[pdame141]

According to 368th Fighter Group records, Lt. Harold Eyrich of the 395th FS was credited with downing a Fokker D.VII on April 22, 1945 near "Eilenstock," Germany.

Two questions came to mind when I looked at this story:

1) where did this take place? I couldn't find any "Eilenstock" on GoogleEarth, but did find a town called Eibenstock near the German border with Czechoslovakia, which would fit with the 368th FG area of operations in April 1945.

2) what type of aircraft was likely actually shot down by Lt. Eyrich? Presumably this claim would have been confirmed with gun camera footage given the rarity of a biplane claim at that late date. Assuming that the film showed a biplane, is it even possible that a D.VII was in the air? I thought the Allies confiscated most D.VIIs after Versailles, and couldn't find any reference to operational use in WW2. Is it more likely that the a/c in question was a HS-123 or other type of German biplane?

I realize that records from this late in the war are fragmentary, but this unusual aerial victory piqued my interest. As always, thanks in advance for your help!

Best regards,
Paul Dame