GEORGE MERRITT

I. I WAS LEADING CADET YELLOW FLIGHT IN PENETRATION SUPPORT OF HEAVY BOMBERS. WE HAD BEEN ESCORTING OUR BOMBERS UNEVENTFULLY FOR SOME THIRTY MINUTES AND WERE IN THE VIC INITY OF BERENBURG BETWEEN DUMMER AND STEINHUDER LAKES. MY POSITION ON THE LEAD BOX OF BOMBERS WAS ABOUT 10 O'CLOCK AND CLOSE. ABOUT 1000 HRS I OBSERVED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF GUN FLASHES NE OF MY POSITION AND ESTIMATED THE DISTANCE TO BE 10 OR 15 MILES. I HAD PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF BOMBERS BEING IN THAT VICINITY. NO E/A COULD BE SEEN FROM THIS DISTANCE AND EVEN THE BOMBERS WERE DIFFICULT TO SEE. HOWEVER THE PR ON OUNCED GUN FLAS H ES INDICATED THE PRESENCE OF E/A ACTIVITY. WHILE APPROACHING THE VIC INITY OF THE GUN FLASHES, I OBSERVED THREE BOMBERS EXPLODE AND GO DOWN IN FLAMES AS TWENTY PLUS BOGIES HAD JUST MADE A HEAD ON PASS THROUGH A BOX OF BOMBERS. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE BOGIES WERE IN A VERY COMPACT FORMATION AND FURTHER INVESTI GATION REVEALED THE BOGIES TO BE FW-190'S. WHEN I APPROACHED THEM ALMOST HEAD ON CLOSE ENOUGH TO IDENTIFY THEM, THEY WERE EXECUTING A 180 DEGREE TURN APPARENTLY EXPECTING TO MAKE ANOT HER PASS ON THE BOMBERS FROM ASTERN . OUR FLIGHT WAS IN A VERY ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION HAVING SOME TWO OR THREE THOUSAND FT ON THEM AND CATCHING THEM IN A TURN. THIS SIGHT IS ONE I'LL NEVER FORGET AS LONG AS I LIVE. FINDING TWENTY PLUS FW-190'S IN A VERY COMPACT FORMATION WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FOUR TO SIX FLYING LOOSE AND WIDE OF THE MAIN FORMATION IMPRESSING ONE THAT THEY WERE INFERIOR PILOTS LOSING OUT OF THE FORMATION. IT WAS SUCH A PERFECT SET UP, WE ONLY HAD TO MAKE A 180 O TURN TO THE LEFT AND DROP IN ON THE REAR FOR THE KILL. SO WE DROPPED IN FOR THE KILL AND TAGGED ONE. AT THIS POINT THOSE BOYS FLYING LOOSE AND WIDE BEGAN BARREL ROLLING AND BREEZING ABOUT HERE AND THERE WHILE THE MAIN BODY WENT INTO A GENERAL DIVE BREAKING UP SLIGHTLY BUT MAIN TAINING A SOMEWHAT DECENT FORMATION. THE LOOSE FLYING BOYS DECIDED THEY WANTED TO PLAY TAG ALSO AND ONE OF THE DIRTY JOE'S STARTED TO GET BEHIND ME JUST ABOUT THE TIME I WAS GETTING IN A DECENT POSITION TO START SQUIRTING LEAD ON THE BOY I HAD TAGGED. THIS WAS A BIT SURPRISING HAVING THESE BOYS COMING IN LIKE THAT, AND IT CONFUSED THINGS A BIT, SO I GAVE UP THE FIRST ONE I HAD TAGGED. THE SAME PROCEDURE HAPPENED AGAIN. ABOUT THIS TIME MOST OF THEM WERE GETTING AWAY AND THE MAIN BODY HAD GONE DOWNWARD, WHEN I TAGGED THE THIRD ONE WHO WAS AN EAGER SLOW ROLLING INDIVIDUAL WHO INDICATED A DESIRE TO GO PLACES. IT TOOK VERY LITTLE PERSUASION TO MAKE ME FOLLOW HIM, AS STAYING IN THE HORNET'S NEST WAS PAYING NO DIVIDENDS AS IT REQUIRED ALL MY TIME TO PREVENT SOMEBODY FROM GETTING ON MY TAIL . THIS THIRD JOE I TAGGED WENT IN AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM THE MAIN BODY SO I INJECTED A SHOT OF WATER AND WENT WITH HIM. WE STARTED AT 2 0 , 000 FT, HE DID A FEW TURNS AND ENDED UP GOING DOWN AND ROLLING ONCE OR TWICE ON HIS WAY DOWN. I STARTED FIRING AT ABOUT 500 YDS 0 TO 25 DEGREES DEFLECTION HOPING THAT I MIGHT HIT HIM BEFORE LOSING ALL THE ALTITUDE, BUT HE WAS SQUIRMING SO MUCH AND THE SUN WAS BLURRING THE GUN SIGHT TO THE EXTENT THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO LINE UP ON HIM. FINALLY WHEN WE REACHED ABOUT 6,000 FT I HAD CLOSED TO 200 YDS DOING ABOUT 450 TO 500 MPH OPENED FIRE WITH 10 TO 15 DEGREES DEFLECTION AND NOTICED NUMEROUS STRIKES IN THE COCKPIT AND WING AREA. PIECES STARTED FALLING OFF IMMEDIATELY AND WHEN THE CANOPY CAME OFF I CONSIDERED HIM DESTROYED. AS I BROKE OFF I OBSERVED THE E/A DISINTEGRATING AND HEADING FOR THE DECK PRACTICALLY STRAIGHT DOWN FROM 6,000 FT. PIECES OF THIS E/A HIT MY COWLING. I THEN ZOOMED BACK TO ALTITUDE UTILIZING MY EXCESSIVE SPEED TO CONTINUE MY SEARCH FOR OTHER E/A. I FIRED ABOUT 1200 R OUN D S AT HIM CONTINUOUS FIRING. UNFORTUATELY MY WING MANAND I WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANY OTHER E/A AFTER THIS ENGAGEMENT. THE TACTICS EMPLOYED BY THIS FORMATION OF E/A ILLUSTRATES EMPHATICALLY THAT THE HUN KNOWS WHAT THE SCORE IS. THOSE LOOSE FLYING BOYS WERE OUT THERE FOR A PURPOSE AND I KNOW NOW THAT IT IS NECESSARY TO DEAL WITH THEM FIRST. THEY DO A LOT OF TEASING AND LEAD YOU IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE MAIN BODY. THIS GROUP OF E/A WERE DIVER TED FROM MAKING ANOTHER PASS AT THIS GROUP OF BOMBERS. I CLAIM THIS FW-190 DESTROYED.