Mission#34 October 10, 1943 – Target Munster

Date: Oct 10, 43

Dispatched: 54 Aborts: 12

Mission: Withdrawal support to 2nd TF 180 B-17’s Field Order: 153

Time Up/Down: 14:04 hrs 17:15 hrs Leader: Lt Col. McCollom

Target: Munster

Claims Air: 05-01-04 Claims Ground: 00-00-00 Lost/Damaged: 00-02

Group made landfal at Zandvoort at 15:05 hrs, 28,000ft. Continued course, observing 1^st TF with escort and R/V with 2^nd TF at 15:29 hrs in the vicinity of Rheine. Escorted the bombers along the planned route, leaving the coast at 15:55 hrs at 23,000ft at Zandvoort and left bombers at 16:05 hrs 60 miles off the Dutch coast. 60 enemy aircraft Me110s predominating, with Me210s and Me109s and Fw190s seen to rear of the bombers at the R/V point at about 19,000ft. E/A took evasive action by turning sharply and losing altitude. E/A were engaged at 17,000ft with results stated below. These encounters with e/a were brief at this altitude, group zooming back to 23,000ft to provide escort cover. No attacks on the bombers were observed thereafter. 6 e/a were observed attacking three straggling B-17s from the 1^st TF over Bathernem. One U/I S/E/E/A observed going down over Enschede. One Me109 seen spinning down in flames at R/V point. Four open chutes observed over Helversum. One B-17 seen on fire directly after the bombers had left target area. No parachute seen. One large naval vessel seen just off the coast at the Hague. Flak weak to moderate accurate for height at Amsterdam, Schipol and Enschede. No Spitfires seen. Radio interference was so bad that intercommunication between fighters was very difficult. Weather: Strata cumulus overcast just off the English coast extending 2/3 way across the North Sea. Clear remainder of route. Visibility 2 miles, light fog at take off, worse haze below 10,000ft. Light haze above that. Visibility improving to good over the Continent. Base on return was just on the edge of incoming fog bank which reduced conditions to zero-zero before Group had landed. Capt. Stafford and Lt. Thistlethwaite of Group HQ participated.

Claims:

HQ      1 Me110 probable by Lt Col. McCollom

350^th     1 Fw190 destroyed by Lts. Hurst and Tanner

1 Fw190 destroyed by Lt. Hurst

351^st    2 Me110s destroyed by Capt. Beckham

1 Me210 destroyed by Capt. Beckham

1 Me110 damaged by Capt. Walsh

1 Me210 damaged by Lt. Mincik

1 Me110 damaged by F/O Wood.

352^nd    1 Me110 damaged by Lts. Fogarty, Juntilla and Keywan.

Our losses Nil

350th: Major Rimerman. T/U 14:15 hrs. T/D 17:15 hrs. Total flight time 3:00 hrs.  Four returned early, one with radio trouble, two with belly tank trouble and one as escort. Just before R/V with bombers, Lt. Hurst saw one B-17 going down in flames. No parachutes were seen to open. Another was seen going down in a tight turn or flat spin a few minutes later but no fire was seen. After position was taken Lt. Hurst saw an Fw190 in a slight dive at his own altitude (23,000ft and at about 10 o’clock). Lt. Hurst led his red flight after the Fw190 giving him a 30 degree deflection burst. Strikes were seen and smoke started pouring from the E/A. Lt. Hurst could not continue the turn, and Lt. Tanner, his wingman, slid into line astern position on the Fw190 at almost 100 yards range. As Lt. Tanner fires the Fw190 exploded and pieces came off. Five minutes later, in the vicinity of Zutphen, Lt. Hurst saw another Fw190 slightly above his flight at 11 o’clock and about 400 yards away. The Fw190 made a climbing turn. Lt. Hurst applied full throttle and climbed up with range of about 150 yards before opening fire. After a 3 second burst the Fw190 began to disintegrate and went over on its back. It began to tumble out of control with large pieces flying off and burst into flames.

