First Stike on Berlin

[Sancho]

After the awesome First Strike snap shot this weekend, I read up on the events of that day from the 56th FG perspective and decided to share it here:

March 6: VIII FC FO 262. The weather had cleared and this was the big day the everyone had been waiting for.  All three bomb divisions went to Berlin and its suburbs.  Helping them along were eight VIII Fighter Command P-47 groups, along with three from the IX FC.  A total of 615 Thunderbolts, and they acquitted themselves rather well, claiming 36-7-12, with the 56th Fighter Group claiming 10-2-4 for the loss of one pilot killed and one wounded.

"A" Group followed Col. Zemke off Halesworth at 1013.  Three pilots had to abort the momentous mission, and one had to escort them home, leaving thirty-one to make the trip.

Landfall-in was between Ijmuiden and Egmond at 1100, where the bombers were seen, but the actual RV was not made until over Lingen twenty-five minutes later with the 1st Bomb Division.  North of Drummer Lake the 61st Fighter Squadron spotted the Luftwaffe first, approximately one hundred single engine fighters that were coming in on the B-17s from 8:00 o'clock.

Zemke turned "A" Group around to meet them, and combat ranged between 25,000 and 5,000 feet.  Zemke spotted an Fw 190 raking a B-17 with gun and cannon fire, and was able to shoot it down.  He then got on an Me 109 and sent it spinning down on fire.  This was followed by a joint effort that Zemke shared with Lt's Charles Reed, Donald Peters and Marvin Becker, 63rd FS.  They spotted an Me 109 and bore down on it to see it catch fire for no ascertainable reason.  The all watched it beome almost totally consumed before it crashed.  (All four pilots got .25 credit, and this ran Zemke's total score to 9.25 kills).  Lt. George Hall, Red One, 63rd FS, spotted an Fw 190 attacking a B-17 that had pulled out of formation to let its crew bail out.  Hall spotted five schutes blossom before downing the Focke-Wulf. Lt's Joe Icard and Jack Greene, 62nd FS's Red Flight, spotted a pair of Fw 190s while the 63rd FS was busy, and Icard destroyed one while Greene damaged the other.

Major Stewart, leading the 61st FS, became an ace and a half, destroying two Fw 190s and bringing his total score to 7.5.  Lt. Robert Johnson got his seventeenth kill, another Fw 190, and damaged another.  He was in an angry mood and would have gone after others if he had been given the chance, as he witnessed several instances where the "Jerry" pilots were firing at Allied airmen in their parachutes.  The 61st FS lost Lt. Andrew Stauss in the confusion of combat, and he was later determined to have been killed.

"B" Group got airborne at 1032 with Major Gerald Johnson leading thirty-five P-47s.  They had just one abort.  The crossed-in over Egmond at 1117 and enroute to the RV point, near Lewestoft they passed over one box of B-24s.  Approaching Bergen a second box of B-24s was seen to be orbiting, and these were joined by the first box that the Group had seen.  After passing these groups of Liberators, "B" group turned south to Emden to RV with their intended B-24s, accomplishing this at 1145 over Mepel.

Four Fw 190s were seen below them at this time and were attacked, destroying one and damaging another.  Major Johnson got the damaged credit, but someone else from another unit slid in in front of him and shot it down before Johnson could get back into a shooting position.  Bud Mahurin, Red One, 63rd FS, chased an Me 109 down into the clouds and then lost sight of it, but he did see an Fw 190 diving away, so he went after him.  The Fw went into a cloud that was thin enough for Mahurin to keep him in sight, so Mahurin fired, and was close enough in the obscuration to see strikes on its fuselage.  Mahurin claimed him as a probable.  He then started to climb back up to rejoin his formation and found himself in a turning dogfight with an Fw 190 that was trying to shoot down a 78th FG P-47.  After several turns the Fw 190 started a rapid climb which was followed by a "split-S," that was a mistake, as it placed Mahurin in perfect firing position.  Bud fired, and the Fw 190 pilot bailed out.

