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    P-47 Thunderbolt - Kagero Vol 4

    Uploaded by

    Silverio
    Modelling magazine pdf manual

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    cs POLISH & ENGLISH PUBLICATION - FREE DECALS Tomasz Szlagor Leszek A. Wieliczko Republic) P=457 hundcgogs PATE HH PAT (it TDN ar 8 fn 443071 Euan Kc te Pla 20 (P20), Fea Ae xan Mexicana (HEM), pine 1948 rola. Mesa jeden podgecadhewae ho nara Sh Fh Grn i eprwaa poke wo ax pic Oia Salt sina een loica USA (cae pec panini (ken, la pois loge sky gr promee. (470-3088 18 en 44-372) sutra de Flo 20 (AP 0), fun ln Ean Mecicara AM), 16. The Mexican P17 wit semi SF, ora in tu Pipi an kine The a posto) wo Me mags (ae prt ing unui an starr wing pp ankiem 1 styeznia 1945 roku ruch na Remsen goonies poblizu belaijskiego miasteczka Asch zacal sig tuz po wschodzie stoica. Dziei za powiadat sig na umiarkowanie pogodny, wige iechanicy jut od Switu podwieszali bomby {i uaupenialipaliwo w Thunderboltach 366. Grupy Mysinskiej (866. FG) ze skladu taktyez- ne) 9. Arn Powietrznej USAAF (9. AF), by przy- gotowaé je do pierwszych, porannych misji Fomimo najszezerszych checi personel 366, FG, sylvester trudno bylo uznaé za szampais shi. W srodku mrozne} zimy, w niedogrzanych samiotach i na prayfrontowym odludziu, na- wet przemycony alkohol, czesto. podejrzane) rowenienj, byt mizemym pocieszeniem. Moc- ta, cama kawa szybko przywracala pélprzy- tomnyeh pilot6w do rzeczywistosct, W ostatect- noSci pozostawato kilka glebokich wdechow caystego tlenu 2 aparatury pokladowej ich my- sliweéw, wyprbowany spos6b na kaca. Po dnugiestronie lotniska w Asch rozgosci sig smukle, niebieskonose Mustangi. Latajacy aa nich plc 2 487. Dywizjonu Mysliwskiego (487. FS), ze skiadu 352. FG, zostal sprowadze- ni 2 Angi na czas niemieckiej Kontrofensywy wwardenach, Prayzwyczajeni do komfortu swo- {ej stale} bazy w Bodney, 2 pewnoscia nie byl zachwyceni warunkami na ¥-29, Kwadrans przed godzing dziewiata Thun- desbolty 391. FS, jednego z trzech skladowych dywizjondw 366. FG, z hukiem wytoczyky sig na ulciony 7 metalowych, perforowanych mat pas statowy | wyruszyly na bombardowanie nie- ieckch dywii pancernych w okolicy St. Vith w Ardenach. Pét godziny pééniej z podobna niga w powietrze poderwaly sig sekeje czet he usual spate of activity at the Ameri: | ‘can advanced landing ground at Asch, Belgium ~ officially referred to as ¥-29 — was evident from the early hours of Ist Janu ary 1945. The day dawned mildly cloudy but the skies were clearing up. The ground crews were readying Thunderbolts of 366th Fighter Group (366th FG), 9th U.S. Army Air Force (Sth AP), going through pre-flight checks, shackling bombs and topping off tanks. Despite the ingenuity and high spirits of the 366th’s per- sonnel, the New Year's Eve party was hardly exhilarant. Billeted in winterised but neverthe- less cold and damp tents, in remote, bleak stretch of land near the frontline zone, they | had little t0 comfort themselves with besides some liquor, often of doubtful provenience. Mugs of strong black coffee were usually ‘enough to bring slightly groggy pilots back to | ‘operational life. As a last resort, a couple of | sigs fom their gh onboard oxygen in| stallations ~ a proven trick to fight off a hang- ‘over ~ would do miracles. On the ather side of the airfield a bunch of sleek, blue-nosed Mustangs glittered in the morning sun. Their pilots of 487th Fighter Squadron (487th FS), 352nd FG, were on loan | from 8th AF, brought from England to help P47 | outfits stem the tide of the German counterof- fensive in the Ardennes. Used to creature com forts of their regular base in Bodney, the P-51 pilots were duly displeased with the rough con- ditions at ¥29 ‘At quarter to nine, Thunderbolts of 391st FS, one of the three component squadrons of 366th FG, rumbled down the pierced steel plank runway, heading for St. Vith to hunt down Propagandone zijecie tech -470-27-E xe naka rozpozrawerymilotnicta Bray, USA i Wiel Bryan Commemorative shot of three -A7D-27-REs with ational (1-38) po niemieckin ataka ‘wramach oporaei -Bodenplae", 1 styezia 1945 roka,Plong Thundesbelty 365, wona (red fight) i 26ha (yellow flight) 2 390. FS, Po eatery samoloty w kazdej. Tylko tyle maszyn Ww dywizjonie nadawalo sie do lotu, reszta wy- magata przegladéw i napraw. Te poranna misje chyba wszyscy chcieli mie¢ jue za soba. wige dywizjon wystartowal 15 minut wezesniejniz to planowano. Lt. Robert Brulle byt wéciekly, ie przydzielono mu samolot dow5dey 366. FG — \wyshtZonego razorback’a o imieniu Flying Carpet (sLataigcy Dywan") i Kodzie bocanym ,.B2-H". W tym czasie w jego 82" z kroplowa ostong kabiny naprawiano nieszczelna instalacje hy- draulicana, jeszcze dziesi wezesnie} Brulle skar Zyl sig szefowi obstugi swojego Thunderbolta, sier2antowi Alowi Czaplickiemu, 2e chociaz lata 2.390. FS od czas6w ladowania w Normandii to jeszcze nie zestrzelit zadnego samolotu wroga ~ nawet nie widzial ani jednego w powietrzu! Zkolei Lt. Jack Kennedy w og6le nie spodziewal sig, 2 w noworoceny poranek kaza mu gdzies lataé. Kiedy jego nazwisko pojawito sic na tabli yw sali odpraw, niezbedne czesci ekwipunku pilota zalodyt wprost na pidame. | Osiem P-47 wtasnie formowato szyk po starcie, powoli zataczajac krag ponad ¥-29, kie- dy Lt. Kennedy zameldowal przez radio, #e nad Pobliskim lotniskiem ¥-32 w Ophoven, gdzie stacjonowaly dywizjony brytyjskie, widac ob loczki wybuchw — baterie przeciwlotnicze zostony lotniska najwyrazniej strzelaly do cze- 805. Nagle 2/Lt. (podporucznik) Melvin ,Mop” Paisley, wywotujac przez radio dowédce Cpt. Smitha, wykrzyknal: Relic Red Flight Leader, tu Mop! Sckopy, cala chmara! Na drusie, nisko! Pa isley z niedowierzaniem patrzyf, jak w strong remnants of the German panzer divisions in the ‘Bulge’, Half an hour later, red and yellow flights of 390th FS, each fight four-machines strong, took aloft. The squadron, in the thick of the action for quite a long time, was running low on serviceable machines and could field only eight on that