P-51 "Old Crow" and 8./JG 1 - a little discovery
 

Recently I dug up an interesting story, which occurred on 21st February 1944, and I thought it might be of interest to you. Here it goes:

According to the book on JG 1, on that day over Netherlands Fw. Fritz Haspel of 8th Staffel was jumped by (what he thought was) a P-47, and his Bf 109 was critically damaged by gunfire. “Haspel bailed out after jettisoning the canopy. The latter hit the propellor of the Thunderbolt, and it in turn went down out of control. The American pilot managed to bail out, but, deploying his parachute too quickly, the silk tore, and he broke both his legs due to a rapid descent” [quoted after E. Mombeeck, Defending the Reich, The History of Jagdgeschwader 1 “Oesau”].

Haspel claimed his victory (and was credited with it) over Meppel, shortly before his Bf 109 crashed into IJsselmeer. However, it was not a Thunderbolt that he accidentally knocked down. Only two P-47s failed to return that day. The one of 356th FG was definitely shot down in the area of Hannover, and its pilot killed. The other one, of 361st FG, was crash-landed on the Dutch coast (due to engine failure), but on the way in, an hour before III./JG 1 even took off. Moreover, its pilot walked away unscathed, made contact with the Dutch resistance and remained with them until the liberation of the Netherlands.
The circumstances suggest that the American pilot involved was actually Lt. Alfred Boyle of 357th FG, flying a Mustang. His MACR record states that ten miles north-east of Zwolle he “closed on tail of Me 109 from 20,000 ft to within 50 yards at 7,000 ft, where E/A disintegrated due to attack. Lt. Boyle was last seen in a vertical dive through wreckage at 600 mph” [MACR 2418]. Lt. Boyle managed to bail out and was taken prisoner. He was rightly credited with a victory, too.

Does anyone here know more details about the circumstances in which Lt. Boyle was taken prisoner? Was he the pilot who broke both his legs? His descent must indeed have been rapid! An interesting sidenote - on that day Boyle was flying Bud Anderson's first "Old Crow".

Re: P-51 "Old Crow" and 8./JG 1 - a little discovery
 

Lagarto - From Book To War with the Yoxford Boys by Merle Olmsted
The 357th FG lost 8 Pilots 2/21/44.
The Pilot in question could have been Lt. Tom Beemer - He was shot
down by B - 17 . Bailed out but his Chute " Streamed " and he suffered
permanent injuries to Legs and Back. He was POW, repatriated 3/44.
No mention of Lt. Boyle being injured.
?????
Mike

Re: P-51 "Old Crow" and 8./JG 1 - a little discovery
 

Hi Mike,
Perhaps the fates of the two 357th FG's pilots - Boyle and Beemer - are mixed up in this story. One was knocked down by debris from the Bf 109 he shot down, and the other one was badly hurt due to his faulty parachute. Somehow, at some point, one was mistaken for the other. Possible, isn't it? :)

Re: P-51 "Old Crow" and 8./JG 1 - a little discovery
 

Tom Beemer was shot down on 2/25/1944 and indeed broke both legs. I met Tom back in 1993.

Alfred Boyle shot down a Bf 109 on 2/12/1944 but his a/c was hit by debris. Boyle wa severly injured, lost his arm and was repatriated.

I think Boyle might have shot down Uffz. Feier of III./JG 1, but that is not 100% certain.

John