Orrin Snell
4th Fighter Group 05/29/1944
B. 29 May 44
C. 334 Fighter Squadron
D. 1355 hours
E. Cammain (Stettiner Haff)
F. Good visibility, no cloud
G. Me-109
H. 1 Me-109 Destroyed (Air)
I. Narrative --- I was flying Cobweb Red 2. Red Section had become separated from the bombers while looking for Me-210s. I reported in the vicinity. No. 1 broke sharply down to the starboard and I was unable to follow him. When I did locate him, I saw where he had shot on an airframe. There were a number of He-177s burning on this field. As I was alone, I climbed from about 7000 feet to rejoin the bombers. Shortly after, I spotted 2 e/a feet, and saw two scambling during near Cammain, the result of our attacking the aircraft. Shortly thereafter, two Me-109s scrambled from the Colberg Area, flying at about 20,000 feet. They started to climb towards me, seemed to change their minds and began to dive. I did a half-roll and followed them. The one on my left broke sharply downwards. I followed him. When I was six to eight hundred yards behind him, he began a sharp turn to the right. I speed them was roughly 360 m.p.h. He flew through the turn, No speed to flick and broke in half. I hadn't fired as the range was too great. I glanced over my shoulder and saw what I believed to be another Me-109 behind and above me. I broke into him, climbing at the same time. I then recognised it as being another Mustang flown by it. Fernandez. This pilot saw the Me-109 crash. Rounds fired - None. Confirmation: Isaw a Mustang turn into me. I recognized it as friendly and did a gentle turn. Looking down below me, I saw what I believed was a kite burning on the ground. This was in the same area and the same time in which it. Snell attacked the Me-109.
Official US Army Air Forces Combat Report by Orrin Snell of the 4th Fighter Group. This material is a transcription of official reports-testimonials of Orrin Snell'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.