morning. Apparently, everybody ‘wanted to get the first morning mission accom- plished as soon as possible and go back to their cots, so the squadon took off a quarter of an hour earlier than scheduled, Lt. Robert V. Brulle was, in his own words, miffed at the prospect of flying the group commander's old razorback, coded “B2-H" and named ‘Flying Carpet’. His own bubbletop 'B2' was out of commission for a hydraulic leak. Only a day before Brulle com- plained to his crew chief $.Sgt. Al Czaplicki that he had been with the squadron since the Nor mandy landings and still hadn't scored a single victory ~ he didn't even see a German aircraft in the air! To Lt. Jack Kennedy, in turn, it came as a nasty surprise that he was expected to fly the morning mission. When his name popped up at the Ops Room board. he put his flying suit on over his pyjamas. Eight Thunderbolts were just forming up after take-off, when Lt. Kennedy called out Flak puffs over the nearby ¥-32 airfield at Ophoven, where British squadrons were stationed. All of a sudden, 2/Lt. Melvin *Mop” Paisley exclaimed, calling the CO, Cpt. Smith: Relic Red Flight Leader, this is Mop! Bandits, lots of 'em. Two o'clock, low! Coming in on the deck! Amazed, Paisley watched a large swarm of German fighters racing a mere 200 feet above the ground towards their air- ich loiska, na wysokosci zaledwie 60 metrow, pedi wielka formacja niemieckich mysliwcéw. Gx, Smith zawolak: Nie widze ch, Mop, ty prowa- dist W tym ceasie na pasie startowym w Asch stalabezradnie Kolejka dwunastu Mustangéw 2487. FS, rozgraewaae silniki przed starter — 2apowiadalo sig na masakrg. Piloci Thundesbol- tw w pospiechn zrzucali pigésetfuntowe bon by na pobliskie pola. Paisley, kt6ry nagle awan- sdce dywizjonu,, pochylit nos © imienin La Mort i ruszyt na cael osminy Thunderboltw naprzeciw mieszae ne) Formac kikudziesigciu Fw 190 i BF 109. Na {ego widok pilot najblizszego Focke-Wulfa 210- bil gwaowny unik w lewo i odlaczyt od reszty na swoja zgube. Rozpedzony La Mort Paisleya bee mudu dogont go, omal nie taranujgc. Roz- rywany na stragpy seriami 2 pdlal6wek Thun- derbota, Focke-Wulf runal w okalajacy lotnisko sosnowy las Ceolony atak Thunderboltsw zupetnie zdez- onganizoval szyki Niemcéw. Niebo nad Asch za- Koilowalo sig od manewrujacych mysliwe6w. Lt. Bulle wspomina: .Wybratem sobie za cel sar notnego Focke-Walfa na przedzie gromady. Woka mgnieniu znalzzlem sig na jego ogonie, nie dazylem nawet wiaczyé celownika i odbez- peer karabindw. Niemiec zanurkowat i gnal praed siebie na pelne) mocy silnika tué nad zie mig. Probowalem wslizgnaé sig za niego, ale jego strumies zasmiglowy omal nie wywrécit mnie na plecy i nie rzucit o ziemig. Bez skutku probowalem docisnaé nos mojego P-47 dosta ‘ecaienisko, by alapaé go w celownik, ale by lem tak podekscytowany, Ze nie mogtem sig apanowa, zeby nie strzelaé, chociaz moje serie uWaaly sie za. wysoko. W pewnym momencie zobaczylem, jak z rur wydechowych Focke-Wal fa buchnal baly obloczek i szarpnalem do tylu field. Cpt. Smith called back: Can't see ‘em. Mop, ‘you take the lead! Meanwhile at Asch, a dozen Mustangs, lined up at the far end of the runway, were warming up their engines prior to take-off — a disaster was seemingly only seconds away. The Thunderbolts hurriedly jettisoned their bombs over adjacent fields, Paisley lowered the massive nose of his 'B2:M’ christened ‘La Mort’ and led the eight Thunderbolts headlong into aimixed gaggle of some fifty Fw 190s and Bf 109s, Suddenly faced with a P-47 looming ever larger ahead of him, the pilot of the nearest Focke-Wulf violently swerved his aircraft ta port, flying away from the airfield. Paisley’s ‘La Mort’ caught up with the fleeing “190 in no time, nearly ramming it. Torn to pieces by a hail of .50 slugs fired at close quarters, the Focke- ‘Wulf ploughed into the pine forest surrounding. the airfield. ‘The head-on charge by Thunderbolts com- pletely disrupted the German attack. The sky over Asch filled with swirling fighters. Lt. Brulle recalled: "A lone FW 190 near the front of the gaggle was my target. It took only a moment before twas on bis tail and 1 had not yet turned ‘on my guns and gunsight. He dove dawn to the deck, skimming the ground at full throttle. Tried (© slide right behind) him but his prop ‘wash almost flipped me over into the ground, could not depress my nose to bring my guns to bear and it was hard, because of my eager- ness, to hold fire, even though my bullets, were going over him. At one point I noted a pull of white smoke from his engine, and | quickly re- tarded the throttle, | thought, Ill bet he chopped the throttle, | almost overshot him, and for a few moments we were in tight forma- tion together, with me stepped up and slightly behind. The vision of the pilot crouched over P-A7D-22-RE (68-0, als 4225969) 2376. FS/ 361. FG ayposaiony powszechi yay pre mystic 8. AF podwieszny sion na pai 2 imprognowanego jmosei 108 sm 1848 oka 361. FG proabcta sie ‘na Mustang, samolot trait do 5, FB. Omaccny teem ILS, shag w 63. FS. 2 signa 1984 roku zostal stracony nad Franca ~leeacy nL. Roach 8. Stewart Je ginal (MACR 7448) P-ATD-22- (9-0, sin 42.26068) of 376th FS /3615t 6 rigged with 2 108-gal drop ‘tank mate of impregnate oper. the type commonly used by the 8th AF fighters, When inthe summer of 1944, ‘361s FG converted to ‘Mustangs, the airraft wa passed to 58th F. Marke wth Verors “UNS (Ba, it served with 63rd FS. On 3d August 1944 it was last ever France along with its pit, Roach $. Stewart J who was kiled(MACR 7448) déwignig przepustnicy. Zorientowalem sie, Ze Niemiec gwaltownie wytraca predkosé, Omal nie przeskoczylem nad nim i przez chwile lecie- lismy w ciasnej formacji obok siebie, ja nieco wy2e| i z tylu. Widok pochylone| sylwetki pilota ww kokpicie Focke-Wulfa jest weiaz Zywy w moje] pamigci. Preyszlo mi nagle do glowy, zeby strze- li€ do niego z mojego sludbowego Colta 45, ale zdalem sobie sprawe, Ze to malo praktyczne. Kiedy Niemiec przyspieszyl, ponownie zajalem pozycie na jego ogonie. W koricu przed nami zamajaczyly