July 7. LtC. Kinnard led a Ramrod to escort the 2nd BD attacking four separate targets on a mission that was too complicated to provide adequate coverage. The 4th, 20th and 355th were tasked to provide Penetration, Target and Withdrawal support to Lutzkendorf southeast of the IP, Halle to the east, Bernburg to the northeast and Aschersleben to the north of the IP at Sonderhausen. The 4th FG was assigned to split and cover the Aschersleben and Bernburg strikes, the 20th to escort the Lutzkendorf attack and the 355th took the leading boxes of B-24s to Halle. The 2nd BD would break away from the 1st and 3rd BDs which would continue east and then break south and south east to attack Leipzig area and Berlin Area targets. The 355th picked up their B-24s (453rd and 389th BG) at Lingen at 0813 then the bomber stream turned southeast toward Sonderhausen which was about 40 miles from Halle, Bernburg and Lutzkendorf. The 20th slid in behind the 355th for coverage of the middle boxes and the 4th FG took th rear. Unfortunately the 336th FS, scheduled to escort the Bernburg attack was very late off the ground due to illness of the squadron leader Van Wyk and did not make the R/V. They were forced to plot a direct course to the IP and did not get there in time for the bomber stream split up and bomb run to their separate targets. Each of the bomb wings arrived at Sonderhausen at 0913-0915. The first of the attacks occurred on the Aschersleben bound B-24s by Me 410s and Bf 109s. The two squadrons of the 4th FG engaged them and the late arriving 336FS seeing the fight to the north, also engaged - missing sight of their Bernburg charges off to their right. At approximately 0928, Kinnards 354FS was sweeping in front of the leading 453rd BG near Halle when he spotted a large force of Me 410s boring in from the southeast with another 30+ 109s flying top cover. He firewalled his throttle and his two ship Red flight attacked the 410s head on, breaking up the massed formation. In a running fight to the deck Kinnard shot down two Me 410s and a 109 that was on Cross tail. Lieutenant Cross got two more. Both were low on fuel and headed for home on the deck. Lieutenant Heber Huish, flying Kinnards wing, collided with the debris of the first Me 410 that Kinnard shot down and spun out, crashing near Bendlesleben. Blue flight led by Perry hit the Me 410 formation after Kinnard and shot down one and chased a Ju 88 on the deck but over ran it. Lieutenants Betounes and Taylor shot out the engines and watched it crash before spotting Kinnards flight. Blue flight then joined Kinnard for the journey home as the other two flights of the 354FS moved over the 453rd BG now heading for home. The 357FS led by Captain Minchew, was about three miles behind escorting in front of the 389th BG with the 358FS in trail. At this time the 357 had only nine ships of the sixteen that took off due to early returns. From approximately 0932-0935 Minchew led his three flights into the Me 410s that slipped past the 354FS. Captains Minchew and Haviland shot down two apiece and Minchew shared a third with an unknown 20th FG P-38. During this battle several 4th FG Mustangs were seen chasing Bf 109s and one P-38 (flown by ace Captain James Morris) was seen to be hit by a crossfire from two Me 410s and bail out. Lieutenants Cotter and Fuller shot down one 410 each while McNeff shot down a 109 and Eshelman damaged another. Fuller was hit by flak as he chased 15-20 more 410s over an airfield near Naumburg. He was seen to bail out, land safely and walk into trees nearby - but never seen again. To this day no more is known regarding his fate but July 7 was a bad day for 8th AF airmen landing in Germany as many were killed by civilians. During this battle, a large force of Sturm FW 190A-8s from IV.(Sturm)/JG 3 with escorting 109s from JG 300 sped in from the east and curved behind the unescorted 492nd and 44th BG near Bernburg. In the next 10-12 minutes they hacked out or damaged severely 12 from the 492nd and 3 from the 44th BG. If the 55th FG led by Colonel John Landers not arrived around 0940 it is possible that all of both groups could have been shout down by the very lethal FW 190s. The 55th FG shot down 19 1/2 combined FW 190s, 109s and 410s. The 355thdestroyed 14.5-0-2 for the loss of two (1 mid air, one flak) Lieutenant Claiborne Kinnard became the 355th FG seventh air ace to combine with 13 ground scores. He received the Groups third Distinguished Cross for his valor on this mission.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:29:53 +0000
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