LEONARD CARSON

I . I WAS LEADING BLUE FLIGHT OF DOLLAR SQUADRON WHILE GIVING ESCORT TO THE FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD BOXES OF BOMBERS. WE WERE SITTING ON TOP OF THE LEAD BOX, ABOUT 1,000 FT. ABOVE, WHEN TWO VERY LARGE GAGGLES OF ENEMY AIRCRAFT WERE SPOTTED AT 12 AND 11 O'CLOCK HIGH, COMING HEAD-ON. THEY WERE IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFIED AS FW-190'S WITH TOP COVER. WE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF THE BO M BERS AND MET THEM IN A HEAD-ON ATTACK. I TOOK BLUE, GREEN, AND YELLOW FLIGHTS TO THE LEFT TO BREAK UP THE ATTACK AT 11 O'CLOCK. I FIRED AT THEM, AS DID MOST EVERYONE ELSE, COMING HEAD-ON, AND THEN TURNED AND TACKED ON TO THE REAR OF THE GAGGLE. THEIR ATTACK ON THE BOMBERS HAD BEEN DIVERTED, SO WE CONCENTRATED ON THE TAIL-END-CHARLIES. I CLOSED TO ABOUT 400 YDS. ON AN FW-190 AT THE REAR ON THE OUTSIDE, FIRING A GOOD BURST, GETTING STRIKES ALL OVER HIS FUSELAGE. I WATCHED HIM FOR A SECOND TO SEE HIS REACTION. HE TOOK NO EVASIVE ACTION, BUT JUST PEELED DOWN TO THE RIGHT VERY SLOWLY. I FOLLOWED HIM DOWN. HIS TURNS BECAME MORE VIOLENT AND THEN HE STARTED SNAPPING FROM THE RIGHT TO THE LEFT. HE WAS SMOKING QUITE BADLY. I BELIEVE THE PILOT WAS KILLED. I PULLED OFF AND WATCHED HIM UNTIL HE HIT THE DIRT. I WENT BACK UP TO THE BOMBERS, LOOKED AROUND FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES; I LOOKED STRAIGHT BACK AT 6 O'CLOCK AND SAW A FORMATION OF ABOUT 40-50 FW-190'S COMING UP ABOUT 1,000 YDS. BEHIND. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF P-51'S NEAR ME, AND THEY BROKE WITH ME . WE MET THE ENEMY PLANES HEAD ON. THEY DIDN'T FIRE, BUT WE DID, ALTHOUGH I SAW NO HITS. AFTER WE GOT BEHIND THEM WE TURNED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND ONCE AGAIN PICKED OUT A TAIL-END-CHARLIE. I FIRED A BURST AT 350-400 YDS. AT AN FW-190, GETTING STRIKES. HE DID A COUPLE OF SNAPS TO THE RIGHT, WITH HIS BELLY TANK ON, AND WOUND UP ON HIS BACK. I FIRED AGAIN, GETTING MORE HITS ON THE FUSELAGE. PIECES CAME OFF THE ENEMY SHIP AND HE BEGAN SMOKING. HE SPLIT-ESSED AND HEADED FOR THE DECK. I FOLLOWED HIM DOWN UNTIL HE HIT, BOUNCED, AND CRASHED. THE PILOT DID NOT GET OUT. I CLIMBED BACK UP TO ABOUT 14,000 FT. WHEN TWO ME-109'S CAME TOOLING BY, ABOUT 2,000 FT. BENEATH ME. I DROPPED DOWN AND FIRED AT THE ONE IN THE REAR, GETTING NO HITS. THEY DROPPED FLAPS AND BROKE VIOLENTLY. I ZOOMED BACK UP WHILE THEY CIRCLED IN A LUFBERRY. I MADE ANOTHER ILL-TIMED PASS AND PULLED UP AGAIN, GETTING NO HITS. THE LEADER BROKE OFF AND HEADED FOR THE DECK. I DROPPED DOWN TO TAIL-END-CHARLIE AS HE STARTED DOWN. HE PULLED UP, LOSING SPEED. I KEPT MY EXCESSIVE SPPED, FIRE-WALLED IT, AND STARTED FIRING AT ABOUT 300 YDS, CLOSING DOWN TO ABOUT 20 YDS., GETTING HITS ALL OVER THE FUSELAGE. HIS COOLANT BLEW AS I PULLED OVER HIM. THEN HE WENT INTO A SORT OF TUMBLING SPIRAL AND CRASHED. I CLAIM TWO FW-190'S AND ONE ME-109 DESTROYED ( AIR ) .