sylwetki drzew. Kiedy méj przeciw- nik poderwal swoja maszyne w gore w ciasny zakret, trafilem yo porzadna seriq. Focke-Wulf eksplodowal, a jego szczqtki posypaly sig na ziemig przede mna”'. ‘Tymezasem Lt. Jack Kennedy, skraydlowy Smi- tha, toczyl swoja wlasng bitwe: ,Nie wiem, czy to ja zgubilem Smitha, cy on mnie. Dookola bylo tyle samolotéw, 2¢ trudno powiedzieé. Wsiadlem nna ogon jednego ME 109, ktérego w pierwsze) chwili wziglem za Spitfire'a. Jego syhwetka wypet nila caly celownik. Ledwo co nacisnalem spust, kiedy nagle oberwatem w kuper. Na ogonie mia- Jem dwa ME 109. Odbitem w prawo, a tamtych wich rzucito sig 2a mina, ciagle strzelajac. Tym razem dostatem w prawe skrzydlo. Zapali si¢ pln hydraulicany i ze skrzydla buchnat plomies. Mojg pierwsza reakcja byto natychmiast skakac. Zawsze has uczono, Zeby wyskakiwac przez prawa burte, Spojrzalem na te plomienie I pomyslalem, de tam- tedy sie nie wydostang™2, Na szcagscie w tym ‘momencie para Mustangow przegonila napastni kow 2 ogona Thunderbotta, a ogie podsycany plynem hydraulicenym wypall sig i nagle zgast Kennedy opuscit podwozie i pomimo braku ha- ‘mulesw, klap i due} czgéci statecznika pionowe- go gladko wylgdowal na pasie ¥-29, "Robert V.Bralle, Angels Zero — P47 lose Air Supper in rope, 5. 113-114 2 Rite, op. ces. 120, his controls is still vivid. | entertained the thought, for a moment, to fire my Colt 45 pis tol at him, but dismissed it as impractical. As he accelerated | returned to my position on his tail. Finally some trees loomed ahead. As he made a turning pullup, | hit him with a good burst and he blew up, hitting the ground front of me”'. Meanwhile, Lt. Jack Kennedy, Cpt. Smith's wingman, fought his own battle: "I don’t know if Host Smith or he lost me. With all the aircraft just off the deck who could tell. I got on the tail ‘of a ME 109, which at first I thought was a Spit- fire. This 109 really filled the gun sight and | just got off a few rounds when I was hit in the tail end. 1 found two ME 109s on my tail broke to the right and of course those guys followed me still firing away. | got hit again in the right wing and a hell of a fire started with the hydraulic fluid burning. My first thought ‘was to bail out and | unhooked ready to jump. ‘They always told us to go out the right side and when I looked at the flames | thought I can't g0 through there". Fortunately, a pair of PIs chased off the assailants of the Kennedy's tail and, as the hydraulic fluid burnt out, the fire suddenly went out. Lt. Kennedy dropped the landing gear and, although without contral over flaps and brakes, he landed safely at ¥-29. In the interim, the squadron’s CO Cpt. Low- ell Smith bagged one Focke Wulf and chased another, but his would-be quarry was in no mood for slugging it out and scurried to the east at full throttle. After a while, Smith broke off the chase and went back to Asch, where he ‘was bounced by another ‘190, Its pilot appar- ently had more guts to mix it up, but lacked skills ~ Smith quickly outmanoeuvted his oppo- " Robert \ Balle, Angels Zero — P47 Close eSupport Fx rope, pp. +114 Ble, ops ct, p. 120, 7, fsa W gm samym czasie dowddea Cpt. Lowell Smith zestrzliljednego Focke-Wulfa, po czymt raucil sie w poscig za drugim, jednak jego prae- ‘Gwnik umykal na wschéd na peine} mocy silnika i nie zamierzal podejmowa€ walki. Smith za wrécil wige nad ¥-29, gdzie zostat zaatakowany przez kolejnego Fw 190. Jego pilot mial najwy- rane] wigce} woli walki niz umiejetnosci — Smith bez trudu wymanewrowal napastnika Madge swojego Thunderbolta w ciasny wira, térego Niemiee nie potrafit powtsrzyé. Pry Aolejnym zverocie, uciekajac z celownika, Focke- \Walfnagle przepadl na skrzydlo, przewrécit sig na plecy i wysokosci 150 metréw runal na ziemie. Bohaterem dnia w 366. FG zostat Melvin Paisley, ktory w starciu nad lotniskiem w Asch zestrzelildwa Focke Wally (zglosittr2y) i jedne- go Messerschmitta, w tym jednego Fw 190 przeciwpancerng rakieta! Weal relacji samego Frisleya.. Nastepny Fw 190 zamajaczyl tuz nad emia atwy cel, pomyslatem, dat sig ztapac na tak malej wysokosei, W jedne} chusll znalaztem si na jego ogonie i odpalilem dwie rakiety. Obie poszly za nisko. Wziglem poprawke i wy- strzel¥em nastepna parg, tym razem wyie) — tra- fiony‘bandyta’eksplodowat, zmieniajgc sie w ku Ie pomararczowch i czerwonych ptomien Po wystraelanit,calej aimunicii Paisley bly- stawicanie preyziemil, podkolowal do swojego boksu i wrzasnal do zbrojmistrza, zeby zalado- wal kaemy, bo chce zaraz tam” wrécié. Trzed- ‘wo myslaey sierzant Michano wskoczyt na skrzy 4, niemal sila wyeiagnal Paisleya z kokpitu Tehiyn Paley, cv: utblography of «Fighter Po, 2201 nent as he stomped rudder to slew himself around in @ tight tum which the German failed to follow. Seconds later, the Focke-Wulf’s pilot went into violent evasive action, suddenly snapped into a spin and never recovered from it, tearing into the ground from the height of 500 feet. ‘The 366th's hero of the day was Melvin Paisley, who on that memorable day over Asch knocked down two Focke-Wulfs (claimed three) and one Messerschmitt 109, including one ‘190 blasted out of the sky with an anti-tank rocket! In his own words... "Another Focke-Wulf lurked fon the deck, an easy target | thought, since his low altitude would pay off. Within seconds I got ont his tail and let go of two rockets. Both were low. Correcting, | fired another two rockets higher and the bandit burst into a massive ball of orange and red flames ‘Once out of ammunition, Paisley rushed to land, taxied to his hard stand and called to his armourer: Load her up! 'm going back out! ‘The more prudent Sgt. Michano jumped onto the ‘wing, hauled Paisley out of the cockpit and sent him running to the nearest slit trench. The bat- tle still raged on and it seemed that all involved parties were shooting wildly at one another. | Moments later a P-51, in hot pursuit of a brace of Messerschmitts, was hit by ftiendly AA gun. ners and struggled to land’. 