RAF Mustang Escorts

[Smudger Smith]

Gents,Details required on the Mustang in RAF use 1944/45.When used to escort RAF Bomber Command daylight attacks over the last 8 months of the war did the RAF Mustang squadrons adopt a similar escort technique / policy to the Yanks? If not what was the Fighter Commands policy of escorting the slow lumbering bombers.Lastly I am after a photograph of RAF Mustangs escorting RAF ‘Heavy’ bombers circa 1944/45, can anyone point me in the right direction.TIA Steve

[kb]

RAF Mustang III squadrons provided withdrawal support for 8AF bomber groups on occasion; for example on the 6 March mission to Berlin RAF Mustang IIIs from 19, 65, and 122 Squadrons made rendezvous with drawing bombers north of Hanover.

RAF Mustangs weren't equipped with the fuselage fuel tank of their USAAF counterparts, with so lacked range to provide escort into deep into Germany.

[en830]

Didn't Polish Mustang squadrons provide escort support to the Squadrons detailed to bomb the Tirpitz, 315 Sqn was I believe among those on this raid

[shooshoobaby]

In the late great Roger Freeman's " Mustang at War " there is a chapter on the RAF missions to Norway with photos of P - 51s with Drop Tanks.
Also , other chapters with photos and info on RAF Mustangs.
Cheers

[Franek Grabowski]

Originally Posted by en830

Didn't Polish Mustang squadrons provide escort support to the Squadrons detailed to bomb the Tirpitz, 315 Sqn was I believe among those on this raid

Nope, they did an escort during raid to submarine pens at Bergen. My late friend commented that they had a lot of trouble to cover the Lancasters because they were flying a rather lazy formation and they did not even notice a few Fw 190s!

[odybvig]

When the Fw 190's attacked the Lanc's over Bergen, the escorting Polish Mustang was lone gone, they had gone elsewhere on free hunt. One of the reason that the Polish Sqn was replaced as escorting Sqn over West Norway

Best
Olve Dybvig
www.luftwaffe.no

[Franek Grabowski]

Never heard this story. Are you sure you are not confusing anything?

[odybvig]

Yes, I am sure I am not confusing anything

Best
Olve Dybvig

[Franek Grabowski]

It was not mentioned in any documents I have seen but it was clearly noted in the ORB of 315 Sqn that they were unable to cover bombers over target, as they were flying each on his own.

[odybvig]

The attack I am speaking of is on 12 january 1945.
16 Lancaster from 9 Sqn and 16 Lancaster from 617 Sqn all loaded with tall boy bombs made a sortie to the u-boat pens in Bergen. Escorte was by 315 Sqn. On the trip to Bergen the Lanc's where flying in loose gaggle formation and near Bergen tighten up the formation to get more bombers over the target on shorter time. On arrivel on Bergen the 315 Sqn was gone. Nobody saw them. Neither the bomber pilots or the German pilots from 9./JG 5. And they are not mention in any of the documents on the German side. I have talked to pilots on both side and they all tell the same story. No Mustangs.
Three Lancaster was brought down and several had to be scraped after arrivel to their homebase, due to heavy Flak and enemy fighters.
The Polish pilots was not especial popular by the RAF pilots

Best
Olve Dybvig
www.luftwaffe.no