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Re: 109 shot down by Bill Overstreet (eiffel tower)
Could very well be an embellished war story due to lack of credible provenance. Such stories are not uncommon. I know, I was asked by the daughter of a former P-38 pilot to research a story where her late father claimed to have been shot down in a raging dogfight where he shot down several aircraft, actively worked with the Resistance, and finally escaped by stealing an Me262 and flying it behind friendly lines, eventually crash landing on an Allied airfield. I even found newspaper articles where the fable was retold and received rave reviews. Of course, it was all bogus and I felt like a heel to have to tell the daughter that it was all made up.
I find it surprising that Overstreet did not recall any details because he was "busy at the time". I've interviewed several WWII fighter pilots (like my good friend Bob Milliken, 474th FG P-38 ace) and they tend to recall lots of little details from intense engagements. Oh well, I guess it's true that "when the legend becomes fact, print the legend".
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