9 Meliyn Paisley, Acct: Autobiography of o Fighter Pilot .201 + Aiter te bate, the performance of the AA guanes rom "¥.29 was judged sb poor that they were immediately sent off on an aieraft recognition course. Only week earlier ‘another 352nd FG's pilot and the Mustang top ace Ma) George Pred (CO of 328th FS) had been shot down ana kiled by ftenaly antiaircraft Br, 47D starszego typu (ber roplonejostony ki luaksie w czasie Aadoania(alomana lews 9 podwerin). Zaraca tumioszezone na prawojhurcio a krawedil habit, Tego ™ smmetryeaie, po aus, ‘One ofthe older P70 Rarorhacks after a landing accident its ort landing gear strut collapsed). OF mote is cockpit sil. Such mirors ‘were mounted syrmetizally both sides ofthe cociit (see vo. 9.97) for ‘compliment of thee. AolejnyP-470 opuszeza ‘other P.ATD rolls off the assembly ine ofthe Republic ‘lant in Farmingdale Para Thunderbolt 527. BG. FG Na pierwszym planie P-470-27-RE Jeannie WY AY", wer 42-27365), ‘ry lta Lt. Ed Brow. Whey 1945 roku 86. FE Prconiosta sig 7 Mocha Frangji. Pay na ogonie bly ‘rerwone wa bly tle. A brace of Thunderbolts of S2Tth FS 86th FU aka “Candy Supers. nt round P-ATD-2T-RE Jeanne 1(°82", sn 42- 21346) flv by L.Ed Brown. In February 1845 the 86th FE ‘moved from aly to France to ‘support the dive towards the Third Reich, The horizontal ‘stripes onthe tall were red against white background, i pogonit go do okopu. Atak weig trwal i wyda- walo sig, Ze wszyscy strzelajg do wszystkich. Chwile péénie} goniacy pare Messerschmittow niebieskonosy P-51 otrzymal postreat od wle- snej artyleri plot. i z trudem wyladowal Pomimo chaotycznego przebiegu bitwy nad ¥-29, ktéra trwala ok. 45 minut, Kleska Niem- cow byla ewidentna. Trzy Gruppen niemieckiego putku mysliwskiego JG 11, biorace udzial w ata- ku na Totnisko w Asch (i pobliskie ¥32), stracity w sumie ok. 30 samolotow (40% uzytych sil Podpulkownik (Lt. Col.) John Meyer, dow6dea 487. FS, wslawil sig tym, 2e swojego pierwsze -g0 Focke-Wulf tego dia zestrzelil jedng serig {uz po oderwaniu sig od pasa startowego, 2a 4 ho praskayeh doswiadezeniach tego doin obsluga dae proeciwlotniczych 2 ¥:29 zostala karmic odeslana na py Spieszony kurs ozpoznawania simolotdw. Trieh were She} ana nay pilot 352. FG 1 najgkeny 36 Mustang, Maj Geonge Predéy[dowedea 328, FS), rbwniok zest Jony prace wlesng asylerig pla Despite the somewhat chaotic course of events, the battle over Asch, which went on for some three quarters of an hour, proved disas- trous for the attacking Germans. The three Gruppen of Jagdgeschwader 11, which targeted ¥-29 and the adjacent ¥-32, lost a total of ca. 30 aircraft (40% of their initial strength). Lt. Col. John Meyer, the commander of 487th FS, be- ‘came famous for knocking down his first Focke- Wilf on that day just as he was scrambling off the runway, even before the landing gear in his P-51 snapped into the up position. The 487th scored 23 ‘kills’ with no loss to themselves! Nonetheless, the unsung heroes of the battle over ¥-29 were the eight fighter-bomber Tbolts of 390th FS, which broke the German attack at the most critical moment with their daring hhead-on charge and which tied up the assail- ants, allowing the Mustangs to get off the ground. The eight Thunderbolt pilots were ‘credited with destruction of seven enemy air- nim 2daéyl wciagnaé podwozie. Piloci 487. FS zestaelili nad Asch 23 niemieckie mysliwce bez strat wlasnych! Niemnie} jednak, cichymi boha terami bitwy nad ¥-29 bylo osiem mysliwsko- bombowych Thunderboltew 2 390. FS, krére brawurowyam atakiem zwiazay sity przeciwnika, porwalajgc wystartowaé Mustangom, Osmiu pi lotom 2 390. FS pod dowodztwem Cpt. Lowella Smitha uznano zestrzelenie siedmiu napasti- kw (zalosili dwunastu).Jedya strata w 390. FS byt samolot THO Davida Johnsona, ktéry musial slolaé ze swojego postizelanego Thunderbolta i chwile pozniej wroci na lotnisko pozyezonym rowerem. W kieszeni kurtki praywidzt nie aysklazdobycz. Po wyladowvaniu na spadochto: nie Johnson natknaf sig nieopodal na niemiecki mysliviee, Kory ladowal avaryinie, a w jeso kokpicie martwego pilota. Odebrane dokumen- ty, tre Johnson przywidz! z soba, nalezaly do samego Maj. Ginthera Spechta, Geschnaderkom rodoe JG 11 i dowodcy niemieckiego ataku. Zastosowanie bojowe Europa Zachodnia 1945 UYie Eanien ontnlgo sol ny nilet nie mia watplivosei, 2e ostateceny padek Ill Raeszy jest juz tylko kwestiq czasu, Niemiecka ofensywa w Ardenach, ktéra rozpo: zal sig w potowie grudnia 1944 roku, szybko obrécita sie przeciwko samym atakujgcym. Do- craft (they claimed twelve). The squadron's only Joss was the machine flown by F/0 David Johnson, who bailed out and, moments later, returned to. the airfield on a borrowed bicycle. In a pocket of his flying suit he brought an extraordinary trophy. As he floated to the ground on his para: chute, he stumbled upon a German fighter which had bellied in nearby. In the cockpit he found a dead pilot. The documents which F/O Johnson took with him identified that German pilot as none other than Maj. Giinther Specht {posthumously promoted to the rank of Oberst: leutnant), Geschwaderkommodore JG 11 and the leader of the German attack against ¥-29. In Combat - Western Europe 1945 t the start of what was without anyone's doubt the last year of the war, the Ill Reich's ultimate downfall was only a matter of time, The German counteroffensive in the Ardennes, which was launched in mid-December 1944, quickly turned against the attackers, The allied suprem- acy in the air and the enemy's meagre fuel stocks led the Germans to squander away their last panzer divisions in the West for no lasting gains. Although the allies’ most famed troops to fight during the Battle of the Bulge were the ‘American paratroopers besieged in Bastogne, it was the American tactical air force, and within Coes samolotiw 86. FG, tk jk widocny tu P470-27-RE GAT", ner 4226871) 7526. £, nosla mumery seryne ‘wlormie czterech (hit pec) ‘ostatnich cyt na kadai, a ekapote widocene ge havica siediaca wa bomb Some bith FO's machines, like this P-470-27-RE ("41 of last four (or five digi Painted on the fuselage. arly visible