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P-51Ds, which he named “Cripes A’Mighty
III”, claimed two Ju 88s destroyed, a third as
a probable, and two more “damaged.” along with
a Bf 109 destroyed. With that, his score of aerial
victories rose to 14.5 and he was recognized as
the group’s leading ace.
On July 19, the Fourth ran across Bf 109s over
Munich. The 336th’s Lieutenants Ira Grounds
and Francis Grove got two and one, respectively.
First Lieutenant Curtis Simpson, whose P-51B
lost its glycol after being damaged during the
fight later recalled, “This particular escort
flight was the sixth straight flight that we had
made to Munich in six days, but it was the first
one where there was any opposition. We were
jumped by a group of ‘109s and fought all the way
into Austria. I was on full throttle for far too long
a time and my electrical system on the coolant
shutters went out. When they closed, the engine
overheated and I lost all of my coolant, If I hadn’t
been so close to Switzerland I would have ended
up as a Prisoner of War or dead. I was looking
for a place to land, since I did not want to jump.
I found this very short meadow that had some
white signs on it so I thought that I should try
it. I had no other choice. I used full flaps with
no power from the engine and I landed slightly
on the tail wheel. There was no one there when
I landed, but as soon as I stopped, here they came.
The Swiss had helmets similar to the Germans,
and I was not sure where I was. I stood up in the
cockpit with my hands raised and asked if they
were Swiss. Luckily they said yes!” Simpson’s
Mustang was later repaired and taken on charge
by the Swiss Air Force.
On August 6, the 357th group provided escort
for another shuttle mission to the Soviet Union.
They picked up the B-17s after they hit the Focke-
Wulf assembly plant at Rahmel. The bombers
had been escorted by the 55th group, led by new
group commander John D. Landers in their first
P-51 operation. The mission to Gydina and back
to England covered 1,595 miles in seven flying
hours.
Over Poland, nine Bf 109s from JG 51 went after
the bombers, but 1st Lt Robert Shaw’s flight cut
them off. Shaw shot one down in flames while
element leader 1st Lt “Bud” Nowlin chased the
fighter flown by Hauptmann Gunther Schack,
Staffelkapitän 7./III./JG.51. Schack split with
Nowlin in pursuit. A burst hit the 109's radiator
and brought a spray of coolant before it slowed
so dramatically that Nowlin overran the fighter.
Pulling alongside Schack, he realized he had to
preserve fuel. He waved and climbed away, not
discovering until he met Schack 40 years that
shortly after, Schack bailed out.
That same day saw George Preddy’s best
day ever. When the group had been informed
the night before that the August 6 mission
would be scrubbed for weather, Preddy spent
the night drinking and shooting craps, he got
gloriously drunk and won $1,200. He had been
asleep an hour when he was awakened with the
news the mission was on. Not only did he have
a major hangover, but he was supposed to lead
the mission! He spent 30 minutes in his cockpit
breathing pure oxygen to clear his head, but
even so he vomited in his cockpit while flying
across the sea.
Ninety minutes later, the bombers were
approaching Hamburg when 30 Bf 109s were
spotted stalking the bombers. Preddy led
White Flight in a bounce from the rear. He later
reported, “I opened fire on one near the rear
of the formation from 300 yards and got many
hits around the canopy. The enemy aircraft
went down inverted and in flames. At this time,
Lieutenant Doleac became lost while shooting
down an Me 109 that had latched onto Lieutenant
Heyer’s tail.” Preddy and Heyer continued their
attack. Preddy got behind his second victory and
got hits around the wing roots, setting the ‘109 on
fire. “He went spinning down and the pilot bailed
out at twenty thousand feet.” Heyer shot down
another Bf 109.
The enemy formation stayed together with
the pilots taking practically no evasive action
as the formation tried to maneuver to attack
the bombers. “We continued our attack on the
rear end and I fired on another at close range.
He went down smoking, and I saw him begin
to fall apart below us” Another flight of P-51s
joined the fight. “I fired at another ’109, causing
him to burn after a short burst. He spiraled down
in flames.” Still the Germans stayed together as
they made a left turn to attempt another attack.
“I got a good burst into another one, causing him
to burn and spin down. The enemy aircraft were
down to five thousand now.” One pulled off to the
left in an attempt to engage Preddy. “I was all
alone with them now, so I went after this single
’109 before he could get on my tail. I got in an
ineffective burst, causing him to smoke a little.
I pulled up into a steep climb to the left above him
and he climbed after me. I pulled it in as tight as
possible and climbed.” The enemy pilot opened
fire ineffectively as Preddy outclimbed him in
a zoom. “He fell off to the left and I dropped
astern of him. He jettisoned his canopy as I fired
a short burst, getting many hits. As I pulled past,
the pilot bailed out at seven thousand feet. I had
lost contact with friendly and enemy aircraft, so
I headed home.”
George Preddy had just shot down six enemy
fighters in one battle. It would be the ETO record.
Preddy was still suffering from the epic
drinking bout when he landed. When he shoved
open his canopy, everyone wanted to know his
score. His first words were “NEVER AGAIN!” With
this, his score was 28, 24 scored in the P-51
to make him the leading Mustang ace. He was
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his
record mission, and given 30 days leave back
home.
As the Fw 190A-8/R2 Sturmbocks became
more effective, VIII Fighter Command sent
fighter groups ahead of the bombers to find and
break up the Sturmgruppen formations.
On August 15, II./JG 300 attacked the 303rd
“Hell’s Angels” group when they found the
bombers headed for Wiesbaden near Trier. The
Sturmbocks popped out of the clouds and shot
down nine B-17s from the low formation. Minutes
later, Bf 109Gs from I./JG 300 found the 466th
group’s B-24s near Meppel and shot down four.
The defending gunners claimed four Fw 190s and
nine Bf 109s respectively. On August 16, IV./JG 3
The 357th's P-51D-15 "Missouri Armada" was flown by Captain John B. England. (USAF Official)
HISTORY
INFO Eduard
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July 2024