August 31,1944 Jg-52 combat w/ 52nd FG questions

[yogybär]

Does anyone know what Mustangs these were? B,C,D-series?

Dénés, I'd also love to read the article... Maybe someone else can help you with the translation, i.e. someone from D-13th?

[Dénes Bernád]

Two Mustangs are positively identified, whose pilots became POWs.
One was a C (Bu.No. 42-103395), while the other one a D (Bu.No. 44-13295).

My article was published both in Hungarian and Rumanian languages. One day I should publish it in English (or French), too.

[Cobbey]

I am seeking information about USAAF pilot John Cobbey mentioned in the article in Hungarian by Dénes Bernád. It is an interesting description with a lot of detail.

http://www.hhrf.org/nepujsag/03aug/3nu0829t.htm

A friend of mine translated it to English, and Google Language Tools also do a crude job of translating most of the content at this URL:

http://web.me.com/weekley/John_Cobbe...on_Rhegin.html

John Cobbey was KIA Sept 2 strafing a German armor column near Pec Yugoslavia (Serbia), but no MACR can be located.

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by Dénes Bernád

I identified 4 P-51 and 4 Bf 109G + 1 Fw 190F + Ju 52/3m shot down in air combat over that area. A couple of other Luftwaffe and even Rumanian (!) airplanes were also shot down by trigger-happy Mustangs en-route to/from their target.

I don't have info on either Ofhr. Nikolaus Schroder, or Lt. Hans Otto Junge, but I know that Gefr. Günter Stender (6./JG 52)was also killed in combat.

What were the Rumanians flying? Pilots go after shape and you can't see national markings from 6 o'clock

[Dénes Bernád]

They were flying Ju 52s.

One does not necessarily need to see the markings on the aircraft. It's enough to know that he is flying deep in friendly territory, so any aircraft spotted in that area is most probably friendly.

[Dénes Bernád]

Originally Posted by Cobbey

I am seeking information about USAAF pilot John Cobbey mentioned in the article in Hungarian by Dénes Bernád. It is an interesting description with a lot of detail.

I wrote that article, with the help of László Márton.

The actual story is much-much longer than included in that local newspaper (published in the city where I was born, Marosvásárhely, Transylvania - actually close to the combat area).
By the way, my Father eye witnessed that particular air combat when he was 15. It was he who triggered my interest in the described event.

The full version of the article, including several comprehensive tables with victories and losses, was published in Hungary and France, too.

P.S. Please give my greetings to Mr. Galántay. And kindly remind him that Mocsár is not the same with Mohács

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hi Denes,

Can you say where your article was published in France ? I missed it and will be interested to read it.

Seasonal greetings

Laurent

[Dénes Bernád]

It was published in Air Magazine No. 42, No. 6/2008, under the title: Les Mustangs plongent sur Reghin!

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks Denes I will search this number.

[Cobbey]

Four of the top German aces were present at the fight at Reghin, Hartmann, Lipfert, Rudel, and Fonnekold. I have a theory that Flight Officer Cobbey is likely the Mustang pilot that killed Hauptman (Captain) Otto Fonnekold, a German ME-109 pilot (JG52, 5th squadron leader) with 136 combat victories. Fönnekold has been given credit in several sources for shooting down all three P-51 Mustangs on 31 August 1944. The 52nd FG mission report states that Lt. Davis, Lt Tomlinson and Lt Frazier were shot down by a ME-109, while Cobbey’s wingman Lt. Ward had returned to base early due to fuel problems and Lt. Frazier’s wingman had returned to base early due to mechanical problems. Therefore, in 52nd FG, Cobbey and Frazier did not have assigned wingmen during the fight, and Lt. Schween and Lt. Grey (in 2FS) both lost their wingman to Fönnekold. Lt. Schween claimed one ME109 in a fight at 3,000 ft. after his wingman Tomlinson was shot down. Lt. Grey did not claim any enemy planes destroyed, while Cobbey was given credit for 3, including a ME-109. The Hungarian article by Bernard Denes singles out Cobbey “flying at barely 100 meters destroyed a Bf 109G”. Fonnekold was bounced on his landing approach to his base at Ssaß-Budak Siebenbürgen by a solitary P-51 Mustang. Ssaß-Budak Siebenbürgen base is about 70km west of Reghin, about 10 minutes away in a fighter. One of the .50 caliber projectiles of the Mustang penetrated Fönnekold’s heart. Nevertheless he landed his Bf 109 G-6 (WNr. 441931 "black 9") before succumbing to his injury. By circumstantial evidence, Cobbey was the single Mustang pilot (without a wingman) that claimed a ME-109 at low altitude. He likely saw his squadron member Frazier being shot down by Fonnekold, and then followed him and attacked as Fonnekold was most vulnerable, while landing. Erich Hartmann in 1983 , he told Alex K (HALPRO, 9th & 15th AF /205th GP Rumania Campaigns Historian) that a young and rather very lucky P-51 pilot killed Foennekold on the ground. Hartmann had been told this after the war while visiting Edwards AFB when he acted as Inspector General of the German AF.