55th Fighter Group 08/24/1944
38TH FIGHTER SQUADRON
55TH FIGHTER GROUP
APO 637, U.S. Army
Consolidated Encounter Report
VIII Fichter Command F.O. #527 Place: Burg bei Magdeburg A/D.
Date: 24 August, 1944. Time: 1230.
Weather: 4-5/10ths cumulus with haze below. Targets: Ju 88’s.
Narrative:
I was leading 55th “B” Group comprising Hellcat and Acorn Squadrons in a free lance mission southwest of Berlin and at the time stooging around at 20,000 feet looking for air or ground targets, when I spotted an airdrome – later identified as Burg, directly below me. No E/A were observed on the A/D proper, but on a pasture or field west-south-west of the A/D I could make out the outlines of 25 plus partially camouflaged twin-engine aircraft, dispersed in an uneven pattern of three columns. Directing Acorn Squadron to remain at altitude as top cover, I swung Hellcat around in a wide orbit to starboard. Losing altitude in the turn, we were on the deck at a position southwest of Burg. Because of the dispersal of the E/A in columns running roughly north to south and the fact that this course would be as far removed from the A/D flak as possible, we made our attack from this angle, approximately 215 degrees, right on the deck. Almost all of the E/A appeared to be Ju 88’s. I chose two parked quite close together near the center of the field and opened fire at 800 yards, holding it to zero yards in three separate 3-second bursts. At first I was firing wide of my targets, but I soon observed strikes all over both E/A and held the pip in that position until I had to pull up. In the meantime my wingman, Lt. Watts, had selected a target in the western end of the field, and Hellcat Red Flight, echeloned slightly to my right, attacked targets to my starboard.
The moment we had committed ourselves to that attack, the A/D defenses had opened up. They got a hit on Lt. Luckett, Hellcat Red Flight Leader, and as he pulled up streaming glycol, he was hit again, flipped over and crashed north of the field I am uncertain as to the exact location of the AA guns, but since none of us observed any gun flashes, the batteries must have been placed far to our starboard on the A/D proper and well camouflaged. At any rate the flak was so intense and accurate that I ordered the balance of my Squadron to discontinue the attack and Acorn to remain up top.
Pulling up and turning I saw five fires burning in the center of the field and a sixth fire at the western tip. Lt. Fryer, leading the second element of Red Flight and Lt. Snell, leading Yellow Flight also observed these six distinct fires. Because of this fact and since we attacked almost in line abreast and chose different targets convinces me that we accounted for six of the E/A. Therefore, in behalf of the Squadron, I claim six Ju 88’s destroyed as follows:
A/C Ammo. Exp.
Major John D. Landers 2 Ju 88’s Destroyed CG-O 642 Rounds
1st Lt. Cecil R. Watts 1 Ju 88 “ CG-M 200 “
1st Lt. Thomas B. Luckett 1 Ju 88 “ CG-X - - (MIA)
1st Lt. Kenneth I Crawford 1 Ju 88 “ CG-K 480 Rounds
1st Lt. Earl R. Fryer 1 Ju 88 “ CG-Z 600 “
JOHN D. LANDERS,
Major, Air Corps.
Official US Army Air Forces Combat Report by 55th FG Consolidated Combat Report of the 55th Fighter Group. This material is a transcription of official reports-testimonials of 55th FG Consolidated Combat Report's combat experience.
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