Mustangs over Czech on May 8 1945?

[HGabor]

Hi Folks,
Does anybody know about any USAAF P-51 Mustang unit flying over the territory of Czech (Republic) on May 8, 1945? Unit, strength, area, time? It can be 8th, 9th, 15th AF - anything.
Thanks,
Gabor

[RSwank]

Just a WAG:
Patton’s 3rd Army was in Czechoslovakia in May 1945 and the XIX Tactical Airforce assigned to the 3rd Army. There were at least two Mustang Fighter Groups in the XIX, the 354th FG and the 363rd FG. There were also some F-6s in reconnaissance units.
Here is a link about “Air Power for Patton’s Army”:
https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/2...100924-003.pdf
On the link of “The Air Force Chronology” for May 1945 here:
http://paul.rutgers.edu/~mcgrew/wwii...ml/May.45.html
Search for Monday 7 May and Tuesday, 8 May:
It appears the 8th and 15th and 12th AFs get ruled out, but note comments for the 9th AF and in particular the XIX Tactical Air Command:

7 May:
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): The XIX Tactical Air Command flies
sweeps over E Germany and W Czechoslovakia and carries out demonstration
flights over prisoner of war (POW) camps

8 May:
Ninth Air Force: The IX and XIX Tactical Air Commands patrol the Leipzig,
Chemnitz, and Adorf, Germany and Linz, Austria areas, and fly sweeps and
demonstration missions.

Note: no mention of flights over Czechoslovakia on the 8th as they had done the previous day however some the areas they did fly over on the 8th of May are very close to the border.

[HGabor]

RSwank,
Excellent info, much appreciate it.
Gabor

[Faenor]

Hi Gabor,

2 Fw 190 was shot downed on 8.5.1945 around 20:00 in the vicinity of Nadryby, N from Pilsen (the city of the famous Pilsner Urquell beer):

http://www.leteckabadatelna.cz/havar...ly/detail/305/
http://www.leteckabadatelna.cz/havar...ly/detail/306/

There is info:
„Larson and one other F-6 pilot made contact with two FW-190 aircraft apparently en route to Switzerland. Pulling along side the 190´s, the American waggled their wings in an attempt to lead them to an airfield. Not about to surrender, teh Germans began to take evasive action and eventually crashed their aircraft into the forest below in a desperate attempt to escape the Americans. Through no shots were fired during the engagement, this episode proved to be the final encounter between American and German aircraft in WW II.“

From US side, there was 2 photo version of P-51 - F-6 from the 10th PRG and pilots was 2./Lt. Leland A Larson and 1/Lt. George R. Schroeder.

Based on the local info, both Fw 190 was shot downed, it was not accident - Fw 190 was probably from SG 9,SG 10,SG 77 - the pilots perished. On of them was probably awarder by DEUTSCHES KREUZ IN GOLD, so maybe this is crash of Obfw. Rudolf Wendt, who is missing from 8.5.1945.

Area between Karlovy Vary - Plzeń - České Budějovice was liberated by US army and maybe this area was covered by reconnaissance units.

Faenor

[HGabor]

Thank you Faenor, excellent details. What a senseless waste of souls at, or rather after the final moments...
Gabor

[SteveR]

From the book Aerial Reconnaissance: The 10th Photo Recon Group In World War II by Tom Ivie, p. 169:

"On the 15th TAC R's last mission of the day Leland Larson and George Schroeder had a similar experience with two FW-190s. This time they managed to destroy both planes without firing a single shot. The section approached the 190s with the intention of escorting them to Furth, but the 190s took hostile action and the section reacted. Lt. Schroeder followed one of them to the deck and chased it until the Focke-Wulf crashed into some trees, and Larson fastened himself on to the tail of the other. The Focke-Wulf dived to 500 feet, made a tight turn to the left - too tight - snapped into a spin and crashed and burned. The only shots fired were those by the FW-190s in their first and only offensive action of the encounter, which scored a single hit on Schroeder's left wing."

[Gaston]

It is possible that it was a different pilot than Wendt, because there is new information: Following the Squadrons disbandenment on 8 May, 1945, under the leadership of Maj. Fridolin Becker, he tried to reach Germany but fell into an ambush by Czech guerillas after being disarmed by Soviets. Many were killed including Rudi Wendt.
Rudi Wendt was awarded the RK - April 17, 1945. He completed over 600 combat flights and one victory is known.
Didn't the local authorities try to dig the grave of these two pilots?

[Adriano Baumgartner]

The wreckage may still be there....the problem is where? Once found, maybe the clues to the identity of those airmen may be finally found.

There was a previous thread regarding a DKiG winner KIA on the 8th May 1945...it is the the "Search" option of this Board.

I believe they do deserve a burial, those 2 airmen that were trying their "luck" to surrender in the West or to simply "be nearest to their homes".

A.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

FAENOR, I now saw the links you posted!
Amazing findings!!!
Sorry for posting before seeing the sites!

A.

[richdlc]

If you can find a copy, I highly recommend this book

'Pod palbou hloubkařů: Útoky amerických a britských stíhacích letounů na pozemní cíle v českých zemích v letech 1944 a 1945' - Filip Vojtášek - Academia, Praha 2019

it lists in detail every single Allied attack on Czech territory ground targets in 1944/45. The latest date I can find is 4th May 1945.