Hubert Zemke

Combat. 20 October 1943. 63 rd Fighter Squadron, 56 th Fighter Group. 1405 hours and 1435 hours. Approximately Liege, Belgium and Eindhoven, Holland. Targets in both cases were FW 190's. Weather was thick cirrus clouds extending from 20 to 29,000 feet, with low scattered and broken clouds in 6-7/10 concentration. FW 190's. 1 FW 190 destroyed. On the bomber escort mission of the 20 October 1943, I was leading the 63 rd Fighter Squadron of the 56 th Fighter Group. Just before rendezvous with the bombers at approximately 1340 hours, twenty plus enemy aircraft were seen to be climbing in the direction of the bomber course some ten or fifteen miles ahead of us and below. When within five miles of the bombers, I gave orders for the flights of the 63 rd Squadron to attack these enemy aircraft. In my own case, after trying to get into position on four of these enemy aircraft, another flight broke their formation up and I proceeded on with a flight of four to my prearranged position in front of the bomber formation. My altitude at this time being approximately 30,000 feet, which was some 2,000 feet above the cloud level and a thousand feet above the top of the main bomber formation. Just as we approached the front of the bomber formation, heading in their direction of flight, two enemy aircraft were seen to be positioning themselves some five miles ahead for what was believed to be a head-on attack on the bomber formation. Orders were immediately given to proceed in their direction. As the four of us moved ahead, the enemy turned toward the bombers with out position being directly between the two forces. Then the enemy began to dive in a shallow dive toward the head of the formation and we began to dive directly toward them in what we called a head-on attack. At a point when approximately 2,000 yards separated the enemy and us, I placed two rings of deflection ahead of the lead enemy aircraft and began opening fire. This fire was held for not more than twenty-five rounds, or until the time when the enemy FW 190 passed immediately below me. Recovery was thereupon made to the left and I noticed that both enemy aircraft had turned over on their backs instead of continuing their attack and went straight down into the clouds. Neither of these two enemy aircraft were seen again. It is not believed that either aircraft was destroyed, but both attacks had been thwarted. My escort with this flight thereafter continued well ahead of the bomber formation until after the bombing, when orders were given to return to England. When flying twenty miles ahead of the bombers on the way home, there was noted one enemy aircraft flying at 27,000 feet, awaiting the bomber formation. This enemy aircraft was directly above in the clouds and idly turned in circles as though he was passing time. My altitude at this time was again approximately 30,000 feet. As the flight I was leading approached him, he continued circling and I identified him as an enemy FW 190. The attack was launched when I was almost directly above him and he probably recognized it as such, for he began a gradual dive toward the closest cloud. Because of my superior altitude and probably added speed, convergence on him was very rapid and I caught up to within 500 yards just as he was entering the thin high cloud. Both of us continued into the clouds where I began firing at close range. What his evasive action was I don't know for I continued firing all the time, having an undue amount of difficulty to hold onto him because of the density of cloud at times, and because every time I opened up my airplane wanted to turn to the right. (But it was later found that three guns in my left wing were jammed). At any rate, I had not registered hits on him when my first trails began showing that I was shooting below. The sights were raised and a deflection was given to the left. Hits registered on the right wing, so a bit more deflection was given and in the next bursts, hits registered on the cockpit, fuselage, wings, and tail assembly on the enemy aircraft. I continued firing until my ammunition was exhausted and he was burning badly. As soon as the ammunition was completely exhausted, I pulled up and he disappeared in the cloud. A great deal of difficulty was experienced on my part in recovering thereafter, as it was necessary to immediately go on instruments at 350 m.p.h. indicated, the altitude being about 21,000 feet. At times I knew I was near the stalling point and then again I knew I was in a very steep dive. Eventually I was able to settle the plane down and continued to blind fly on a course of 290 degrees toward England. I would say that I was in the cloud at least fifteen minutes before breaking out again. Casualties – one FW 190 destroyed. This can be verified by F/O Robey, who was flying on my wing at the time.