M.R. Capp
78th Fighter Group 05/12/1944
A. Type of Action Combat B. Date 12 May 1944 C. Unit 82 nd Fighter Squadron D. Time of Attack 1220 hours E. Place of Attack Koblents Area F. Weather Clear G. Type of Target Fw-190 H. Enemy Casualties One Fw-190 destroyed I. Account of Combat: I was flying #2 in Red flight. We were crossing approx. 1000 yards in front of the bombers when we observed about 30 Fw-190's bouncing the lead box of bombers. We immediately broke into them and positioned ourselves astern. With full power, we closed rapidly and I observed Lt. Hagarty , the flight leader, shoot a Fw-190 down in flames and saw it crack on the side of a hill south of Koblentz . I picked off another straggler and started firing at 400 yards range. I continued firing b ursts and getting strikes up to about 200 yards. Then, I got strikes on the canopy and it flew off and hit my right wing, causing minor damage. The Fw-190 broke down and right and I followed closing to 50 yards and firing. I broke off combat at 3,000 ft. and observed the Fw-190 crash in the Rhine, south of Koblentz . I made a 180 degree turn to rejoin my flight, which took me over the crashed Hun, whereupon I took a camera shot of the oil and debris in the water. I was climbing to rejoin my flight when bounced by four P-47's of another group, and had to turn into them. I lost my flight and joined up with another one and came home. I claim one Fw-190 destroyed and confirm a Fw-190 destroyed by Lt. Hagarty . M.R. Capp, 2 nd Lt., Air Corp.
Official US Army Air Forces Combat Report by M.R. Capp of the 78th Fighter Group. This material is a transcription of official reports-testimonials of M.R. Capp's combat experience.
Donations
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.
Volunteering
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.
Historical Artifacts
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.