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Re: First Me 163 kill
The account of the the three 352nd FG being downed came from "The Mighty Eight" by Freeman:
".The report of a B-17 radio operator...indicated 'Within two minutes after turning at the initial point I saw puffing vapor trails at about 35,000 ft about 9 o'clock to our course. They flew in direction of our formation, then turned to attack 3 P-51s which were flying approx 3,000 ft above and to the left of our formation.The jets dived onto the P-51s which were about 8 o'clock to our formation at the time. The 163s were in trail as they swooped down on the P-51s. The attacks were pressed almost to point blank range, then the enemy airplanes zoom climbed into the clear sky above. I saw each of the three P-51s catch fire and dive earthward.' Three 352nd Group P-51s were missing."
Only problem with this is that only two 352nd FG P-51s were lost on this date, both pilots being POWs in a fight with Bf-109s.
Jeff Ethell in his book on the Me-163 discounted the P-51 shoot down by the Me-163s. Its a mystery what the B-17 radio operator saw....?
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