7th April 1945 - the 1st VLR Mission over Japan

[Faenor]

Hi all,

I have the question about the 1st VLR mission over Japan on the 7th April 1945 about score of Mustangs pilot from this day.

On the page 58 of the book Very Long Range P-51 Mustang Unit of the Pacific War (Osprey publishing - Aviation Elite Unit no 21, author Carl Molesworth) is score for both Mustangs Groups 26-1-5 (destroyes - probably destroyes - damaged) .... but in this link http://www.pacificwrecks.com/60th/1945/4-45.html is score for Mustang pilots 21-5-7 :
VII Fighter Command: Mission 1: 91 of 108 P-51s escort B-29s to Tokyo; they claim 21-5-7 Japanese aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost.

In the book he Long Campaing - The History of the 15th Fighter Group in World War II (author John W. Lambert, Schiffer publishing) on the page 95 is score for the 15th FG 17-3-5, same number like by name of scoring pilots on the page 167.

Question is - which number is right ? anybody know info about daily score of the 21st FG (name of pilots, types od enemies, time and place) in this mission ?
Or is anywhere info about other VLR mission - books, www links, magazines ...all helps are welcome.

Thanks Faenor

[Tom Semenza]

Faenor,

Frank Olynyk published a complete listing of all USAAF claims in WW2. His Victory List No. 3 covers the Pacific Theater. In this he also gives the total claims on this mission as 26/1/5. Claims for 21st FG pilots were:

1030-1035 Blue Flight 46th FS 1 x Tojo dam. (Yokohama area)
1040-1120 Capt. Harry Clay Crim, Jr. 1 x Tony dest. (Tokyo area)
1040-1120 Capt. Harry Clay Crim, Jr. 1 x Nick dest. (SE suburbs of Tokyo)
1050 2/Lt. Lloyd L. Bosley 1 x Tony dest. (SW of Tokyo)
1055-1105 1/Lt. Jacob W. Gotwals, Jr. 1 x Tojo dest. (Tokyo)
1055-1105 1/Lt. William E. Merritt 1 Tojo dest. (Tokyo)
1100 Capt. Adolph J. Bregar 1 x Nick dest. (over Tokyo)
1105-1150 1/Lt. William E. Merritt 1 x Tony dest. (while leaving Tokyo)

Crim and Bosley were with the 531st FS, while the other three were members of the 72nd. Thus the claims for the 21st FG were 7-0-1.

Olynyk shows credits for the 15th FG as 19-1-4. Since I don't have the Lambert book I can say exactly how the claims differ. However I do have Lambert's Pineapple Air Force in which he lists only destroyed credits (no probables or damaged.) For the date in question he lists only 17 destroyed for 15th FG pilots. The two missing are:

1045-1130 Tojo (W. of Hiratsuka) shared by Capts. George H. Hunter, Jr. & Bruce S. Campbell, Jr. of the 45th FS.
1045-1130 Tony (Tokyo) Capt. Albert E. Maltby (45th FS).

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Tom