JOSEPH EGAN

Combat 22 February 1944 6 3rd Fighter Squadron , 56 th Fighter Group 1245-1252 Munster Broken clouds, 3,000 feet Me 109 , Fw 190 1 Me 109 destroyed; 1 Fw 190 damaged "I was leading Postgate Red flight (Lts. Egan, Casteel, Westfall, Warner). We were flying escort for many boxes of bombers while on the way to r/v with the first combat wing of the first task force. Just before we made r/v with the lead box, I could see 20 mm shells exploding among the bombers and swung over to break up the attacks. At this point my No. 3 man (Lt. Westfall) called saying that he was taking his element down to attack. As I was giving him cover I saw four M e 109's attacking a straggling Fortress. Before reaching these e/a Lt. Westfall turned sharply to the right to attack other e/a. I immediately attacked the 4 Me 109's with my wing man. The two 109's on the left half-rolled and dove straight down. I singled out the one on the far right and saw strike s completely blanket his plane. He tumbled tail over nose about three times and went down flaming and smoking heavily. Large pieces fell off his plane from the time I first hit him and continued to fall off on the way down. I pulled up through the heavy flak barrage at Munster. This action had taken place at about 12, 000 feet. Upon reaching 23,000 feet again, I saw approximately 30 e/a in twos and threes working a figure eight pattern, attacking head-on to the main formation and from the tail on a straggler flying to the rear and below that formation. I singled out two Fw 190's and attacked from directly astern. Choosing the man on the righ t , I closed in but as I pushed my trigger the electrical gun sight disappeared. I then tried to use the stationary ring an d bead sight but still was not hitting him. By this time I was very close to him and tried to pump the stick in order to obtain strikes. By this method I did manage to get about six scattered hits. I had to slide under this e/a to avoid collision. When he saw me go under him he turned left and in so doing put my wing man on his tail. However, when my wingman pulled his trigger his guns failed to fire. This action took place at about 18,000 feet just west and slightly north of Munster. The 190 at which I fired was the customary brownish tan color, but had yellow wing tips, a red nose, a robins-egg-blue vertical fin and rudder and 3 red yellow and blue rings around the fuselage just back of the cockpit. By this time my second element had become separated from me so my wing man and I made the trip home without further incident. I claim one Me 109 d estroyed , 1 Fw 190 damaged.