VIRGIL MERONEY

Narrative: At approximately 1500 hours on a fighter sweep over Holland I was flying Yellow 3. Our flight was following White Flight down after a ME 109 from about 23,000 feet when two ME 109s made a pass at our flight from 2 o'clock at 20,000 feet. I called Yellow 1 and turned into them and was able to get on the tail of one of them. The e/a went into a dive and I followed, closing to 250 yards range dead astern and fired short bursts. At the first burst the e/a's left wheel came down, followed by lots of flame and smoke and pieces of the plane flew off. I pulled up and watched the e/a crash into the ground and explode either on or very close to a small farmhouse in the woods east of Utrecht. My wingman, F/O Sweeney stayed with me at all times, doing a fine job as wingman. We zoomed from 6,000 feet back up to 14,000 feet and started tight climbing turns, keeping our air speed over 200 mph. We joined a flight of 4 P-47's of the 328 th Squadron, at 18,000 feet and I positioned my element up sun. Almost immediately this flight (Blue Flight of 328 th Ftr. Sq. lead by Capt. Halton) was attacked from 6 o'clock by a FW 190. The flight turned into him but the e/a was positioning himself on No. 4. I closed on the e/a and he broke to the ground. I followed him in the dive and held my fire until within range of 300 yds. Only 4 of my guns fired but I observed many hits before I had to break away. My wingman, F/O Sweeney, then closed in on the e/a and I observed many hits from Sweeney's fire as I circled above them. After Sweeney broke away the FW 190 continued his dive in flames. We zoomed back up to 15,000 ft. and I was unable to see the e/a crash into the ground. Proceeding home we noticed considerable flak in the vicinity of Rotterdam, accurate but short. Claim: 1 ME 109 destroyed, 1 FW 190 destroyed —shared with F/O Sweeney.