Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS

[RodM]

Originally Posted by John Manrho

According to Frank Olynyk's victory list the claim of Ernst was at 02.40 hrs and at "P-7575, Kempen to Munster Eifel". The grid coordinate P7575 is very close to the crash site of the Hudson. As there were no German twin engine a/c losses that match, we might indeed have a blue on blue incident here.

It's unfortunate that there were also at least four P-61 victories during 1945 that were "blue-on-blue" incidents, seemingly brought about when RAF aircraft were transiting over/near the American front lines:

14/15 Mar 45, 422nd NFS, P-61A Black Widow # 5577, 1/Lt. George E. Otto, 2/Lt. Herman Kornblum (radar op.)
2025h, near F-7800, 1 Ju-188 DESTROYED
This claim wasn't credited because 1/Lt. Otto didn't open fire before his target flew into the ground during low-level maneuvering. Nevertheless, his adversary appears to be 157 Sqn Mosquito MM650, which crashed into a forest approximately 3 kilometres from Krälingen. Incidentally, 85 Sqn Mosquito MV541 was shot down by US AAA around 15-20 minutes later, some 20 kilometres further south. Both Mosquitoes were returning from missions.


20/21 Mar, 422nd NFS, P-61A Black Widow # 42-5540, Capt. Raymond A. Anderson, 2/Lt Robert F. Graham (radar op.)
0045-0105h, P-7471, 1 Do-217-K2 DESTROYED.
This was 161 Squadron Hudson FK803, which crashed into a forest 0.4 kilometres SW of the Maulusmühle Railway Station.

20/21 Mar, 422nd NFS, P-61A Black Widow # 42-5579, Capt. Leonard F. Koehler, 1/Lt Louis L. Bost (radar op.)
0101h, P-5283, 1 Do-217-K2 DESTROYED.
This was 161 Squadron Hudson T9445, which crashed at grid reference vP.527837 (between Samree and Odeigne)

8/9 Apr, 422nd NFS, P-61A Black Widow 42-39411, 1/Lt. Robert P Lutz, 2/Lt Wallace A Morrissette (radar op.)
0205h, Overath area (F.7060), 1 Ju-188 DESTROYED.
This was 305 Squadron Mosquito NT187, which crashed inside the Ruhr pocket near Gummersbach, west of Ople.