[Sylvester Stadler]

Art:

Here is what I wrote on the Dogfights forum in regard to your description which I saw on the History Channel in September 2007:

"The No Room for Error episode of Dogfights narrates the activities of Arthur Fiedler of the 325th FG. It would have been more accurate to provide an overall situation report for 26 July 1944.

On this date 425 bombers with 366 fighters as escort attacked various targets in southern Europe including Austria. The Axis defense consisted of the Bf 109G-equipped I./JG 302, I./JG 300, II./JG27 and Hungarian groups. The only Fw 190A unit was II./JG 300 which sent up 20 fighters. Thus Art Fiedler could not have seen 64 Fw 190s in a compact formation, consisting of eight in line abreast with eight lines. The Germans never used such a formation. The type of formation used was the wedge with perhaps nine in the first wave and which was followed by a second wave. This is what Fiedler probably saw.

Escorting Bf 109Gs were used to defend the heavy Fw 190s which were armed with two 20 mm cannon and two 30 mm cannon plus the 13 mm MGs in the fuselage (although some pilots had these removed). These Fw 190s also had additonal armor bolted outside the cockpit, making them heavier and difficult to engage in a dogfight. What was amazing to see is the heavier Fw 190 dogfighting with the more nimble Mustang.

The attack on the bombers resulted in a loss of 11 B-17s of the 301st BG and 6 B-24s. Nine Fw 190s were lost as were two P-51s of the 325th. How many Bf 109s were lost is unknown."

Most likely you saw a formation of Fw 190s and Bf 109s, with the Fw 190s flying at a lower altitude and the escorting Bf 109s flying higher but from your perspective, they may have appeared as flying in one formation.