fram this angle on the eo isthe squadron's tage P-aTD 93" 1527. FS/ 86 potowaie czare ptasysho cage sie read eanaczen epkananych isi thiesieé — Thanderiotiw 86. F, numer setyiny tj maszyny eit pod hiale-serwonyni pasa na P-A7D codod "43" of S27th FG 86th FS. The Back erowhe ‘ied brandishing a bomb, seen ‘on the cowlng, was the ‘squadron's badge. OF long row of mission sarkers grouped by tens ~ all in all, well over 100 Like in case of many other Bith FG's ‘Thunderbolts, regetaby the ‘etal number ofthis machine Cpt. Raymond L Walsh 2 513, 5/406. FG (2. AF) praoatyje przez kale eksploji, kara spowodawal waliajac waragon wypelniony muni pt. Raymond L Walsh of 513th FS / 406th FG (oth AF) ‘ring trough 2 huge bal of fire, which he triggered wile strafing an ammunition ‘carrying tll ea. alejony most w Bulla nad Mozela,ziszcony 10 ltog0 1945 oka prez Thunerbolty 2305. FS / 368. F6, by trudniéniemieckin wojskom tae - A twos twidge at Bllay ever Moselle, demolished on 10th Febr 1945 by a ight ‘Thunderbolts of 395th S768Uh FG. This was part of the alhaut eft to cut of Gexman troops withéraing the Ardennes ator their the bridge had withstood | ‘numerous attacks by Sth AF ‘medium bombers. | ‘minacja lotnictwa aliant6w i brak paliwa spowo- dowaly, Ze Niemey roztrwonili swoje ostatnie ywizje pancerne na Zachodzie po lasach i he crozach Belgii i Luksemburga, nic nie zyskuiae. 0 ile symbolem tej bitwy stali sig owiani le. genda amerykaiiscy spadochroniarze broniacy oblezonego Bastogne, prawdziwym pogromca niemieckiej ofensywy bylo amerykatiskie lot- hhictwo taktyczne, zdominowane przez ni zastapione Thunderbolty. Ich rola w zimowym zwyciestwie w Ardenach zostala oméwiona w poprzednie| czesci te] monografil Kiedy Niemcow zawiodta pogoda, na ktéra, tak bardzo liczyli, probowali rozprawic si zalianckim lotnictwem taktycenym na ziemi Rankiem 1 stycznia 1945 roku ponad 900 sam lotéw Luftwaffe — w tym praktycanie wszystki putki mystiwskie stacjonujace na Zachodzie — ruszyto do ataku na lotniska alianckie rozmiesz- czone na terytorium Francji, Holandii i Belgii. Operacja ,Bodenplatte” byla ostatnim na taka its ranks by far and foremost Thunderbolts, that won the day for the Allies. Their role in that winter victory was coved in the previous vol ume of this monograph. When Germans could no longer count on bad weather to keep the allied tactical arpower off the skies over the ‘Bulge’, they resolved 10 neutralize it on the ground. In the morning of Ist January 1945 over 900 Luftwaffe aiteraft ~ practically all German fighter units in the West = set upon numerous allied forward airfields in France, Netherlands and Belgium. Operation “Bodenplatte” was to be the last all-out and, in fact, suicidal spurt of the German air force in this war. The allied losses on that day amounted to ca, 350 aircraft clestroyel and 220 damaged, a vast majority of them on the ground. Never- theless, to Germans these claims had to be painfully offset by the fact that in a single fore- noon the Luftwaffe lost over 200 pilots and close to 300 aircraft, including estimated 30% shot down by... German Flak! Allied antiaircraft gunners fared no better, blasting away at any aircraft within their range, but fortunately for the attackers most of them were by far less ac- ‘curate than their German counterparts The “Bodenplatte” was, by and large, di rected against the airfields of the British 2nd Tactical Air Force, but arguably the most famous clash during the New Year's attack took place over ¥-29 at Asch, Belgium. At A-89 in Le Culot, crowded with Thunderbolts of 36th and 373td FGs, the Germans badly missed out as dozens of Messerschmitts and Focke-Wilfs from three Gruppen of JG 4... got lost on the way. Another airbase of 9th AF's Thunderbolts targeted on Ist January was A-92, the home of 48th and 404th FGs. Here the German pilots of JG 2 and SG 4 had no problems locating their target ~ they were attacking the former Luftwaffe night stale, samobdjezym wreez zrywem niemieckie 20 lotnictwa w tej wojnie. Straty aliantow wy: riasly okolo 350 samolotéw zniszczonyeh 1 220 uszkoézonych. Jednak nawet ta lczba nie mo la zr6wnowaiy¢ faktu, 2e w jedno przedpotu Anie Luftwafe stracila ponad 200 pilotéw i bl: sko 300 samolotw, w tym ~ jak szacuje sig — cholo 30 zestrzelonych... przez wlasna artyle tig przeciwiotnicza! Nie popisali sie réwnied alancey aryerayici, strelajac do wszysthiego, co przlatywalo w ich zasiegu. Na szczeScie dla atakajacych byli dudo gorszymi strzelcami, niz ich niemiecey odpowiedhnicy. Operacia ,Bodenplatte” bya w dude] mie r2e wymierzona w lotniska brytyiskiej 2. Tak tyemne) Armit Lotnicze}, jednak boda} najsiyn ni)seabiwe powietrana w trakcie noworocznego ataku Niemey stoceyli 2 Amerykanami: wiasnie nad lotniskiem ¥.29 w Asch w Belgi. Lotnisko ‘wie Culot (A-$9), gézie stacjonowaly Thunder bolty 36. 373. FG, nie zostalo zaatakowane, sya klkadziesigt Messerschmittow i Focke- Wolow z trzech Gruppen JG 4... pogubilo sig po dhodte. Kolenym zaatakowanym tego dnia lot- riskem, na ktdrym stacjonowaly Thunderbolty 9, AF (8. FG £404. FG), byto A-82. Tym razem niemieecy plac [JG 2 i SG 4) nie mieli klopo- tw ze malezieniem przeciwnika ~ atakowali bylg baze mysvedw nocnych Luftwaffe w St. “ond w Belgii. Tu wysokie straty w sprzecie Amerykanie zawdzigczali dosé beztroskiemu ustawieniu samolotw biisko siebie. Sama 48. FG stacia na A92 ponad 20 samolot6w. Tam gdzie Amerykanie trail spragt, Niemcy traci ludzi, cagsto bezcenaych. WSréd Niemcow w ataku na St Trond zgingl min. dowddea JG 2, Hptm. Geog SehrOder. Z tego lotu nie powrdcit row. niet Obst. Aled Druschel, Kammodare SG 4. Hell Hawks", cryli 365. FG, przeniesli sig na lomisko ¥-34 w Metz-Freseaty zaledwie kilka fighter base at St. Trond. High losses in aircraft at A-92 can be attributed to a little careless clumping of both groups’ Thunderbolts ~ 48th FG alone lost 20. Nonetheless, where Americans were losing machines, the Germans were losing men, many of them practically irreplaceable. Among those who failed to return from the at- tack against