Strafing the airfield Bergamo

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

Could this be what your after?

24 April 1945.

It is possible that 24 April (1945) saw (Kommando) Carmen's finale. Lt Raymond L Knight* led P-47s of the 346th FS on a reconnaissance and, finding nothing at Ghedi or Villafranca, went to Bergamo. In this attack and another the same day they claimed destruction of flak positions, a building, three single-engine types and nine Ju 88s; 'All of the enemy aircraft must have been fully gassed up, for all of them burned and four of the Ju 88s blew up with a terrific explosion, which indicated full bomb loads.'
Compare this with the account of Carmen's Ltn (Josef) Thurnhuber**: In mid-April 1945 the whole crew stood on the roof of their quarters and watched an attack on their airfield by American fighters, during which their Ju 188 was shot up. One of the bombs that had been loaded on the plane for a planned attack on a bridge exploded and tore the machine apart.'
Having no more serviceable aircraft, Thurnhuber and his men set off home overland, reaching Southern Germany by way of the South Tyrol. That night, 4 and 6.(F)/122 at last left Bergamo, ordered to Sluderno and Bolzano, In the event just two went to the latter airfield and six across the Alps to Innsbruck-Hotting,

* An audacious and successful strafer, Knight was killed the next day, when his flak-damaged aeroplane failed to make it home across the Apennine mountains. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour.

** Given to Dr G. W. Gellermann (NB's translation).

See:
Air War Italy 1944-45 The Axis Air Forces from the Liberation of Rome to the Surrender.
Beale,Nick, D'Amico,Ferdinando & Gabriele Valentini.
Shrewsbury:Airlife,1996
p.206

NB. Kommando Carmen was detached from its parent unit, 2./KG 200

Col.