Interesting Stats on US Fighter Kills by Aircraft and Theater

[Seadog36]

How the hell does the P-47 score "696.67" kills in the PTO  ?

Maybe a P-26 got the other .33 of a kill  Bummer for the jug pilot who had 4.67 kills and that pesky pea shooter finishes him off, robbing him of an Ace. Happens to me in FSO all the time...

I wonder what percentage of those 127.5 P-61 kills were in the dark?

[Seadog36]

EDIT:

I am unfamiliar with the Mosquito kill.  American pilots did get kills in the Mossie, but those were in the RAF or RCAF.  We did want the Mosquito as a nightfighter, but we never obtained them as far as I know.  I wonder if we got one of them to use for service trials and got a kill on it?

Scherf might know.

According to the USAF Museum web site~

"Although best known for their service with the Royal Air Force, Mosquitoes were also flew in several U.S. Army Air Force units as photographic and weather reconnaissance aircraft and as a night fighter. During the war, the USAAF acquired 40 Canadian Mossies and flew them under the American F-8 (photo reconnaissance) designation. In addition, the British turned over more than 100 Mosquitoes to the USAAF under Reverse Lend-Lease."

Maybe there was a US Mossie nightfighter victory?

[Rino]

The chart gave the P-61 127.5 kills.

EDIT:

I am unfamiliar with the Mosquito kill.  American pilots did get kills in the Mossie, but those were in the RAF or RCAF.  We did want the Mosquito as a nightfighter, but we never obtained them as far as I know.  I wonder if we got one of them to use for service trials and got a kill on it?

Scherf might know.

     Sorry, must have missed it the first time 

[Squire]

The USAAF flew just two groups of Spits in the MED; the 31st and 52nd Fighter Groups. They flew Spitfires from August 1943 to April 1944. Only 8 months on combat ops before converting to domestic US types.

[Brooke]

Maybe there was a US Mossie nightfighter victory?

Lou Luma was an American with 5 or more victories in a night-fighter Mosquito.  But it might be that most or all of them occurred while he was still in the RCAF.

[Scherf]

Lou Luma's victories were all with the intruders of 418 Squadron, RCAF. He was serving in the USAAF at the time, wore their uniform and all. He was later obliged to join a USAAF unit on Mossies. IIRC he was grumpy about it, but orders is orders. Think he ended up in the weather recce birds of the 25th BG.

The US Mosquito kill was with the 416th NFS in the MTO. From memory it was in February of 1945, something of a Pyrrhic (sp?) victory as the crew were unable to find their way through fog to their base so baled out instead.

Have full details of the Mossie and its crew, and IIRC also of their victim. Will post later.

[Scherf]

28/29 February 1945 (so my info anyway, not sure offhand if it was leap year or not...)

416th Night Fighter Squadron, Mosquito NF.30 MM476, Captain Lawrence E. Englert and 2nd Lieutenant Earl R. Dickey.

"Every night at around nine o’clock for several weeks during the winter 1945, a German Ju-188 reconnaissance aircraft would fly over the American air base of Pontedera, Italy. Because of the regularity of these overflights, the intruder was nicknamed “Recon Charley”. On the night of the February 28, however, a de Havilland Mosquito was readied with USAAF Capt. Larry Englert al the controls and Lt. Earl Dichney working the radar. When the Ju-188 reappeared on the scene like a clockwork, the Mosquito took off in pursuit. The night fighter located Recon Charley but because of the Mosquito’s rapid closure rate it was in dangerous proximity to the target at the time the pilot opened the fire. The Ju-188, caught unaware of the Mosquito’s presence, began to disintegrate. Some of the debris struck the Mosquito, harming the engines and causing hydraulic damage. Upon return to Pontedera, the limping aircraft was greetedby a fog blanketing the base. Able to spot the glow of the runway lights, Captain Englert manoeuvred the Mosquito over the faint landmarks, and than, with Lieutenant Dickey bailed out. These two members of the 416th Night Fighter Squadron not only survived, but became the only Americans to achieve a confirmed victory flying a British built Mosquito during World War II.
E/A Ju 188D-2 of 4(F)./122,Shot down NW of Cremona at about 2300 hour by a Mosquito night fighter while returning from a night photo recce over Naples, 100%, 4 KIA (including pilot Ltn. Fritz Wollert) and 1 WIA (Fw. Heinz Schlenaider). Il ricognitore era uno Ju-188D-2 W.Nr.230412 del 4° Staffeln. Questi bimotori avevano a bordo due macchine fotografiche per la ripresa notturna NRb (Nachtreihenbildkamera) 40/25 opppure NRb 50/25. "

