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BOXART STORY
The Allied landing in Normandy stands as
one of the major turning points of the Second
World War and simultaneously represents
a significant milestone in the history of warfare.
The successful execution of this operation
would not have been possible without the air
supremacy gradually established by the Allies
in the air battles over Western Europe during
the first half of 1944. It was in the battles over
Normandy that this superiority was crucially
demonstrated. On June 6, 1944, which has
become synonymous with D
-
Day, Allied air
forces flew an incredible 14,000 combat sorties
over the battlefield.
Obstlt. Priller, Kommodore of JG 26, is
considered the first German airman to
reach the landing zone, having flown with
his wingman over the invasion beach before
9:00 am. Despite the breathtaking number of
invasion craft, the Germans believed until the
evening that this was merely a diversionary
operation and that the main landing would
occur elsewhere. However, Priller was not the
first airman to intervene against the invasion
force. In fact, in the early hours of the morning,
Fw 190 Gs from I./SKG 10 were dispatched
against the Allied gliders. This unit, engaged
in night attacks against targets in Britain,
logically undertook combat sorties at dawn.
However, during their first sortie, the pilots of
I./SKG 10 did not locate the enemy aircraft.
In the second morning sortie, they managed
to shoot down four Lancaster bombers around
5:00 am and additionally spotted the invasion
force.
The Luftwaffe, unprepared to defend against
such an invasion operation in this area,
deployed parts of the fighter units of JG 2 and
JG 26 to the fight during the day. Additionally,
ground attack Fw 190s from SG 4 and Ju 88 C
heavy fighters from I./ZG 1 were also deployed.
The total number of Luftwaffe combat sorties on
the first day of the invasion represented about
one percent of the number of sorties flown by
their opponents. It was not until the evening
that air reinforcements from Germany were
moved to the Normandy battlefield, resulting in
1,100 fighter aircraft on the airfields of northern
France 24 hours later. However, less than three
hundred of these were capable of deployment
due to the chaotic transfer and maintenance
shortcomings.
The first Allied pilot to shoot down an enemy
aircraft in the invasion area on June 6, 1944,
was F/O J. A. Houlton of No. 485 Squadron
RNZAF. He encountered an obstacle on take-off
and swiftly switched from his personal aircraft
to a Spitfire LF Mk.IX (MK950). At approximately
3:30 pm, he successfully downed one Ju 88 C-6
fighter of I./ZG 1 and another in cooperation with
three other pilots near Caen. The Spitfire pilots
of Belgian No. 349 Squadron RAF shot down
two more and damaged several. The Germans
of 2./ZG 1 lost two Junkers planes, and none of
their crews survived. A third Ju 88 from this
Staffel returned to base with 10% damage, but
all three crew members sustained injuries. Two
more machines were reportedly lost by 1./ZG 1.
However, defensive fire from one of the Ju 88
crews shot down one of the Belgian Spitfires.
No. 485 Squadron RNZAF was part of No. 135
Wing of the RAF, alongside colleagues from
No. 222 and 349 Squadron RAF. On June 7, its
squadrons lost two Spitfires, one of which was
accidentally shot down by Allied flak. John
A. Houlton took off for combat again on June 8
in his personal Spitfire ML407, designated OU
-
V.
He flew it on a sortie with No. 135 Wing in the
evening, conducting a low-level patrol.
Allied pilots encountered a group of about
twenty Fw 190s and twelve Bf 109s near Caen,
each carrying bombs under the fuselage.
Top cover was provided by the No. 349 Squadron,
while fighters from No. 222 Squadron and 485
Squadron engaged the Germans. After a wild
chase, the Spitfire pilots claimed seven aircraft
shot down and another seven as damaged,
without suffering any losses themselves. The
dramatic moments of this evening air combat
were captured in box art by Piotr Forkasiewicz.
Further details on Spitfire ML407, including
its current whereabouts, can be found in the
historical text accompanying the kit.
The identity of the unit with the Messerschmitt
Bf 109 is unclear, but in the case of the Fw 190,
it was most likely the III./JG 54 “Grünherz”,
which had moved to Normandy the previous
day. One aircraft, an Fw 190 A-8/ZY, WNr. 170644,
“White 2”, was lost in this fight, with its pilot, Fw.
Wilhelm Müller, sustaining injuries. After this
battle, the German pilots reported two victories.
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
D
-
Day plus two
Text: Jan Bobek
#7473
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May 2024