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Ralph Johnson

56th Fighter Group 11/26/1943

HEADQUARTERS SIXTY SECOND FIGHTER SQUADRON AAF STATION # 365 , APO # 637 U.S. ARMY Personal Combat Report VIII Fighter Command F.O. No. 1 91
a . Combat b . 26 Nov . , 1943 c . 6 2nd Fighter Squadron d . Approx. 1 21 5 hours e . Vicinity Papenburg f . 7/10 cloud at 10,000 ' g . Me 110 h . Two Me 110's claimed d estroyed . i . " I was leading Yellow Flight of three ships, one having aborted, and we had made rendezvous with the bombers at 30,000' and to their rear. We then turned left and came out about 5 miles behind them. Yellow Three reported Me 110's and Me 210's below us at 23,000' and I gave the order to go down, picking out a lone Me 110. Throttling back on the way down, I saw a P-47 firing at the enemy aircraft. This was Yellow Two (Lt. Christensen). There were strikes all over the Jerry's fuselage and his engine was burning badly as he went straight down. I then turned right and got on another Me 110's tail. Opening fire from dead astern, at 500 yards, I closed to 200, and saw the enemy aircraft roll over and go straight down, with both engines burning. I pulled up, with Yellow Two beside me. He then went after one that turned into him, head-on, and called for me to get him. I attacked the Me 110 from astern and fired from 500 to 350 yards. I could see strikes all over both engines and, as the enemy aircraft went down in a slow spiral, a huge piece of the aircraft floated back. I believe that I saw the pilot jump but did not see any chute. I followed the ship visually as it spiralled down but lost it at 10,000'. I was then out of ammunition so Yellow Two joined me, we picked up Blue Two and Blue Three and returned home. RALPH A . JOHNSON, Cap t . , Air Corps .

ARMAMENT REPORT Capt . Ralph A. Johnson 42-22481 1,460 r oun ds AP I & T "Capt. Johnson (Yellow Leader) opened fire on a second Me 110 and I noted strikes all over the enemy aircraft and he went down. As I climbed up to join my flight leader, another Me 110 passed over the top of me. I saw my flight leader was on his tail so I fell into a position slightly above and behind him. He fired from about five hundred yards, closing all the time. I saw many strikes around the fuselage then the Me 110 went into a steep dive and went straight down. He never pulled out." FRED J. CHRISTENSEN, JR. 2 nd Lt., Air Corps.

Official US Army Air Forces Combat Report by Ralph Johnson of the 56th Fighter Group. This material is a transcription of official reports-testimonials of Ralph Johnson's combat experience.

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