Luftwaffe P51 shot down by US P47 ?

[--RvB--]

Originally Posted by kaki3152

Possible explanations:

The P-51 was flown by the Hungarian AF. There are some hints that the HAF captured a flyable P-51 Mustang, but no more information has surfaced(at least that I know of).

Hi!

The Royal Hungarian Air Force have never captured any flyable P-51. There were many emergency landed Mustangs in Hungary, but none of them was repaired to flyable conditions, most of them were seriously damaged.

Regards.
-RvB-

[kaki3152]

Thanks for the clarification.


Carlos

[Alex Smart]

Hi RvB,

It would be just great if you could supply me with the serial numbers of those P51's you refer too in your reply.

As to the RHAF or HAF useing or not useing the P51.

What makes you so certain ?

What referecnces did you use to arrive at that conclusion ?

Whatever the outcome of the Hungarian AF question it does not alter the fact that the P38 pilot was credited with a P51 that had camoflage and No markings .

From what I have so far NO USAAF P51 was lost over Austria on that day.

I still await replies from readers with info of any RAF/SAAF/RAAF P51 Mustang

being lost over Austria on this day.


Alex

[Franek Grabowski]

Originally Posted by Alex Smart

I still await replies from readers with info of any RAF/SAAF/RAAF P51 Mustang being lost over Austria on this day.

There were none - they were not flying there. If it was not P-51 then it must be some German aircraft, perhaps a fighter painted in a different way or even training type like Ar 96 or D.520C-1.

[Alex Smart]

Hi Franek,

Thanks for clearing the RAF/SAAF/RAAF question for me.

And Laurent, I do not know that he was reported as MIA.
from what I have so far he was KIA on the date 7/11/44.
I await the MACR report. perhaps that has 7/11/1945 on it ?

All for now

Alex

[Laurent Rizzotti]

You can check the American War Dead Database on the Net. It is listing only 40% of the American dead, those still buried overseas, buried at sea during the war or missing (by the way, those entered as missing in the DB and recovered since are still in the base with the comment 'remains recovered'. Both case I know were buried in Arlington).

The site is http://www.abmc.gov/searchww.htm.

As I said, the date may be right, or be one day and one year after the MIA date, or just be after the war when authorities concluded the man was dead, but date and place was unknown (this is the case with people known to be captured that then disappeared).

For your man, the site gave:

Eldon E. Coulson

Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces

Service # O-715478

95th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group

Entered the Service from: Kansas
Died: 8-Nov-45
Missing in Action or Buried at Sea
Tablets of the Missing at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery
Nettuno, Italy Awards: Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
And that was my source to say he was missing. Also the death date in 1945, exactly one year and a day after the loss date of the MACR, strongly suggests a MIA case.

As for identifying its possible target, I think it can be any single-engine fighters. It if really attacked the P-38s, that are hard to mistake with anything else, it should be German, not US or RAF&Co. Then a Bf109 is more probable than a Fw190.

[Alex Smart]

Thank you Laurent ,


That was the point I was making.

It should be 1944 if KIA.

Also the Memorial site has the same.

I am wondering if it indeed could have been a D.520 as has been mentioned by others, anyone have any losses for that type for this day over Austria ?

Though others in the flight also Id'd the a/c as a P51, and i would have thought that they would have known one of their own so to speak.

Thanks again

Alex

[George Hopp]

"Though others in the flight also Id'd the a/c as a P51, and i would have thought that they would have known one of their own so to speak."

The best policy is never to take anything for granted. So, in reality, the a/c could have been any single-engined, low-wing a/c from either side, since the front lines in Italy had moved pretty far north by this time.

[Alex Smart]

Hello George,


I take nothing for granted , not even life these days.


Alex

[Kurtl12]

So, does anyone know witch aircraft 2Lt. Coulson flew when he went MIA? I am looking for the aircraft's serial.

Which source state that it was a P-51 that he downed on October 29th, 1944? The honor roll of the 82nd FG does not say anything...

Thanks - Kurtl