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Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski
The matter of training is disputable - generally US pilots had more flying time amassed but this does not mean they were better. Otherwise, generally RAF pilot had quite a lot of flying time when entering RAF Squadron - it was a rule that after basic training, pilot was sent for a non combat duties and only after a tour eg. in gunnery school or army co-operation, he was sent to a combat school. By 1943/44 all key positions in RAF fighter squadrons were held by seasoned combat veterans, and if you doubt importance of experience, you shod re-read Gabby's book!
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They may have been seasoned, but that was not always enough.
Except for one plane, the No. 133 Eagle Squadron was wiped out near Brest on 26th September 1942, partly due to the poor leadership of the Englishman who was leading the squadron. It started with the RAF weatherman who failed to predict high winds and the controllers at Exeter who did not keep track of their progress, but then the mission commander Flight Lieutenant E.G. Brettell made several mistakes that one would expect from a novice pilot, not a seasoned veteran. Only Don Gentile escaped because he aborted early. Robert Beaty managed to fly all the way back to the UK, although he ran out of fuel and crashlanded with serious injuries.
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Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski
NMF was not very common during Normandy Campaign
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It was a gradual process starting in May 1944, but nearly all USAAF fighters had a natural metal finish by August 1944. New planes were delivered unpainted and old planes had the paint stripped off, except for spot colors on the noses, tails and glare panels. There are hundreds of photographs to prove it.
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Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski
There is a number of German claims for Mustangs in Caen area - actually this was a RAF operational area and those claims are generally for Spitfires. I investigated in great depth Polish combats on 7.06.1944 and 18.08.1944 and managed to obtain accounts of German pilots. In both cases 'Amis' were reported and in one case, German pilot reported he was attacked by Thunderbolts, even if there were none in vincinity!
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With thousands of engagements over the skies of Europe, a few cases of misidentifiation matters little. But if you insist on playing that game, here here are a few others:
23rd April 1943
Spitfire XII EN601 of No. 41 Sqn was on a shipping recce to Dieppe when shot down by JG26 but it was claimed as an RAF Mustang I. The South African pilot F/Lt T. R. Poynton was killed.
24th February 1944
Lt. Waldemar Radener of JG 26 claimed to have shot down a P-47 SE of Bonn. But there were no P-47s in the area at the time, and a German researcher discovered his victim was a P-51 flown by Don Rice of the 357th FG, who had shot down Gerhard Loschinski just moments earlier.
15th June 1944
Luftwaffe pilots of JG 2 claimed to have shot down four RAF Mustangs but the only RAF air-to-air combat losses listed this day were three Spitfires from No. 421 (RCAF) Squadron.
29th December 1944
An Fw 190D-9 of JG26 was shot down in error by a Bf 109, probably from JG27. Shit happens.
29th December 1944
In his combat report this day, Fritz Ungar of JG 54 misidentified No. 56 Squadron RAF Tempests as P-47 Thunderbolts.
22nd February 1945
Heinz Gehrke of JG 26 reported he was shot down by a Spitfire near Plantleunne, but his own official casualty report credits his downing to a Tempest at 1745 hrs. This matches the after action report of D.C. Fairbanks (an American) who flew RAF Tempests with No. 274 Squadron. Spitfires, Tempests and Thunderbolts had similar elliptical wing planform shapes so occasionally there was an ID problem.
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Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski
As a side note in regard of identification, quite often D-Day stripes did not help in preventing of freindly fire, so why to mention colourful markings!
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Agreed, but I noticed that RAF fighter pilots did not shoot at USAAF planes so often after natural metal finish and bright spot colors became standard.
Found some relevant comments from LeRoy Gover, who piloted Spitfires with 66 and 133 Squadrons, RAF and later flew Thunderbolts with the 336th Fighter Squadron, USAAF....
" February 21st, 1943 - My P-47 is being painted white on the nose and tail today, so those bastards won't shoot at us. About four of us have been shot at now by Spits, Typhoons and [British] ground defenses because they think we look like FW-190s. I hope it works, because we have enough trouble with the Jerries having to worry about our own guys.
March 9th, 1943 - We were fired on by our own coast guns [British] on the way home. I guess the white stripes don't work very well "