Quote:
Originally Posted by NickM
Thanks, my bad! That's what I get for leaving my books at work. As I understood it, the Mustang Unit that III/JG26(AND II/JG3-I think) battled was the 355th.
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Nick - Both the 355th and 357th were assigned target escort, the 357th about 15 minutes behind. Bud Anderson was in this fight. The effective escort making R/V was 83 Mustangs from the two groups attempting to cover 40 miles of bomber stream. The 355th was awarded 22 destroyed and the 357th 24 destroyed including 9 Me 110s and one Ju 88 -
The total shot down by Mustangs according to the research I have done on the LW side is 1 Fw 190 plus 30 Me 109s plus 9 Me 110s plus one Ju 88 destroyed as well as six Me 109s and one Fw 190 crash landed but no data on condition. I have the werk numbers for the destroyed, but none for the crashlanded/damaged.
From my book -
In all, over 230 German fighters made contact in that area. The order of engagement seems to be Sturmstaffel I. with 1/JG3 flying top cover around 1315-1320, followed by JG26 in the 1315-1320, then III./JG3 around 1325, then Stab IV./JG3 with IV./JG3, Stab./JG301, I./JG301 and III./JG26 in the 1330-1335 timeframe. IV./JG 27 and I./JG5 appeared in the 1336-1340 timeframe followed by II./ZG26.
JG26 departed when the 355th made R/V at 1318 and stalked 41-B until the IP and re-engaged the B-17s form se of Munich all the way through the bomb runs. By that time all of the 355th and 357th with the exception of three flights (358FS/355FG) still escorting the lead 41-A were scattered all over the area in mixed engagements