy May ——— — M4 was hardly’ 9 med nth for che group fir among the icici Ailled during the first Berlin mission on the th. Carl Luksic, who ¢hen was Cape Frank Cialer of 5 victories), who was kills), was shot pe Woodrow Anderson (with 15.5 victories, mast of which weresteafing kills) was let hhacl 15.2 vierorivs 10 his credit (8.5 of whieh were ar down on the 24th ta become a PaW, and on 28 May € after hisparchute filed to open, Berterresulks were obrained by the group atthe end of the month, however Lr Glennon T Moran scared three victories dusing the 352nd's P47 period and went on to knock: down ten more enemy aircrafe with the dy on 29M 7th FS's bomber yn Germany. Qver Gustrnw atound 40 enemy Mustang, He hata gr when the ranged fhrinve es fighters appeared to attack the hombers, and Moran chased ary Fw 190 down fiom 22,000 10 3000 fe belare his fire msde hulf-olled and went in impression. The Ger fhotn a aliqude oF hour 1000 fe On the climibsback «height, Moran and his wingman, Le Jule Conard, saw many fighters above. They: nevertheless climbed up 10 rack, broken off ind one BF 109, who had on the dagfight, ears lessly strayed across Moran's nose and was quickly shor dawn, Both hie and Conard then destroyed a BEOD brent on st ig an American ar ‘men ina parachute 75CHAPTER SIX 76 series of doghights kepr the bluc-nosed Mustangs busy on 30 May, andl the group came home with 14.5 victories. Moran's cot two downed and one daimaged, again with Conard as wi ‘oul pir him level with the unie's leading ace at that tine, Virgil Merony. The months of April and May 1944 were also highly satisfying for George Preduy, who had madea slow-start ¢o his victory tally with the P= 47. Theswitch to the P-51 brought rapid results, and boosted his score to 41.35 during thar period. Escorting bombers to Magdeburg on 20 June. Preddy shor down an Fy 190 and shared an Me 410 with Le James Woods. On 2) June the352nd accompanied the 4th to Russia forthe second of burion was wan. Moran's the shurtes; following in the footsteps of Mustang unies fram the Fifteenth Air Force who had escorted the bombers from ltaly. On7 July Caps Onville Goodinan led the 486eh FS so well that the pilois came homie to report 11 enemy aircraft downed without loss Among the pilots who rotated home at this time after successful tour with the 352nd was John Thornell. On an escort mission on 21 June, Thornell orplesed bis tour by secting a small record when he became the fits pilovin the group co reach 300 operational hou 17.25 aerial victories since his debut on 14 September 1943, OnABJulythe group claimed 21 kills, four of them falling to George Preildy, whose eye was now well and truly cup enemy, and on G August he ser a record — six down on one Preddy- was leading ‘White Flight’ ag the time as parr of the group sscort 10 the Brandenburg ac They-rar into 30-plus enemy fi ers as they stalled the hombers 27,000) fi, sind concentrating on their fourengined tangets, the BE 109 pilots mitintalned’ formacion, seemingly oblivious ta the P51 gtidually whiting down their Humber, No less than five BE 109 (undoubtedly flown by combat He had also scored! to the tricks of the A tormidable partnership - Preddy ‘ond his armmourer, Sat MG Kuhanock. inthis no doubt staged picture, the ace and the ‘ace maker ham it up for the press. Preddy enjoyed being able to share his sucess with those who had helped hen achieve it. Quite what the Sergeant was pointing out to his ‘boas over 50 years ago has been lost over the ensuing decades Amongst tha lessor known pilots of tho 52nd FG was 11.5-vietary ace ‘Major Willian Halton, A seasened campaigner who had eatliee lawn both P-475 and P.51Bs with the 487th FS, Halton took aver the squadron when John Mayer was promoted to Deputy Group Commander in’ Navarnber 1984. His ‘personal P-51D-10.NA was nicknamed Stencer, Tender & TALL and was photographed hare at a ‘nisty Asche airfield in Belgium in Fobruary 1948 during the Group's briaf sojourn to the less than sunny. ContinentHaving diapensed with his 75a! ‘teardrop! tanks to give hint ‘optimum manoouvrability at lov: lve, Le Karl Dittmar taiag aut iy DOPEY OKIEat Asche to commence iat wnother short-range patrol over the slowly advancing Allied frontline inmmidsJanuary 1945, Part of the mmuct-vaunted 4871h FS, Oitimer had claimed a solitary kill up to this point in his career in the ETO novices) Fell co Freddy's alésmane slip. Diving 10 7000 ft after one pilot hie, setually attempted to break away, he soon despatched it carthyexed ta clay hs sie row. Added to a firsher six scared by other 352nd pilots, this day was aly memorable ane, parsieulatly forPreddy, who had run his toral up to 27.85. OF these, 22 and the shared fraction had been in the air George's comment when asked about his feat hecame a chassic of under-statement 1 just kept shooting and they just kept falling, Preddy contended the 328dh when the squadron went hunting on 2 Noveinber. A gaggle af B/ (09s was rippedapatr, with mo fess than 25 Axis fighters being lost —this mean rharthe Group had achieved ascoring rate ‘of more than oncevery 60 seconds as the intercept hail been completed in fess than 20 minutes. Capt Don Bryan led the squsdton’s seore with fives and:ace Capt Henry Miklajyck added io more 10 his score of 5.5 helite he himself was shor down and killed this whirlwind action Bluc-nosed. Mustangs were again at the jagduuffe's throat on 21 November, a day har recorded another huge air battle, commpased this timeot'50 plas Focke-Wulls. The unit's B’ Group routed che enemy for= mation southeast of Leipzig, Capr Whisner claiming sicand a probable (adjusted later to fiveand a probable) and Lt Col John Meyer three. The '87th FS had been covering bombers pounding the synthetic oi refineries av Merseburg when S0-plus Bf 10s wer to attack the formation, Diving to 29,000 fi, the Mustangs pounced on the Messerschmitts' covering group which was composed of Fw 190s Whisner heard John Meyer (group lead) direct him co attack a pai of stragglers at the rear ofthe formation, He desttoyed both in quick succes- sion efore boring inon thee more Whistter quickly despatched one of these, and then closed in ro 200 yards and destroyed his fourth enemy fighter far the day, Them he ranged inon another pairof Fw 190s and macleshortwork ofboth. Whisner then dived and shora fsther Focke-Walf off'a Mustang's tal, Unfortunately not all of these victories could be confirmed, although Whisher was awarded 4 respectable five destroyed plus two probables—and a DSC. Move To BELGIUM Jinan elfort co break the deadlock caused primarily by che appalling win- ter weather of 1944-45, and the unexpected German panzer thrust through the Ardennes bulge’, the 35nd and 361s FGs were derached 0 theconrinent, Based at Y-29, alias Asche, in Belgiuny, from 23 December. the ‘Blue-Nosers’ faced a Christmas with lite chance ofa standl-down feom duey. On Christmas Eve, Preddy indulged ina game of eraps and scooped the pot co met $1000. Nevera spendl-theift, he intended to invest. hiswinnings in warbonds. Thea came one of the Eighth's blackest days, mmdeal the more sadder because itwas not theenemy who dawned George Preddy, but American, ia a former's fight from th een

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