USAAF Ove claim by John Voll- 31 FG?

[kaki3152]

I'm interested in the claims by Capt John Voll 308 FS, 31st FG made on November 16,1944. During this single combat, he claimed 2 FW-190, 1 Bf-109 as destroyed with a FW-190 and a Bf-109 probably destroyed and to cap it off two Bf-109s damaged. Were there any Axis losses that even vaguely correspond with these claims? Since his plane was undoubtedly equipped wuth gun cameras, any mention of these? Amy opinions?

[keith A]

Voll's claims do appear to be based largely on his account of events on his final flight. He is not alone in making massive claims on the last flight, but there's a few that slip through the net. "Pappy" Boyington is another example. In this case the USAAF in the Mediterranean may have been searching for a hero to match the claims from the 8th Air Force fighter pilots? I thought the claims were a Ju88 and four fighters destroyed? If so, to claims for eight victories four (or five) confirmed would be quite evident in LW and other Axis losses on this date.

Interestingly "While leading an escort mission to Munich on November 16, 1944, Captain Voll experienced electrical problems (camera-gun?) and left the formation.". After that he shoots down a bomber and engages with twelve enemy fighters, shooting down three, probably two more and damaging others?

In an earlier combat he is credited with two German fighters who collide when they are chasing him. Again camera-gun footage would probably not be available...

K

[keith A]

It might be relevant that with these claims Voll leapfrogs Green,Varnell and others as the leading ace in this theatre at a time when aerial claims are becoming rarer.

[RSwank]

I ran across this link which is the text of a book "Five Down and Glory" written in 1958.

https://archive.org/stream/FiveDownA...Glory_djvu.txt

It is interesting that John Voll was one of the men who supplied material for the book. The reference is:

"Further, I wish to thank the many top military aces who person-
ally supplied invaluable material for the preparation of the man-
uscript, and in particular Colonel Chesley Peterson, Colonel Ger-
ald W. Johnson, Colonel Glen T. Eagleston, Major John J. Voll....."



If you search for "Voll" in the book (the name occurs 7 times) you can find a reference to the 16 November incident.

----From the Book----

"As Captain John J. Voll, top-scoring ace of the 15th Air Force
climbed wearily from his plane after his fifty-seventh and last
combat mission he remarked, "It was a helluva battle." This was
on 16 November 1944 and during his preceding five months in
combat he had flamed seventeen German ships. On this last mis-
sion he downed four more in the toughest battle of his fighting
career, bring his final total to twenty-one enemy aircraft destroyed."

"With his radio shot away Captain Voll was returning early from
a bomber escort mission in Germany. Alone over Northern Italy
he spotted a Junkers 88 and winged over after it. It led him on a
merry chase across the Adriatic to a German air base and a
hornet's nest of enemy aircraft. Out of the sun seven Focke-Wulfs
pounced Voll's plane, while five Messerschmitts came in from
another direction for what appeared to be an easy kill. Quickly
closing on the Junkers he blasted it out of the sky and wheeled
around to take on the remaining twelve Germans. In the ensuing
dogfight he shot down two of the attacking FW 190's and one of
the ME 109's and gave the rest of the pack a good working over,
getting two more probables and damaging two more. Then I got
a break and scrammed, eluding the other five."

"In one of his earlier dogfights Captain Voll had downed three
Germans without firing a shot. Attacked by the enemy he maneu-
vered two so that they collided and crashed and then lured the
third German into a screaming dive at the ground in which Voll
but not the German recovered."

"Captain Voll, a 22-year-old farm boy from Goshen, Ohio, was
the top ace in the entire Mediterranean theater as well as in his
own 15th Air Force. "

------End---------------


Interesting that this says he was returning early from the mission because his radio had been "shot away".

[Adriano Baumgartner]

KAKI3152,

Maybe the question is: Is there any LW (or Axis) records that corroborate those Voll's claims and "victories"?

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Adriano Baumgartner

KAKI3152,

Maybe the question is: Is there any LW (or Axis) records that corroborate those Voll's claims and "victories"?

Nothing came to light when Ferdinando, Gabriele and I were researching Air War Italy 1944–45. I don't know if anyone has found corroboration since.

[kaki3152]

I guess the only comment I can make is what happened to his gun camera footage. I thought part of the reason that gun cameras wre used was to defeat overclaiming. Of course, if the camera is damaged, then we have to accept the pilot's claims? There were other Marine pilots in the SWPA, besides Boyington, that made some shaky claims.

[Franek Grabowski]

This is a question if his combat report does survive and what is stated in it. Gun camera film, possibly kept by him, so a question to the family if they survive and where.
Another question is, whom he could have encountered. I suppose there were not too many options around Adriatic at the time, ANR, Luftwaffe, Croats, Soviets, who else?

[Trendle]

Hello all,

31st Fighter Group was in Dogfights with Bf 109 of the II° Gr. Ca. -> Nazionale Repubblicana with the following results:

II° Gr. Ca. / Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14 / Dogfight with P-51 Mustang - Captain Voll - 31st Fighter Group - 15th USAAF / Crashed near Lutrano, between Oderzo and Fontanelle (Region Veneto) - Italien / Tenente Antonio Max Longhini / KIA

II° Gr. Ca. / Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14 / Dogfight with P-51 Mustang - Lieutenant Bush or Captain Voll - 31st Fighter Group - 15th USAAF / Crashed near Teglio Veneto, northeast of Portogruaro (Region Veneto) - Italien / Tenente Vinicio Ambrosino / KIA

Fred

[Nick Beale]

From "Airwar Italy 1944–45: The Axis Air Forces from the Liberation of Rome ot the Surrender"

16 November 1944:

At noon Cap. Drago led eight Bf 109s of 1ª Sq. off from Aviano. They noticed scattered groups of B-17s with P-51 escorts returning from a raid into Germany and half an hour after take off, at 24,000 ft, they intercepted a Fortress escorted by P-51s of the 332nd FG, becoming entangled with the latter. Both Drago and Ten. Renato Mingozzi claimed P-51s shot down and Serg. Magg. Guido Minardi claimed a B-17. This encounter lasted around 10 minutes and led right down to the deck.

As this battle was abating, 2ª Sq. sent up eight planes , headed by Cap. Bellagambi. At 1310 they ran into a group of escorted B-17s near the mouth of the River Livenza. Ten. Filippi, Serg. Magg. Mazzanti and Ten. Longhini each claimed a B-17, the latter being shot down and killed by P-51s only minutes after his victory. Other B-17s were damaged as the ANR planes continued their attacks out over the Adriatic before turning back to land. Two of the Messerschmitts were set upon by P-51s of the 307th FS, 31st FG and pursued to low level: 1/Lt. Bobby A. Bush shot down Ten. Vinicio Ambrosino but the other Italian evaded the Americans. Claims were also made by Capt. Luke J. Weathers Jr. at 1330 in the Udine area (two Bf 109s destroyed) and by 2/Lt. Junior R. Hanson (one Bf 109) near Aviano, 30 minutes later but we have not matched these with any Axis losses.