This is not actually from AH but is a well-written and gripping account of an encounter between an Me109F a P-47D. Enjoy!
Brief skirmish has ended just West of f22, no result, and I am climbing towards friendlies to gain height. SA. Head on swiwel, no cons above or behind. Checking WEP; Off. Fuel ? OOps. nearly red zone. Ok RTB then.
Down to the left, suddenly, at d20-30 something, a P47, going North at a couple of K`s height. Neigbourhead clear ? Yes. Well can chase him a bit then, just for fun.
Down we go, me and my old 109f. Steep dive to gain speed, under his six, throttle to the end-stop and Wep on. Flat out, a small tremble indicating speed near the treshold, I do however, surprisingly gain on the 47. It`s a silver work, so it`s a D then. He calmly goes Northwards.
D15 and he do this little weaving now and then. Is he dragging me ? Complete check of my six, through a full roll. None. My 109 are at full steam, the initial speed gain caused by the dive, has worn off, but I am still gaining. He must have seen me. Within that fish-bowl hood, he can see the whole
world if he wants to. Probably dragging me into something.
D10, gaining and still those small sideway slips, on his part only. D9, a small consistent move to the left. He is looking at me. I just know it. Full SA procedure. Negative, we are all alone. D8. D7. He goes calmly straight ahead, then slowly to the right. I am slightly below him, slowly gaining. Time for evaluation; Keep on or disengage through climb-out?
We are all alone but I have this feeling he knows I am there. He can leave my old 109 dead in his trail if he wants to, so my guess is we are in for a 1 v 1 situation, maybe anticipated and wanted from my "victim" . Ok, it`s a 47. Maybe he doesn`t see me ? I am in. He can extend at will, but I can climb off at will, at least at this stage.
D6, D5, D4 and there he goes! A fluttering movement and he does a sharp 90 to the left. Throttle partly off so as not to overshoot, stick back, up and banking to the left, I see him go. With my nose up, I can see him smartly come right and under me, just in front. Hanging slightly above him, flaps rolling out, I reverse and lag on to his 6.In with flaps and a short burst with the 7,92`s to try to disturb him. No luck. He is extending just enough, with that powerhouse of a plane, to gain speed for another scissor. Left he goes. Up with nose, reeling out flaps to hang my crate there slightly above him, turning. He goes straight, flaps in and after him. And so on for a time. The speeed is now so low, I wonder how that 7 ton monster can stay airborne, but fly it does. Ok, I am up against an expert here. Suddenly he
has mustered speed surplus somewhere, extending to D10 or thereabout, and up he goes. Nose down, speed up to come under and to the back of a Hammerhead or something, I can see him topping it and coming down like a run-away freight train, but above and behind my climb. Turn!
Down we go. He has got an escape window now, but no, he seems to want to T & B with me. Ok, so we do it. Riding on the flaps, rudder and WEP, with stall-horn blaring. I stay alive and manages to give him a burst now and then. See an occasional hit, but nothing indicating a hurt 47.
At one stage during this dance, with me hanging by the propeller, a burst from, in my eyes impossible, D7, takes away an aileron and my nose gun. Loss of nose-gun? This is stupid. Never mind. I am hurt. Red lamp on fuel blinking. No more WEP. Under me the 47 is doing one of his E-maintenance runs again. We are down to the sea now. Down the few feet I have gained and me latching on to his six, 7,92`s only.
Round and round, scissors and those fluttering near a stall moves on his behalf, some sort of full flaps hovering and frantic use of rudders on my side. Sweat is starting to run. Palms are getting wet.
Dead engine! toejam. No fuel ? Stall-horn working full-time now. I have lost him. Tries the engine button. It fires. My fault then, pushed it unknowingly. Where are the 47 ? There he comes, under me to the left, on his way up thrugh a good-E looking climbing turn. D8 now. With power back on I try to climb away from him. His D numbers seems more stationary than I thought initially. D6 and he opens fire. But as I am drifting to the left, he misses. Hanging by the propeller again, I can see him down there at D5, but he is stationary as well. He is hovering. D5, still D5, burts of 50 cal to my right. How long can he hang there ? Suddenly D6. Full left pedal, throttle back. D7. D8. Power on, nose has come around and down we go. On his 6 again. 7,92`s ! A few sparks on him. He goes left and right through those impossible turns again. Under D2, but I am stuck to him now. I "know" him.
Sudden silence. I am a glider. Bingo fuel. Follow him a bit through a scissor or two, but gives up and prepare for ditch on water, expecting to be shot down in the process. A shadow flashes by on my right-hand side. Then nothing. I am gliding towards my destiny.
What`s that ? HOST: Kill of crtch= by "me" on the screen. How ? The moment passes. Into the drink I go, to a glorious Valhalla visit.
Another great fight in my thin "score" book. How long it lasted? No idea. Trembling I take part in a conversation with my intended "victim".
Thx crtch. Salute.