St. Trond were Hptm, Georg Schri- der, Kommandeur 11JG 2 and Obst. Alfred Drus- chel, Kommodore SG 4. The ‘Hell Hawks’ aka. 365th FG moved to ¥.34 at Metz-Frescaty only a couple of days eat lier. This airfield lay far to the south of the at- P-ATD.AO-RE(,4P-",alser 4.20135) 1513. FS / 405, FG 1a lotnisku w Lechfld. Jako ‘rest amerykaskich sit okapacyiych,jenostha pozestala w Miemezech do Slorpia 1946 ola. PoATD-3O-RE ("APX", sin 44- 20435) of 513th FS / 406th FG at Lechel, U.S, The group remained in Germany alter the war as part ofthe US. Occupation Force unl August 1986 rad Thunderbolt 1513. F406. FG na lotnishu w Lechield a pierwsaym lanieP-470-30-RE (PX ls 44-20835), ‘line-up of Thunderbolts of 513th FS / 406th FB at Lechel. Inthe foregroun PAATD-IU-RE ("4P sin 0.70835). | wArdenach natarcie w Alzacii | Metz-Frescaty rzucono wigc trzy Gruppen pulku dni wezesnie}. Ta baza lezala daleko na pol dnie od gléwnego obszaru noworoczneg0 ata: ku, jednak dla Niemc6w byla priorytetowym celem. W tym rejonie mili wlasnie rozpoczaé operaci¢ .Nordwind” — odciazajace wojska Do ataku na IG 53. Piloci IIL Gruppe jako pierwsi ze swojego pulku mieli sie przekonac, 2e whrew ich oczeki- waniom posylwestrowy kac bynajmniej nie uzie- mil alianckiego lotnictwa, Niedlugo po starcie z Kirlach, pomigdzy Kaiserslautern i Pirmasens, niisko lecace Messerschmitty 109 z lILJG 53 zo- staly opadnigte przez Thunderbolty 2 358. FG © charakterystycznych, pomaraiczowych ogo- nach. Zmuszona do odrzucenia dodatkowych zbiomikéw z paliwem i mocno paturbowana Gruppe zawrécita do Kirrlach. W potyezce straci {a dziewigé maszyn (wszyscy piloci ratowali sig skokiem ze spadochronem, na swoje szezescie ladujac jeszcze na terenie Niemiec|. Na koniec dhia 358. FG dopisala do swojego Konta w su- mie 15 zwycigstw, z czego az 13 jeden dywi | zion, 367. FS (potroinym zwycigzca zostal Lt. Wayne E. Owens). Z kolei Amerykanie w poran- nym starciu z Il/JG 53 stracili tylko jednego hhunderbolta, ktdrego staranowat pilot 12. Staffel. Tymezasem gospodarze lotniska w Metz: Frescaty od rana realizowali sw6j staly ,grafik. 387. FS zdazyt wykonaé jué pierwsze zadani atak na cele kolejowe w okolicy St. Ingbert — iwracal do bazy, a 388. FS kierowal sig na pa- trol ofensywny (armed rece) w rejonie Hombur- ga, kiedy oba dywizjony wezwano do obrony wlasnego lotniska. Na pasie startowym ¥-34 wlasnie rozgrzewaly silnikt samoloty 386, FS, tackers’ main target area, but was high on their priority list. In this sector of the front, on the very same day, Germans launched the Opera- tion “Nordwind”, which was to give some respite to their hard-pressed troops in the Ardennes. Hence, as many as three Gruppen of G53 were tasked with knocking the Metz-Fres caty airbase and its occupants out of action, The pilots of Ill. Gruppe were the first ones of their Geschwader to realize that, far from their expectations, the day-after hangover did not ground the allied air force. Shortly after take-off from their base in Kirrlach, somewhere betw Kaiserslautern and Pirmasens, the low-flying. “109s of ILJG 53 were bounced by orange | tailed Thunderbolts of 358th FG. The badly | mauled Gruppe, forced to jettison their drop tanks, turned for home. In this skirmish it lost nine machines (all nine pilots safely bailed out fortunately for them before ctossing the front- line). At the end of the day 358th FG tallied 15 victories, including 13 by one squadron, 367th FS (Lt. Wayne E, Owens scored three). On the other hand, during the moming scrap with II, JG 53 the Americans lost only one Thunderbolt rammed by a pilot of 12. Staffel. Meanwhile, at Metz-Frescaty it was a usual busy day. 387th FS just completed its first | morning mission ~ interdicting railway traffic in St. Ingbert area ~ and was heading back to base, whilst 388th FS flew out on an armed, ‘rece’ around Homburg. when both squadrons | were urgently called back. It was 09:30 and machines of 386th FS were just lining up on the runway prior to take-off, when Messerschmitts of the JG 53's two remaining Gruppen flashed | above ¥-34 with guns blazing, The losses on the sowees kiedy ok, godziny 09:30 nad lotnisko wpadly Messerschmitty pozostalych dwéch Gruppen JG 53, zasypujac ogniem stojace na ziemi Thunder: bolt. Straty w sprzecie byly znaczne: 386, FS stracl az 19 maszyn, 387. FS kolejne dziesicé, 388, FS jedna, Wezwane na pomoc Thunder: bolty 2387. 1 388. FS przybyty nad Metz-Fresca 1 za pééno i pomimo poscigu nie wziely udzia- Ww w starciu, Tym niemniej, dostarczenie do 365, FG trzydziestu nowych samolotow nie sta nowilo dla Amerykandw wiekszego problemu, podczas gdy pulk JG 53 w trakcie calej operacii strait kilkunastu pilotéw. Kiedy na prayfrontowych lotniskach obie walezace strony robily rachunek strat i zyskow a noworoczne bitwie, w Anglii nastapity istot- re zmiany w ostatnich dww6ch jednostkach 8. AF vwcigé lataigeyeh na P-47. 31 grudnia 1944 roku, W trakcie eskorty cig2kich hombowcow nad Hamburg, Cpt. Julius Maxwell 2 84. FS (78. FG) dostrzegllecacego przed siebie samotnego Fw 190, jakby niepomnego toczacej sie wok6t woj- yi bezceremonialnie zestrzelil go zanim Nie~ mice zdgéyt zareagowat. Bylo to ostatnie zwy: gstwo 78. FG na Thunderbolcie. Jednostka, lotajgca juz od miesigca w mieszanych forma- Gach Mustangéw i Thunderboltow, wykonata swoia ostatnig misig na P47 nastepnego dia, Istycnia 1945 roku, Do czasu przezbrojenia na PI pilotom 78. FG uznano zniszczenie 239.5 samolotw Luftwaffe w powietrau i 142 ni ziemi. W tym samym okresie 78. FG stracita 167 pilotow. Daiesigciu pilatew jednostki miato ra koncie ponad pigé zestrzeled. Kiedy 78. FG adawala swoje Thunderbolty, na czele listy aséw jednostki weig2 widniato nazwisko niezy- jacego juz wowezas Maj. Quince Browna z 84 ground were serious, albeit in machines only: the 386th wrote off 19 of its Thunderbolts, the 387th another ten and 388th FS one. The two squadrons, summoned back to repel the attack, arrived too late to intervene. Nonetheless, de- livering 30 new machines to 365th FG was well within the Americans’ logistic