55th Fighter Group 03/24/1945
PILOT’S PERSONAL ENCOUNTER REPORT
A. Combat.
B. 24 March 1945.
C. 38th Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group.
D. 1550.
E. 5 miles south of Soest, Germany.
F. CAVU.
G. Me 109.
H. One (1) Me 109 destroyed.
I. I was leading Hellcat Yellow flight on an area support mission in the vicinity of Soest at the time of this combat. We were flying south at 1500 feet when we spotted three Me-109’s 2 o’clock to us at the same altitude flying on a course of 180 degrees. My wingman was the only one with me at the time, so I told him to drop tanks and we started turning to the right. On the first turn he was hit and later had to bail out. After about the third turn I saw one of the E/A snap over on his back and begin to pull it through, but I was unable to follow any further activity on his part as one of the remaining three 109’s was claiming all of my attention. The E/A that I had seen snap over was observed going into the ground by Hellcat Blue Flight that had come to my support after a call on the R/T. I therefore claim one Me109 destroyed as a result of this combat.
J. Ammunition expended – 150 rounds.
LESTER F. SPIECKER, O-754682,
Captain - Air Corps.
S T A T E M E N T
Flying at about 3000 ft. toward the area where Capt. Spiecker and his wingman were engaged in combat with the 109’s. I observed one of the 109’s, in an effort to evade Capt. Spiecker, snap out of a tight turn to the right. He recovered from the snap at about 800 ft. but was unable to pull up in time and crashed into the ground exploding and burning.
ROBERT M. COX, O-711956,
Captain - Air Corps.
Official US Army Air Forces Combat Report by Lester Spiecker of the 55th Fighter Group. This material is a transcription of official reports-testimonials of Lester Spiecker's combat experience.
Do you have WWII memorabilia that you are not sure what to do with it? The children don't want it? Then let us help you preserve this history by donating these items to the Army Air Corps Library and Museum.
We are accepting donations in the form of uniforms, medals, ribbons, patches, photos, memorabilia, papers, gear and equipment.
We also accept monetary donations to support our operations and long term plans.
This website is part of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, and as a 501(c)(3) Non-profit, your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
Contact us if you are contemplating a donation of any kind.
Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation.
We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks.
(1) Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one. (2) Photography and Document Scanning.
We are looking for photos, documents and other types of artifacts including uniforms and gear of the 8th Air Force in World War II as well as other units and commands. We accept electronic/scans or originals of pictures and paper records. A General Order could be an award document that contains information on many servicemen. Special Orders may contain transfers or other information. Flight records, accident reports, maintenance logs, after action reports, pilot encounter reports, diaries and biorgraphies; all of these types of documents help us support or mission: preserving your history! Contact us today for instructions on sending us this material.