Major	Ben	Rimerman	(Sqdn Ldr)
1st Lt	Melvin P.	Dawson
1st Lt	John	Sullivan
1st Lt	Tom	Lorance
Capt	Stanley R.	Pidduck	(Flt Ldr)
2nd Lt	John H.	Winder
2nd Lt	William J.	Price
2nd Lt	Robert C.	Peters
1st Lt	Wilford F.	Hurst	(Flt Ldr)
2nd Lt	William F.	Tanner
1st Lt	John L.	Devane
2nd Lt	John	Zolner
Capt	Dewey E.	Newhart	(Flt Ldr)
2nd Lt	Dwight A.	Fry
1st Lt	William W.	Odom
2nd Lt	Walter L.	Angelo
2nd Lt	Francis T.	Walsh
2nd Lt	Joseph	Rosenberg

351st: Lt Col McCollom. T/U 13:56 hrs. T/D 16:41 hrs. Total flight time 2:45 hrs. Route: In north of the Hague, R/V with bombers, Ochtrup, Hortsmar, out north of Hague. [Lt. Mincik was flying one of the Squadron aircraft damaged. On his way home he evaded two enemy aircraft who put a 20mm into each wing].

Lt Col	Loren G.	McCollom	(Gp & Sqdn Ldr)
2nd Lt	Benedict E	Kraft
1st Lt	Francis N.	King
2nd Lt	Frank J.	Mincik
Capt	Walter C.	Beckham
2nd Lt	Richard D.	Stanley
Capt	Charles L.	Stafford
2nd Lt	William T.	Thistlethwaite
1st Lt	William J.	Maguire
2nd Lt	Harold J.	Morris
2nd Lt	Jack	Terzian
Capt	Jack R.	Walsh
F/O	Joseph E.	Wood
1st Lt	William R.	Burkett
2nd Lt	Lloyd A.	Thornell
Capt	Orville A.	Kinkade
2nd Lt	Herbert K.	Field
1st Lt	Frank N.	Emory
1st Lt	Gordon B.	Compton
2nd Lt	Edgar J.	Albert
1st Lt	Vic L.	Byers

352nd: Major Bailey. T/U 14:10 hrs. T/D 16:45 hrs. Total flight time 2:35 hrs. Withdrawal support. With Major Bailey the Squadron made landfall at 16:05; made rendezvous with bombers on time. On way out Lts. Juntilla, Fogarty and Keywan attacked and dammaged one Me110 over Amersfort. Four chutes observed near Hilversun.

Major	William B.	Bailey	(Sqdn Ldr)
2nd Lt	Edison G.	Stiff
1st Lt	Clinton H.	Sperry
2nd Lt	Clifford	Armstrong
Capt	Charles J.	Hoey	(Flt Ldr)
2nd Lt	Joseph	Schillinger
1st Lt	Gordon L.	Willits
Capt	Raynor E.	Robertson	(Flt Ldr)
2nd Lt	Harry H.	Dustin
1st Lt	Robert A.	Newman
1st Lt	Charles W.	Kipfer
1st Lt	Wilbert H.	Juntilla	(Flt Ldr)
2nd Lt	Richard V.	Keywan
1st Lt	Edward M.	Fogarty
2nd Lt	Donald J.	Corrigan

Group Aborts/Early Returns:

42-8373	ABT   radio	LH-?
42-8513	ERTN   escort 8373	LH-Y
42-22466	ABT   radio	SX-E
42-7904	ERTN   escort 22466	SX-F
42-74728	ABT   radio
42-22458	ABT   radio	SX-L
42-22482	ERTN   escort 22458	SX-M
42-22463	ABT   radio
42-8478	ERTN   escort 74728	YJ-Y
42-8395	BD Cat   A	YJ-S
42-8375	BD Cat   A	YJ-D