Capt. Leroy Schrieber and Lt. Harold Gallagher, 62nd FS, attacked an Me 109 without success, but later Lt. Fred Christensen and Lt. John Fields came upon an Fw 190 and an Me 109 that were picking upon a straggling B-17 north of Drummer Lake.  Fields got in some good shots on the Fw 190s, damaging it, and then Christensen shot it down.  One flight of the 61st FS went down to strafe Vechta airdrome on the way home.  Capt. Michael Gladych destroying one Fw 190 there on the ground while Lt. Even McMinn damaged two Me 109s.  McMinn also damaged serveral gun posts and barracks, but Capt. Paul Conger received painful wounds to his left scholder and side from flak.

Source: McLaren, David. Beware the Thunderbolt. Schiffer Books 1994.

[daddog]

Enjoyed reading it.   Thanks!

[Sancho]

There's more.    Here's a more engaging narrative report from Hubert Zemke, CO 56th FG:

On our last mission in February we took the bombers to Brunswick and for the first time the Luftwaffe made no attempt to intercept the bombers.  The attrition wrought by the American fighter groups was really beginning to tell.  We saw little of the Luftwaffe during the first two missions in March. On the 4th the bombers were set to make their first daylight attack on Berlin and in anticipation that the enemy would rise to protect his capital I had high hopes of action.  The weather forecasters were wrong in their prognosis and we climbed through layers of cloud to find the Big Friends turning back when their way was barred by towering cumulus.  Lietenant Irvin Valenta didn't show up back at base.  Notwithstanding his experience, it is believed he bacame disorientated in the clouds, suffered vertigo, and spun in.

Two days later, 6 March 1944, the heavies made their first really successful strike on the enemy capital and, as we had anticipated, the Luftwaffe rose to give battle as probably never before.  The air battles over the Continent were of epic proportions, resulting in the 8th Air Force's heaviest loss of the war, 69 B-17s and B-24s and eleven fighters.  Claims against the enemy were 97 by bombers and 81 by fighters.  His true losses were later established at around seventy and our fighter claims were not far from the mark.

I led A group off from Halesworth at 10:13 hours and Gerry Johnson, who had taken command of the 63rd when Burke left, headed the B group which departed twenty minutes later.  Our job was to shepherd the bombers through the Happy Hunting Ground until relieved by P51s.  The route was more or less straight and climbing out we made landfall over Egmond while at around 22,000 feet.  We passed on formation after another of the Big Friends until we established our rendezvous with the leading box near Lingen at 11:28 hours.  So far the enemy had not shown his hand.  The familiar shape of Dummer Lake passed below, a landmark we knew the Luftwaffe used to assemble its formations for attacking the bombers.  "Tackline," our fighter wing ground control, gave me the coded warning that a large formation of enemy aircraft was somewhere ahead to our north.  Shortly afterwards Jim Stewart called that he was engaging a large enemy formation, an estimated 75 to 100 planes! The 61st Squadron was about fifteen miles north-west of the 63rd which I was leading. "Yardstick here: Postgate Squadron follow me." Throttle and boost to maximum we cut through the icy air with the tense commands of men in combat comming over the radio.  All eyes in my squadron scanned the horizon for sight of combats.  But where were they?  After five minutes the radio calles ceased and it was evident that the battle was over.  We finally saw parachutes and burning aircraft further to the west; we had arrived too late.

Then I caught sight of a lone FW 190 around 3,000 feet below diving towards one of the Fortress formations. Calling my flight to follow, I did a fast wing over and went down.  The '190 was lining up to attack one of the trailing B-17s so I gave the engine water injection, but my rate of closure was still not fast enough to catch the Focke Wulf before he opened up on the Fort.  After strafing the bomber he immediately banked left, enabling me to cut across behind his tail.  When he filled the 300 yard graticule marks on my sight I gave him a burst of about fifty rounds before a quick evasive maneuver had to be made to avoid a collision.  As I glanced back I saw the '190 going down in a steep dive trailing flame and smoke.