capabilities and it didn’t take more than a couple of days, while JG 53 lost 18 pilots, including ten KIA. While, in the wake of the New Year’s battle, both sides fighting along the frontline were ‘weighing. gains against losses, in England mo- ‘mentous events were taking place in both Vill Fighter Command's outfits still flying Thunder bolts. On the last day of 1944, during an escort PAATD-IORA (13-4, ls 4433373) 1812 F506. FG. P-A7D.AO-RA ("3-8 sla 44-3397) of 5120 FADE cs Stacja roxzadona ‘wlleumark in der Oberpale niodaleko Horymbergi 30 wry Thunderblton UX TAC, lotone} 10 hvietnia 1845 roku Mearsklling yous at erate eat Haremberg visited by Thunderbolts of KIX TAC on ‘0th Api 1986. P-ATMA-RE ire Bal (UK, igor 84-21225)z 63. FSIS. 6, na dey lata Ut. Philip uh; Boxed, Angh, wiosna 1985 rok, ‘sping 1945. PeATMI-RE Fire Ball "UN", sin 94-21225) of 63rd FSH FG, the regular mount of Lt Philp Nat; Boxted, UK, FS (12,5 zwyciestwa, nie liczae samolotéw zniszczonych na ziemi), ktory we wrzesniu 1944 roku zostat zestrzelony przez Flak, schwy- tany i zamordowany w nie do kovica jasnych okolicznosciach, wa dni pééniej do bazy 56. FG w Boxted dotarl pierwszy P-47M. Dzigki nowym Thunder- boltom ta wyborowa jednostka miata, przynaj- mnie w zamysle, wyrdwnaé swoje szanse w ry- walizacji z Mustangami. P-47M byl hybryda platowea P-47D z nowym silnikiem 2800-57 (0), praeznaczonym dla wcigz niegotowego P-47N. Miat byé te2 mile widzianym wsparciem dla pilotow, ktorzy coraz czescie} walcayliz dys- Ponujacymi swietnymi osiqgami , L Balle, op. cit, 5 133, P-47 7 o kode bocznym 827° 2300, FS / 366. FG Idowaviu x weignigtym odciem w Fag, 1 ‘rere 1946 roku. This P-47 coded “B27 of 390th FS/3660hF6 beth landed at Fritlaron 1st Jane 1946 Thunderioty 86. £6 wisze20ne ‘a lotnisha w Schweinarcie ‘red powratem personely jdnosti do Stanow ‘edaocronych w nt 1986 roku, W tle widoceny P38 Lightning try ~ sadzac po ezerwone ily p oyonie — 2sta pri eer Thunderbolts of 8th F6 salvaged at Schweinurt air base before the wits return to States in February 1906 Of the background, with distinctive “candy stipes’ over its tal Rankiem jeden z pilotow 362. FG wypatrayt w okolicy Priim skupisko taboréw 6. Pancerne} Armil SS, oszacowane na 1500 pojazdéw! Nie- dlugo poznie} rozpoznanie lotnicze doniosto o kolejne} grupie kilkuset niemieckich pojaz- déw, stloczonych w oczekiwaniu na przeprawe przez rzeke Our, na granicy Luksemburga i Nie- miec, przez jeden z nielicznych ocalalych w oko licy mostéw w Dasburgu. W tym miejscu do kotica dnia 368. FG zglosita zniszczenie 422 Pojazdéw mechanicanych wroga. W tym czasie ‘Thunderbolty 362. FG systematycanie zmienialy -gigantyczny ,parking” pod Priim w dymigce zlo- mowisko, zglaszajac na koniec dnia zniszczenie 312 pojazdéw, 11 czolgéw, szesciu pojazdéw opancerzonych i kilkudziesigciu dzial. Nad Priim sprowadzono réwniez pozostate jednost- ki Thunderbolt z XIX TAC gen, Wayland: 405. FG (ktora, wedlug zgloszeti pilotw, po- zbawila niemiecka armig Stodkéw transportu wilosci 179 sztuk) 1 406. FG (kolejne 119). Wogniu artylerii przeciwlatnicze| najwyasze straty poniosta 362. FG, ktora stracila czterech pilotéw (trzech z nich polegto). Rowniez Thun. derbolty IX TAC gen. Quesady spedzity pracowi- cie 22 stycznia. 366. FG wzigla na cel Priim, quently summed it up: “The Kraut stuck his head in a meat grinder. And this time Ive got hold of the handle”. Very much so, Thuncler- bolts of XIX TAC, whtich had been spearheading his Third Army so competently, on 22nd January 1945 inflicted enemy casualties proportional only to the tremendous carnage in the Falaise pocket. Early in the morning near Priim one of 362nd FC's pilots detected a concentration of various transports belonging to the elite 6th $S Panzer Army, estimated at 1500 vehicles! Short ly afterwards a photo-reconaissance aircraft brought back news of another group of German vehicles, counting several hundred, in Dasburg at the German-Luxembourg border), stuck in a huge tralfficjam at one of the few surviving bridges spanning the Our river. This congrega tion was taken care of by 368th FG, which by the end of the day claimed 422 mechanised transports destroyed. Meanwhile 362nd FG sys- tematically tured the SS “parking lot” at Priim into a huge, smouldering junkyard, claiming 312 vehicles, 11 tanks, 6 armoured carriers and dozens of artillery pieces before the day was out, Other Thunderbolt outfits of Gen, Way- 7 sls aglaszajae zniszczenie main. 294 cigzarowek 116 ransportersw opancerzonych, podczas gy 404, FG atakowala oba wykryte skupiska pojaz- Bw, pod Prim i w okolicy mostu w Dasburgu’. Chociad walka z odrzutowa Wunderwaffe byla slg rzeczy domeng Mustangéw z powodu ich olbraymiego zasiegu operacyjnego, dziataja- ¢e townie nad liniami frontu Thunderbolty 9. AF rownie? uzbieraly imponujca liste zestrze- les odrautowcdw. Sposrdd pilotéw 9. AF pierw- sae dva 2apisali na swoje konta Lt. Oliven Co- ‘wan 2 365. FG i Lt. David Fox 2 366. FG, oba ‘wywalezone 22 lutego 1945 roku. Tego dnia ruszyla operacja ,Clarion” ~ zma- sowany atak polaczonych sil RAF oraz amery- kafskich 8,,9.1 15. Armil Lotniczych na system transportowy ~ rzeczny, Kolejowy i drogowy — Na posse DS. Parker, To Win The Winter Sky (roziah MI Slaughter at Dasburg land's XIX joined in over Priim — 405th FG re ported destruction of 179 German vehicles and 406th FG another 119. The 362nd FG hit hard- est but also suffered most, losing four of its pi lots to Flak (three of them perished). The tar- gets in both areas were so plentiful that they ‘were shared with Gen. Quesada's IX TAC. 366th FG targeted the area around Priim, claiming 294 trucks and 16 armoured carriers knocked out, while 404th FG split its forces to tackle both enemy concentrations at Priim and by the bridge in Dasburg®. Although battling the jet Wunderwajfe was, by the force of things, the domain of 8th AF’s Mustangs due to their outstanding range, also Sth AF's Thunderbolts racked up an impressive score of ‘et victories’. First two were chalked © fused on excellent book by