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Old 14th September 2008, 07:47
robyplace robyplace is offline
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B17 Vet tells of Jet Kill. How to verify?

Hello All, Perhaps someone can help? A B17 vet (Bombadier) 8th USAAF, Has told me a story of a Jet Fighter Kill (me262?) he made for which he was issued a Distiguished Flying Cross. "They" telling him he was the first to do so. Perhaps the first Bomber crew member to do so? At any rate I would like to try to document this story. How would I do that? What info would I need? Any help appreciated! Thanks Steve cmwilson12@cs.com

Last edited by robyplace; 14th September 2008 at 07:52. Reason: error
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Old 14th September 2008, 08:22
mhuxt mhuxt is offline
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Re: B17 Vet tells of Jet Kill. How to verify?

Date for a start. Time would be good, as would location. There's plenty of folks here au courant with 262 operations (I'm not one of them).
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Old 14th September 2008, 08:29
robyplace robyplace is offline
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Re: B17 Vet tells of Jet Kill. How to verify?

I was thinking, If I could do a personel record search on this vet, perhaps there would be some documentation to go along with the issued DFC? Aren't those records in St. Louis? Thanks for the reply!
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Old 14th September 2008, 09:48
robyplace robyplace is offline
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Re: B17 Vet tells of Jet Kill. How to verify?

Or perhaps someone knows if a record is kept on DFC recipients? And what it was given for? If so, where I might find it? I don't think just anyone can get a copy of a living individiuals personel file. Any thoughts on how to pursue this? Thanks Steve
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Old 14th September 2008, 11:09
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Ruy Horta Ruy Horta is offline
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Re: B17 Vet tells of Jet Kill. How to verify?

Roby,

You might simply start by asking this same vet if he can tell you more about the event. Date, squadron, location, perhaps his aircraft code? Of course his name.

At the least you need a date, time and location to have a good chance of pointing the target.
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Old 14th September 2008, 16:47
robyplace robyplace is offline
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Re: B17 Vet tells of Jet Kill. How to verify?

Ok Ruy, I see I have some more fact finding to do. I'm sure he knows his Bomb Group and Squadren #. As for the date, I would be surprised. (Maybe the month or Season?) That was a long time ago. I do recall him saying his Silver Star was issued for destrorying a Sub Pen on the coast of France by Skipping a Bomb off the water from a very low level through the Pens Doors. As they were hardend targets that they could never seem to knock out from altitude. Perhaps these were the "Milk Runs" Bomber Crews Speak of. That, that was a breech of some sort (Flight Plan?) But since it was successful, he is issued a Medal instead of Court Martial. That places him there before D-Day I would think. And, he was still flying at Wars End. I'll take notes the next time I see him. I was just curious abt his framed Plane and Crew picture with Wings and Medal Group hanging on his basement stair wall, and asked abt them. He certainly never mentions them other wise. These type of stories will soon all be lost. The picture may have his Plane # but he was asigned to 2 Planes as his originol crew was shot down while he was pulled for B-29 training. (Still brings a tear to his eye) Thanks
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Old 15th September 2008, 21:14
JACK COOK JACK COOK is offline
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Re: B17 Vet tells of Jet Kill. How to verify?

There's a 455th BS 323rd BG B-26 turret gunner who was credited with 2 ME-262s on one mission. The 2nd after he was wounded. He received the Silver Star. The B-26 was evidently hit by pieces of the 1st 262 and brought them home to it's base.
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Old 16th September 2008, 10:07
robyplace robyplace is offline
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Re: B17 Vet tells of Jet Kill. How to verify?

That's amazing! It's sad to think how many stories will be lost in the next few years. I think I have my mystery solved. From earlier advise, I checked the mission records of my Vets squadron. In early Aug 44 they were attacked on 2 diff missions by me163s a "Komet" Rocket Plane. He recalls seeing the flame coming out of it and it was gone. He picked it up coming around for another pass. According to the Vet, it was too fast for the guns to track. If you could see them coming, you wheeled the guns ahead of them on an estimated trajectory an opened fire hopeing they would fly into it. It seems likly from the records that his kill was a Komet.
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Old 16th September 2008, 15:59
JACK COOK JACK COOK is offline
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Re: B17 Vet tells of Jet Kill. How to verify?

I'll look up the details this evening. This occured in April 1945 and the B-26 involved was "The Jolly Roger" possibly YU+U.
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Old 21st September 2008, 01:59
JACK COOK JACK COOK is offline
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Re: B17 Vet tells of Jet Kill. How to verify?

The B-26 gunner in question was SSgt Ed "Tye" Tyszkiewicz S/N36868066.
The combat occured on April 20, 1945 and it was in B-26C "Jolly Roger" s/n 41-34942 YU+U.
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