Sources: Serial number from Norman Malayney. Details from http://www.analisidifesa.it/numero13/eng/stoeng-uniquen.htm. E/A details from http://www.wekusta.co.uk/html/february_1945.html . Italian-language details from http://www.analisidifesa.it/numero13/storia-unabbat-notturnounico.htm  Information on Schlenaider from http://www.luftwaffedata.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Aufkl._Gr._122_Feb_1945

[Scherf]

Rather wonderful pic of a 416th NFS Mossie here:

http://www.57thfightergroup.org/pictures/james_hare/pisa2.html

Click on it and it expands to quite a large size. Large enough, in fact, that a Mossie parked in the background appears to have US Stars and Bars on the port wing, RAF roundel on the starboard. Also note the RAF fin flash still on the Mossie in foreground, despite US markings on the fuselage.

Early-styly NF.30 exhausts, which gave trouble. Later ones had louvered openings in the flame damper below each exhaust stub.

Generally wonderful site all-round, really.

[Seadog36]

Rather wonderful pic of a 416th NFS Mossie here:

http://www.57thfightergroup.org/pictures/james_hare/pisa2.html

Click on it and it expands to quite a large size. Large enough, in fact, that a Mossie parked in the background appears to have US Stars and Bars on the port wing, RAF roundel on the starboard. Also note the RAF fin flash still on the Mossie in foreground, despite US markings on the fuselage.

Early-styly NF.30 exhausts, which gave trouble. Later ones had louvered openings in the flame damper below each exhaust stub.
 It is a great site~ especially for jugheads. I remember seeing another mossie w US markings in England. I cant remember where if it was a still or video. I'll try to find it for you~ thanks for sharing that
Generally wonderful site all-round, really.

[Scherf]

Yeah, thought the Jugoons might like it. There's some wonderful shots of aircraft markings in the Corsica section especially.

[Seadog36]

Here is another set of Mossie marking for you:



Still a force post war...

[Gianlupo]

American air base of Pontedera, Italy.

  That's where I was born and live!!!!

I never knew the Piaggio airfield was used by USAAF after liberation... any more details on that, Scherf?

[Scherf]

Hi Gianlupo,

Sorry, I really don:t know much about it. I believe all of the 416th Night Fighter Squadron, 415th NFS and 414th NFS were all based there at one point, from late '44 onwards.

There is a brief wikipedia page here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontedera_Airfield

also here:

http://www.ronaldv.nl/abandoned/airfields/IT/toscana/pisa.html

Great avatar, by the way   

[drgondog]

The USAAF flew just two groups of Spits in the MED; the 31st and 52nd Fighter Groups. They flew Spitfires from August 1943 to April 1944. Only 8 months on combat ops before converting to domestic US types.

The 31st was in the 8th AF in 1942 before transferring to Africa and of course the 4th flew Spits until ~ April 4,1943 when they transitioned to P-47C's for all combat ops - That is where the 15 ETO kills came from.. still scratching my head on the .5 assigned to 27FS... implication is Spit, maybe on detached duty to 31st?

[Scherf]

Here is another set of Mossie marking for you:

(Image removed from quote.)

Still a force post war...

Yes indeed. The IAF struggled with them during training, however the Mossies did well during the Suez crisis. The IAF also used nightfighter and recce Mosquitos as well.

I believe the very last Mossies to see action were with the IAF.