Willard Millikan

22 April, 1944 336 Fighter Squadron 1800-1825 Hours Around a Lake at the Village of Sachsenhausen Southeast of Kassel. Very Clear – Visibility Unlimited Me109's 4 Me109's Destroyed Narrative: Horseback was lending the group with our squadron-three sections of four. I was leading Becky Red Flight and was in position on the port as was Blue Flight, led by Lt. Carlson. Passing North of Hans at 25,000 feet we let down toward the southeast to about 18,000 feet when approximately 20 plus Huns were soon orbiting and forming up near the lake. Immediately Horseback called for a starboard orbit and the group successfully boxed in the gaggle of Jerries so they had to continue their Loftberry. Going down steeply we circled around starboard to the north and dropped tanks west of the lake and then lost sight of the Huns. However Caboose squadron's leader reported he was at 8,000 feet and the Huns were at 5,000 feet at 9 o'clock. Our squadron approached them and flew alongside the circle, my section between Horseback and the Huns. Our three sections were all well up, very nearly abreast, and were compact, thus preventing any lagging. I watched the 109's as we flew along and presently one detached himself to attack my section. I called a break to port into his attack and the flight did a beautiful job of breaking and staying together. The Hun kept up his attack and turned steeply to come in on my NO 4 man's tail, so I pushed everything forward and dropped flaps to turn inside him. Through the early stages of the turn he outturned me, but I puled up and corkscrewed in side him and laid off a deflection shot which hit him hard enough to cause him to flick out of his turn. He started to split-ess but my shots forced him to turn back the other way. Immediately I managed to get a few scattered strikes and he began to skid and slow up and prepare to bail out. I was closing in very rapidly so I dropped pedfull flaps and throttled back completely. I was still overshooting him through so I skidded and raked him without using my sights, for I could not hold my head behind the sight with such violent skids and since I was so close probably I could not have hit him with sights. Finally I had to break away over him, and just then he bailed out. I wish I could have hit the pilot for he was extremely good and his loss would have meant a lot for our cause. Fortunately I had my flight behind me all the tim e or I would not have been able to deal with him so successfully. Pulling up and around to port I reassembled my section and then I saw a Me109 chasing a Mustang and I joined him. I had to use a lot of deflection again, blacking out in the turns. Luckily I hit him in the turns and ensued him ot jink trying to avoid my fire and I hit him pretty well again ensuring him to start smoking and go into a steep dive. I first claimed this one damaged, for I did not see him crash but my wing man confirms this one as destroyed. I had to break away for a Me109 was coming in at me and I could not see what happened. Fortunately for me my No. 3 Lt. Morley was on hand and did a good job of shooting the devil out of the Me109 and the Hun went straight in. He pulling enough deflection on me to shoot me down a dozen times. Turning on around I pulled up on another Hun and managed to clobber him in pretty good shape after turning and pulling and doing awful things to the engine. I got strikes with deflection shot, and I would have to pull my nose through, fire a short burst, lot off my turn so I could see the Hun, and then pull through again. I managed to get scattered strikes this way and the Hun half rolled and went straight in. By this time things were certainly mixed up, and it seemed we had been fighting for hours. Fires were burning everywhere, and all the fighting had taken place from 8,000 feet on down to the deck. Pulling around against I sighted another me109 and I tackled him but he put up an amazing demonstration of acrobatics, and I soon found myself alone. I again laid off deflection and hit him and he straightened out and slow rolled. I shot again and hit him just as he rolled out of it. Immediately he rolled on his back and plowed into the ground at a flat angle. He was burning pretty well and I must have hit the pilot. I started to follow when he half rolled but realized I was only 1,500 feet up and recovered right over the tree tops. I pulled up and around the port again and looked for another Hun after I had made sure I was clear of Huns behind me. I sighted another 109 gliding into a field s treaming glycol from his engine. I dove down immediately and attacked him for starboard, about 5 o'clock to the Hun and at the same time a Mustang on his tail was coming in pretty fast. I laid off about a ring of deflection and shot just over him on his left, and a the same time the Mustang on his tail was shooting up the ground in front of him. I don't think I hit him in this dive, and I believe whoever was behind him shot up the most. Pulling up a gain the boys tried to reorganize , and I was rejoined by my NO 3, Lt. Norcly and Lt. Godfrey. Seeing several of the boys circling around aimlessly I asked them to join up with me, and I was able to get nine of us all together. Several of the boys were complaining of engine trouble and one or two complained their electrical systems were shot, so I said we would head out after getting permission from Horseback to take the boys home. Around Hamm we could see all the bombers coming in, and there was ample fighter protection P-38's, 47's and I believe some Mustangs other than ours, but was too far away to identify these for sure. There were several things that made this mission such a success and I think they are important. One was that our squadron was very well together, sections were compact and well up on the leading section, and out wing men stayed with their number one men-I could not have done a thing without the close so operation and assistance of every man in the section. They gave me the necessary cover and moral support when I was chasing a Hun and I was able to spend more time concentrating on shooting and maneuvering. Lt. Patteeuw , my wing man, was on his fourth trip and he did an excellent job of staying with me. When he did lose me it was purely accidential , and I don't think anyone could have stayed with me under the circumstances. Lt. Logan, flying on Horseback's wing stuck with him through the whole flight, and when Lt. Putteeuw separated from me he immediately joined up with Horseback. Good wing men are at a premium, and without them we could not do much. The Huns seemed more aggressive and were better pilots than we ordinarily meet. I thought perhaps these pilots were perhaps loading the rest of the attackers when they were formed up and probably had the better pilots in front. Even when being attacked they tried to shoot down any of us they could. I would not have made it home had it not been for Lt. Notley's timely clobbering of one Hun, and the ready assistance of my own wingman. Every man had countless opportunities to break away and attack, but wing men stayed on and did their job, which is the only way the Huns Luftberry can be broken up. I claim 4 Me109's Destroyed