Colonel J.L. Laughlin C/O 362nd FG

[CJE]

He is said to have sunk a "major German warship" at Brest on 25 August 1944 - in fact being the only USAAF pilot in the ETO to have accomplished such a feat.

However, I have found no trace of any "major warship" sunk at Brest in August '44, just a destroyer, Z23, severely damaged twice by bombing: the first time by 617 Sqn Lancasters and the second time on 12 (or 21) August and in La Pallice harbour, but definitely not sunk (scrapped in 1951).

Moreover, Jerry Scutts makes no mention of this fact in his Osprey volume on P-47 aces of 9th and 15th AF.

Any clue anyone?

Thanks in advance.

Chris

[strafer]

Hi Chris, this is what Leendert posted to ArmyAirForces.com: "...the Kriegsmarine lost Sperrbrecher 162 (ex MV Delia) and minesweeper M4040 because of air attacks at/near Brest harbour on 25 Aug 44." Some info in these ships can be found at http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/44-08.htm
Filip

[CJE]

Thanks Filip.
It's not exactly what I call a "major warship" but anyway I guess that's it.

Chris

[Larry]

Interestingly I also saw in the 511st FS / 405th FG records that some of their P-47s had attacked a corvette and three merchant ships (somewhere off the Cherbourg Peninsula) with frag bombs and one cluster was seen to hit the stern of the corvette. This was on the 18th June 44. It was the 405th's tenth mission of the day out of Christchurch! I think they could not find any suitable targets so they just took a pop at the ships for the hell of it.