March 4, 1944, 22nd victory

Bingham, Aldrich U 1, Pawlak, Deeds, Edwards U 2, Watson U 3

Lewis, Theil U 4, W. McGee U 5, Kunz, Bullard, Schmidt

Rook, Clark, Schillereff, Coble, Heberlein, Boatright

Pollard, Brink, Thompson, Cahill, Pederson.

Pilots from 382 Fighter Squadron 363rd Fighter Group
P-51B Mustang

Thak you so much Jim Brink (2nd left first rank) for sharing photo

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Searches concerning this victory :

progress of the search

3.5

Last update

January 27 , 2004

Evaluation quality of information

2

The mission of the USAAF

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COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES

SATURDAY, 4 MARCH 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS :
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force) :

Mission 247:

502 B-17s are dispatched to hit industrial areas in the suburbs of Berlin ; bad weather forces aircraft to either turn back or hit targets of opportunity and only 1 wing attacks the primary target and a total of 249 bomb.
15 B-17s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 120 damaged; casualties are 3 KIA, 11 WIA and 141 MIA.
Targets: 100 hit Bonn, 35 hit Cologne, 33 hit Dusseldorf, 30 hit Berlin/Klein Machnow, 7 hit Frankfurt and 33 hit other targets of opportunity.
B-24s were also dispatched but abort because of the weather.

Escort is provided by 86 P-38s, 563 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 121 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s ; 24 fighters were lost. Details are:

1. P-38s : 4 lost, 2 damaged beyond repair, 1 damaged ; casualties are 1 KIA and 4 MIA.

2. P-47s claim 3-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground ; 4 P-47s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 5 damaged; casualties are 3 MIA.

3. P-51s claim 5-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft ; 16 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged ; casualties are 1 KIA and 16 MIA.

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P-51 declared lost on March 4, 1944 (current result of my works) :

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Sources : MACR

serial number	plane type	squadron	code	reason	mission lost on	pilot
43-6366	P51B-5-NA	354FG 353FS	FT-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location North Sea	2nd Lt. Robert G. Silva KIA MACR 2805
43-6435	P51B-5-NA	363FG 382FS	C3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location North Sea	2nd Lt. Wilbur E. McGee 5 KIA MACR 2849
43-6492	P51B-5-NA	363FG 382FS	C3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location North Sea	2nd Lt. John H. Theil 4 KIA MACR 2850
43-6493	P51B-5-NA	363FG 382FS	C3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location North Sea	1st Lt. Joseph R. Edwards 2 KIA MACR 2848
43-6619	P51B-5-NA	363FG 381FS	B3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location Channel	2nd Lt. Theodore D. Owings KIA MACR 3072
43-6645	P51B-5-NA	363FG 381FS	B3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location Channel	2nd Lt. Victor G. Gustafson KIA MACR 3070
43-6694	P51B-5-NA	363FG 382FS	C3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location North Sea	1st Lt. Lester F. Aldrich 1 KIA MACR 2847
43-6786	P51B-5-NA	4FG 336FS	VF-?	crashed at Framlingham upon return	Berlin	Lt. Robert H. Richards - KIA
43-6810	P51B-5-NA	4FG 335FS	WD-R		Berlin Crash location Berlin	1st Lt. Hugh A. Ward KIA MACR 3047
43-6814	P51B-5-NA	363FG 382FS	C3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location North Sea	F/O Willie D. Collins KIA MACR 2852
43-6853	P51B-5-NA	357FG 364FS	C5-?	Flak	Berlin Crash location near Breitenhees or West of Magdeburg	Capt. John L. Medeiros POW MACR 2789
43-6919	P51B-5-NA	363FG 381FS	B3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location Channel	2nd Lt. Burr L. Sullivan KIA MACR 3074
43-6924	P51B-5-NA	363FG 381FS	B3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location Channel	2nd Lt. Leonard A. Polley KIA MACR 3073
43-6951	P51B-5-NA	363FG 381FS	B3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location Channel	2nd Lt. Louis Moyer KIA MACR 3071
43-6975	P51B-5-NA	363FG 382FS	C3-?	Weather Conditions	Berlin Crash location Channel	2nd Lt. James E. Watson 3 KIA MACR 2851
43-7004	P51B-5-NA	4FG 335FS	WD-U	Mechanical Failure	Berlin bailed out over Holland	1st Lt. Paul M. Ellington POW MACR 3051
43-12158	P51B-1-NA	354FG 353FS	FT-?	Panne de carburant	Berlin Crash location North Sea	2nd Lt. Edward F. Fox KIA MACR 2804

- - - Special thanks to Martin Kyburz (Swiss Mustangs) for his help - - -

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Elements to direct searches :

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Source : book "Tales to noses over BERLIN, The 8th Air Force missions" Ray Bowden

4 march, 1944

9AF's 363FG was surprised by Me 109s of II./JG1 (in fact II./JG11) with devastating résults . The combined effect of the Luftwaffe and the weather cost them 11 Mustangs, ene third of their dispatched force.
This would be the highest loss suffered by any P-51 group escorting any 8AF bomber mission to any target.

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Description of this victory by Heinz Knoke and different information :

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	Heinz Knoke Informations	Personal comments
Source	I flew for the f... page 146
Date	March 3, 1944	There might be an error on the date: bloodbath told by knoke was on March 4, 1944. it's the date I choose to publish but it need serious investigations in Germany, near Hamburg in the region of Square CA-4/7 and in the German archives.
Type of claimed plane	Mustang
Place of the interception	Over Hamburg
Crash Location		Square CA-4/7
Presumed mission USAAF	Hamburg	In fact the target was Berlin. A (little) part of the engaged bombers not having heard the order of reminder, it was decided by general Kepner to supply them the necessary escort. The 363FG was a part of it.
Presumed route USAAF
Schedule		Wunstorf's takeoff Victory : 12.05 (Source REVI+)
Weather report	During attack Knoke mention "Several of them (P-51s) are in flames before they can reach the clouds"	Clouds
Knoke's Unit	5./JG11 (18 Bf 109 of II./JG11)
Description of the fight	Knoke is in temporary command of the II./JG11. Only 18 Bf 109 on 40 take off. Over Hamburg they attack, from the sun, some 60 Mustangs 3000 feet below. Its a complete surprise for the American pilots !
Detail 1	"One literally disintegrates under fire from my guns"	A sure victory.
Detail 2	Knoke does not mention a parachute.	The pilot probably did not survive.
Detail 3	In the evening report from Division : the wreckage of no fewer than 12 crashed Mustangs had been found in map reference sectors Ceasar-Anton 4 and 7.	11 P-51 were lost by the unfortunate 363 Fighter group!

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