Thomas Hayes

A . C OMBAT B . 2 MARCH 194 4 C . 36 4TH FIGHTER SQUADRON, 357 TH FIGHTER GROUP D . 1 2 40 E . NORTH OF FRANKFURT F . 7/10 CLOUDS G . ME 1 0 9 H . DESTROYED I . I WAS LEADING GOWDY RED FLIGHT AND ESCORTING A BOX OF B-24'S ON THE WAY HOME JUST NORTH OF FRANKFURT. I WAS CROSSING OVER THE BOMBERS AT 25500 FT. WHEN I LOOKED BACK AND SAW TWO SINGLE ENGINE E/A THAT MUST HAVE ATTACKED THE REAR OF THE BOX. WE DROPPED OUR AUX. TANKS AND STARTED DOWN HAVING SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET ON THEM. THEY WERE IN A RGADUAL SPIRAL AND PROBABLY HAD NOT SEEN US. AT 18000 FT. BUT STILL SEVERAL THOUSAND YARDS AHEAD THEY DOVE STRAIGHT DOWN, STAYING TOGETHER. STILL NOT IN RANGE, THEY SPLIT AT ABOUT 9000 FT. INDICATED WITH MYSELF AND WING MAN TAKING THE LEADER WHO KEPT STRAIGHT COURSE IN GRADUAL DIVE NOW. MY ELEMENT LEADER , LT CARDER AND HIS WING MAN TURNED WITH THE LATTER. BOTH E/A WERE ME 109'S. HE CONTINUED HIS SHALLOW DIVE AND I STARTED TO FIRE AT ABOUT 350 YDS. AND INDICATING 400-450 MPH. VERY FEW STRIKES WERE OBSERVED. AT 1000 FT. I WAS FIRING DEAD ASTERN AND HAD HIS ENGINE SMOKING, I BELIEVE OVER THE TOWN OF ALTENSTADT. SUDDENLY HE DUMPED ALMOST STRAIGHT DOWN AND CRASHED IN A W OODED AREA A MILE FROM ABOVE MENTIONED TOWN. THE PILOT CRASHED WITH THE PLANE AND BELIEVE HE WAS HIT FROM ASTERN ATTACK THRU HIS ARMOR PLATE. THE 109'S TOOK NO OFFENSIVE ACTION FROM THE POINT OF CONTACT ON WHEN THEY COULD EASILY HAVE TURNED INTO US AT THE LEAD THEY HAD. THEY TRIED TWICE TO TURN BUT WE CUT THEM SHORT EASILY. I DID NOT SEE THE CRASH BUT WHEN I BANKED TO LOOK BACK A PALL OF BLACK SMOKE WAS RISING OUT OF THE TREES. LT. HUMPHREY, WHO WAS COVERING ME SAW THE 109 CRASH AND EXPLODE. THE FLIGHT FORMED, PICKING UP A PLANE OF 363RD SQUADRON AT 5000 FT. AND JOINED THE BOMBERS AGAIN NEAR KOBLENZ. I CLAIM ONE EACH ME 109 AND LUFTWAFFE PILOT DESTROYED. J. FIRED APPROXIMATELY 175 ROUNDS .