[SteveB]

Jean Paul

The recent history of 52FG “Spitfires and Yellow Tail Mustangs” by Tom Ivie and Paul Ludwig states:

"9 February 1944 turned out to be a bad day for the 4thFS as a dive-bombing mission resulted in the loss of three pilots. The first air battle took place over the harbour at Nice in France when the flight of four Spitfires led by Lt Henry Montgomery was jumped by Fw190s as they were pulling up from their dive bombing attacks. Widely separated and under attack at all times the Spitfire pilots were unable to aid each other. First to fall was F/O James H Montgomery Jr whose aircraft was last seen going down in flames. He would become a PoW. Next F/O Bob Hoover’s Spitfire was hit and he bailed out and went in the water three miles off Nice harbour. Two enemy speed boats were observed to go out after him. The Germans then turned and pursued the other two Spitfires, but Henry Montgomery and Bradley Smith managed to elude the Fw190s after desperately manoeuvring for 25 minutes.
Later that day Maj William M Houston led a section to search for the two downed pilots and Houston’s flight was attacked by Fw190s. Lt John L Bishop was shot down six miles SE of Cannes, France and became PoW, and Lt Stanley Pell suffered a hole through his left wing. Houston and Lt Robert L Burnett III managed to escape the bounce and claimed they probably destroyed a Fw190 near Nice. Their claim was never given official credit."

As far as I can see there is no other info in the book that enables these names to be connected up with your serial numbers.

Steve