D'S. Parke, To Wn The Winter Sy leapter XXIN Slaughter at Dasburg") PTB ws 41-5830) w aie Samet w astatecns ontgragi serch P78 478 ai 1-583) in gt This srr epreseats the imate appearance a the cvlved PTB. chylony do prod masit antenoey W 1984 rok pozostajace m sii P-47B praokwalifhowano na RP-478 (od Restricted fram combat use") AT (sin 41-5831) ote the characteristic tena mast slanted In 1988 the P-87Bs sil i service were re-designated the RPA (where the letter °W stood for‘Resticted frm combat use!) Aight. Farmacia P.A7B w lacie. Widoceny na pierwscym plane eazomplar sin 91-5902 ma ‘dodatiowe okxa po bokach biet Kauai plaska edna szyhe wietochren, Te dodathowe ohna otymala ierwsayeh 11 serinych P.ATB. Tec samalot w tej foxmaci to prototyp XP-478, formation of P4785 in flight. The s/n 41-5802 in the foreground is equipped with tional rear-aision gazing aft ofthe cockpit. These sazings were present onthe first 11 serial P-A7Bs. The second aircraft isthe XP.478 rototye. na terenie Ill Rzeszy. Efekty byly miazdzqce. Dla przykladu, tylko tego jednego dnia 404. FG zniszczyla 25 lokomotyw, 124 wagony kolejowe oraz zerwala tory w 24 miejseach. Tego dnia Lt. Oliven Cowan, prowadzacy sekcje biala (white flight) 2 388, FS (365. FG), odebrat meldunek kontroli naziemnej 0 czterech Me 262 ostrze- liwujacych wojska alianckie na autostradzie w okolicy Diiren; jego cztery Thunderbolty byly w poblizu. Kiedy po chwili spostrzegli w dole odrzutowee, Cowan pehnat déwignie przepust- niey do korica iz wysokoSci ponad 3000 me- tréw ruszyl w dé. Po chwili predkosciomierz jego P-47 wskazywat ponad 500 mil na godzing (800 knvh). Pilot Me 262 2 KG 51 nie wykonal 2adnego uniku, nie spostrzeg} ataku, Potgzna sal- wa pélealowych pociskéw raucita nim © ziemig. Po poludniut tego samego dnia, 22 lutego, eaternascie odrzutowych Arado Ar 234 bombar- dowalo zgrupowanie wojsk alianckich w okalicy Aachen. Jednego z nich, pilotowanego przez do- \wdeg 9KG 76, Hpum, Josepha Reglera, ostrzelal celnie Lt. David Fox 2 391, FS, zmuszajac do awa- ryinego ladowania w pobliau Segelsdort. W lutym 1945 roku, kiedy 354. FG odzyska- fa swoje Mustangi, je} Thundesbolty przejela 367. FG, latajaca do tej pory na P-38 Lightning, ‘Tymezasem w 56. FG problemy 2 nowym war | riantem Thunderbolta mnozyly sig. Na dudych wysoknéciach nowe silniki tracily moc lub zu: pelnie gasly. Szwankowala te2 korelacja prze- pustnicy i ustawien turbosprezarki. W kovicu, 26 lutego 1945 roku, wszystkie 67 sztuk P-47M, Ktérymi dysponowata jednostka, zostalo zi mionych’, a w bazie 56. FG pojawilo sig pare Mustangow, by piloci mogli ~ na wszelki wypa- dek = zapoznaé sie z nowym typem mysliwea. Stacjonujac jak pozostale jednostki mystiw- skie 8. AF w Anglli, 56. FG miala te inny powai- nny problem ~ niedostateczny zasieg swoich sa up by Lt, Oliven Cowan of 365th FG and Lt. David Fox of 366th FG, both on 22nd February 1945. That day also saw the launch of Opera- tion “Clarion” — the ultimate, all-out, joint effort of 8th, 9th and 15th U.S. Air Forces as well as the RAF against the Reich's rail, road and river transportation system. As could be expected, the Thunderbolts’ daily scores soared — 404th FG alone destroyed 25 locomotives, 124 wag: cons and cut rails in 24 spots. Lt. Oliven Cowan, the White Flight Leader of 388th FS, was nati fied by ground control operator that four Me 262s were strafing troops at an Autobahn near Diiren. When moments later Cowan spotted the jets far below, he shoved the throttle to the fire wall and swooped down for a ‘kill. The hand of the airspeed indicator on his Thunderbolts in strument panel spun wildly until it pointed over 500 mph. The pilot of Me 262 of KG 51 did not attempt any evasive manoeuvre, and most proba bly never knew what hit him. A mighty burst of eight ‘fifties’ threw him against the ground. In the aftemoon of the same 22nd February fourteen Arado Ar 234 jet bombers attacked ‘woop concentration near Aachen. One of them, flown by Hptm. Joseph Regler, Stafflkapitan 9G. 76, was intercepted by Lt. David Fox of 391st FS and forced to crash-land near Segelsdort. In February 1945, when 354th FG was al lowed to convert back to Mustangs, its Thunder bolts were issued to 367th FG, which hitherto flew P38 Lightnings. Meanwhile, 56th FG strug gled with its troublesome P-47Ms. At altitude the hnew engines tended to run rough or worse, cut out completely. These problems were finally at tributed to faulty ignition leads and poor correla tion of power settings. Nevertheless, when it was discovered that uring their sea voyage to Eu- rope some engines corroded, on 26th February all P-47Ms in the 56th’s inventory were ground- te nolotdw Paradoksalnie, ich nowy docelowy my: Siwviee, P-47M — najszybszy samolot 2 napgdem tbkowym II wojny Swiatowej — tylko pogorszy1 sytuacie w tym wzgledzie, zuzywajac jeszcze ‘wigce) paiva nid jego poprzednilk, P.47D. Spra- ve dadatkowo komplikowal fakt, ze piloci 56. FG chili 2a wszelka ceng pozbyé sig ze swoich mnaseyn podskraydlowych pylonéw. Chociaz kad: Az nich még przenosié 150-galonowy zbiornik paliwem, pylony zwigkszaly opér powietrza, atym samym ograniczaly predkos¢ i zwrotnosé, co da 56, FG, .rasowej” jednostki mysliwskie) milo Kluczowe znaczenie. Pewnym rozwigza iem okazal sig specjalny, zaprojektowany spe- tiie na zaméwienie 56, FG, podkadubowy zbior rik na 215 galon6w [813 litréw). Oczywiscie takie ronwigzanie bylo tylko potowiczne, gdyz podsta wwowym problemem byla abyt mala ilosé paliwa Pozostajgca w wewnetranych Komorach samolo- {w po odraucenia zbiomikéw clodatkowych. Z powodu przeciagajacyeh sig problemow zwprowadzeniem do sluzby P.47M, dopiero Wwpolawie marca, po wymianie wszystkich sini P47 T ee ed. Furthermore, the group was issued several P.51 Mustangs to get the pilots to familiarize themselves with the type — just in case, Being stationed along with other 8th AF units in England, 56th FG had another problem to cope with — insufficient range. Paradoxically, their new fighter, the fastest piston-

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