While starting to regain altitude an Me 109 was glimpsed to the south.  Turning towards it in a shallow dive, speed was increased to catch him.  Again when about 300 yards behind my quarry, but being slightly to one side twenty degrees deflection was allowed, I fingered the fire trigger.  At first no hits were seen, then many strikes on his right wing, whereupon the pilot put the '109 into a dive.  My superior speed quickly carried me into close range and another burst brought hits all over my victim causing it to burst into flames and go into a spin.

I called Postgate White flight to circle up to 20,000 feet and reform.  As we climbed, yet another lone enemy fighter was seen, soon identified as an Me 109.  "Postgate White Flight: follow me." Power was increased to bring him into range but the pilot saw us coming in time and pulled the old familiar escape routine of split-S and dive.  An advance of boost and rpm and a wing over to follow him.  He was diving vertically.  Then suddenly the '109 burst into flames and went tumbling and spinning down.  My immediate reaction was that some eager beaver in my flight had got there first, but no, they were all to my rear with no other fighters in the vicinity.  The dying Messerschmitt continued its fiery descent and awas almost consumed with flame when it finally hit the ground.  Its demise was to remain a mystery, for back at Halesworth it was confirmed no other member of my flight had fired a shot.  Other members of A group had seen action and with red lights blinking many touched down on home plate after nearly three hours forty minutes in the air.  B group also returned with a few victories and our standing for the day was ten in the air for one missing.  Not until many years after the war did I learn that the Me 109 that so mysteriously ignited had been badly damaged in a fight with 78th Group P-47s and as we attacked its pilot bailed out, unseen by us, opening his parachute at lower altitude.

Source: Freeman, Roger. Zemke's Wolf Pack. Orion Books, 1988. (Also published as The Hub: Fighter Leader in Great Britain)

[Seeker]

Thanks!

[Fastbikkel]

I actually live in Egmond.
I have a book in which there are a lot of stories and photographs from the towns people in those days.

Not much information about the air raids on Germany, but some interesting things.

About a mile from my house, a hurricane was shot down by a german fighter, probably a 109. German soldiers are standing next to the wreckage and smiling. (the photo i mean)

Also a photo of a he-111 that ditched on our beach. The germans quickly overpainted the swastika's on the tail, to let the people think it wasn't a german plane.   I saw it at once of course. But in those days people didn't have that much information available about foreign planes.

A couple of years ago there was a terrible storm which revealed lots of bunkers on the beach. Part of the "atlantic wall". I mean, these bunkers were huge, guns were removed though.
I never thought there would be any bunkers left on the beach, i thought they removed them in the 50's.

You'll be surprised about what a storm can do.

JG5FaBi.

[straffo]

1st bombing of Berlin ?

try searching :  Jules Vernes  

[Fester']

russians were first to hit berlin in ww2 with antiquated 4 engined bombers.

losses were heavy

[Pepe]

Originally posted by Fester':
russians were first to hit berlin in ww2 with antiquated 4 engined bombers.

losses were heavy

Is this correct?

I had the notion that first WW2 bombers over berlin were British, when W.Churchill ordered raid in retaliation after a couple lost German Buffs drop over London, instead their assigned targets.

Cheers,

Pepe

[Sancho]

The British hit Berlin before us of course, but that was night bombing.  As far as Russia goes, I'd never heard that before.  Was that a daytime or night raid?

[ 07-26-2001: Message edited by: Sancho ]

[SkyRadr]

The British launched the first strike on Berlin long before the Russians were even in the war. I remember reading about a air raid on Berlin while Molotov was there having discussions with the Germans and them having to hide in an air raid shelter.

WarRaidr

[straffo]

1st raid over Berlin : 6 june 1940 by the lonely Jules Vernes (a farman 224)
The Jules Vernes was  previoulsy an air liner from Air France.
Bombs were dropped like in 14-18 through an open door  
Self defense was ensured by a single 7.5 machine gun manned through the same door  

[pdog_109]

Russians bombed it by night.

[Widewing]

Originally posted by pdog_109:
Russians bombed it by night.

go to:
Red Stars Over Berlin

My regards,

Widewing

[Effdub]

Straffo's right. The french were the first to bomb Berlin. 6th (my References say 7th) June 1940.

Effdub

[Russian]

Most impresive reading.