Jerry Johnson´s mock combat with P 51
 

In John Stanaway´s Osprey title Mustang and Thunderbolt Aces of Pacific and CBI there is a mention of a mock combat the CO of the 9 FS/49 FG Gerald Johnson had in P 38 with an unspecified P-51. Johnson reportedly "bested" the P 51D to the point where he followed his opponent through every attempted evasive manoeuvre with one of the P 38´s engines shut down! Does anyone have some details to this mock fight as to when and where and who was the opponent?

Jan

Re: Jerry Johnson´s mock combat with P 51
 

[quote=Johnson reportedly "bested" the P 51D to the point where he followed his opponent through every attempted evasive manoeuvre with one of the P 38´s engines shut down!
Jan[/quote]

And you believed this?

Just how heavy is a P-38 compared to a P-51? So with very similar power, how much poorer the Power to Weight ratio - hence how much poorer the acceleration, climb, turn?

It is certainly likely that a good pilot experienced on a P-38 could outperform a P-51 in lesser hands: that should not be in dispute. But not on one engine.

Re: Jerry Johnson´s mock combat with P 51
 

Yes, that is exactly what I thought but Stanaway is a respected author so I didn´t want to dismiss this story right away..

Jan

Re: Jerry Johnson´s mock combat with P 51
 

I suspect it of being inflated rather than total fantasy. It could simply be that the P-51 pilot was poor to the point of incompetence - or at least highly inexperienced. However, there are ways of minimising the penalty: start with a heavy P-51 and a light P-38. Keep the fight hard-turning to low and slow, where the drag difference (the P-38 has more than twice the zero-lift drag of a P-51) was less significant, and so that the P-51 couldn't just dive away - the P-38 was poor in the dive. This would eventually lead to both fighters falling out of the sky, or perhaps a slow scissors combat.... Even then, the P-51 would have been able to simply climb away. However, as this would not be recommended in real combat because it would make an easy shot, so perhaps the P-51 pilot didn't try it for that very reason. The P-51 was not the best climbing fighter.

Re: Jerry Johnson´s mock combat with P 51
 

Actually this really happened but there were 2 dogfights and the story are sorta mested together. I asked my buddy John who probably knows more about Johnson that anyone been a close friend of his widow Barbara and author of his autobiography. The dogfights happened in July 45 and were P-51 vs P-38 and P-38 vs P-38 and the opposing pilot was Gerald's brother Harold who was a pilot in the 348th FG. Harold had been a P-51 OTU instructor and was a very good pilot. Gerald won the first engagement easily probably due to his combat exoerience but the 2nd was a balls out no holds bared duel fought to a draw. Afterwards Gerald complimented Harold on his use of the P-38s combat flaps to which Harold (on his 2nd P-38 flight) replied "what are combat flaps??"
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...hnsonthumb.jpg
L/C Gerald "Ged" Johnson CO 49th FG 1945

Re: Jerry Johnson´s mock combat with P 51
 

Jack are you talking about the book "Jungle Ace"? If so please pass on my thanks to John Bruning. He really has done a wonderful job on an outstanding pilot and leader.

it's a marvellous read.

Re: Jerry Johnson´s mock combat with P 51
 

Yup that's John. He's focused on Iraq and the war on terror having dome 4 books on the subject inc Devil's Sandbox, House to House and How To Break A Terrorist which made the NY Times Brest Sellers list.

Re: Jerry Johnson´s mock combat with P 51
 

I can buy a 38 outflying a 51 due to pilot skill.

Nobody is going to convince me that the 38 pilot beats a 51 with one engine out - particularly in the vertical or horizontal (into bad engine).

Re: Jerry Johnson´s mock combat with P 51
 

Thank you all for your inputs, they were very interesting. Also of an interest is the snapshot Jack Cook posted since I have always seen Johnson credited with 22 kills and the P 38 he is standing to clearly has 23 Japanese flags painted on it. Was it a ground victory or a claim that was later downgraded?

Jan

Re: Jerry Johnson´s mock combat with P 51
 

According to Frank Olynyk's Stars and Bars, his claims list has several "probables". Perhaps, at the time of the photo, he had one of these on that machine.