[Cobbey]

Four of the top German aces were present at the fight at Reghin, Hartmann, Lipfert, Rudel, and Fonnekold. I have a theory that Flight Officer Cobbey is likely the Mustang pilot that killed Hauptman (Captain) Otto Fonnekold, a German ME-109 pilot (JG52, 5th squadron leader) with 136 combat victories. Fönnekold has been given credit in several sources for shooting down all three P-51 Mustangs on 31 August 1944. The 52nd FG mission report states that Lt. Davis, Lt Tomlinson and Lt Frazier were shot down by a ME-109, while Cobbey’s wingman Lt. Ward had returned to base early due to fuel problems and Lt. Frazier’s wingman had returned to base early due to mechanical problems. Therefore, in 52nd FG, Cobbey and Frazier did not have assigned wingmen during the fight, and Lt. Schween and Lt. Grey (in 2FS) both lost their wingman to Fönnekold. Lt. Schween claimed one ME109 in a fight at 3,000 ft. after his wingman Tomlinson was shot down. Lt. Grey did not claim any enemy planes destroyed, while Cobbey was given credit for 3, including a ME-109. The Hungarian article by Bernard Denes singles out Cobbey “flying at barely 100 meters destroyed a Bf 109G”. Fonnekold was bounced on his landing approach to his base at Ssaß-Budak Siebenbürgen by a solitary P-51 Mustang. Ssaß-Budak Siebenbürgen base is about 70km west of Reghin, about 10 minutes away in a fighter. One of the .50 caliber projectiles of the Mustang penetrated Fönnekold’s heart. Nevertheless he landed his Bf 109 G-6 (WNr. 441931 "black 9") before succumbing to his injury. By circumstantial evidence, Cobbey was the single Mustang pilot (without a wingman) that claimed a ME-109 at low altitude. He likely saw his squadron member Frazier being shot down by Fonnekold, and then followed him and attacked as Fonnekold was most vulnerable, while landing. Erich Hartmann in 1983 , he told Alex K (HALPRO, 9th & 15th AF /205th GP Rumania Campaigns Historian) that a young and rather very lucky P-51 pilot killed Foennekold on the ground. Hartmann had been told this after the war while visiting Edwards AFB when he acted as Inspector General of the German AF.