Mustang losses 31.08.44 in Romania/Hungary

[yogybär]

Franek, You mean that the "spare" flew with the group for some time and when it became clear that no "spare" was needed, it left sometime in between halfway?

And why didn't it then take the place of one of teh "mechanicals"

Strange thinking, these americanos - definitely too much resources .

[Juha]

Hello Jörg
it is very unlikely that there was only one spare. Usually there were more. Probably in this case there were four spares, three were needed to fill up the three mechanical aborts so those three aborted and the one "surplus" spare returned early.

Juha

[Cobbey]

Flight Officer Cobbey is likely the Mustang pilot that killed Hauptman (Captain) Otto Fonnekold, a German ME-109 pilot (JG52, 5th squadron leader) with 136 combat victories. Fönnekold has been given credit for shooting down all three P-51 Mustangs on 31 August 1944 in several sources. The 52nd FG mission report states that Lt. Davis, Lt Tomlinson and Lt Frazier were shot down by a ME-109, while Cobbey’s wingman Lt. Ward had returned to base early due to fuel problems and Lt. Frazier’s wingman had returned to base early due to mechanical problems. Therefore, in 52nd FG Cobbey and Frazier did not have assigned wingmen during the fight, and Lt. Schween and Lt. Grey in 2FS both lost their wingman to Fönnekold. Lt. Schween claimed one ME109 in a fight at 3,000 ft. Lt. Grey did not claim any enemy planes destroyed, while Cobbey claimed 3, including a ME-109. The Hungarian article by Bernad Denes singles out Cobbey “flying at barely 100 meters destroyed a Bf 109G”. Fonnekold was bounced on his landing approach to his base at Ssaß-Budak Siebenbürgen by a solitary P-51 Mustang. Ssaß-Budak Siebenbürgen base is about 70km west of Reghin, about 10 minutes away in a fighter. One of the .50 caliber projectiles of the Mustang penetrated Fönnekold’s heart. Nevertheless he landed his Bf 109 G-6 (WNr. 441931 "black 9") before succumbing to his injury. By circumstantial evidence, Cobbey was the single Mustang pilot (without a wingman) that claimed a ME-109 at low altitude. He likely saw his squadron member Frazier being shot down by Fonnekold, and then followed him and attacked as Fonnekold was most vulnerable, while landing. Erich Hartmann in 1983 , he told Alex K that a young and rather very lucky P-51 pilot killed Foennekold on the ground. Hartmann had been told this after the war while visiting Edwards AFB when he acted as Inspector General of the German AF.

[drgondog]

Spares, as a matter of doctrine were assigned, at least two, to replace other(s) which aborted. When a USAAF fighter aborted it was almost always accompanied by a wingman - so one abort took two ships out of the formation.

Usually the spares accompanied the formation until crossing into enemy territory or slightly beyond, before returning to base.

[drgondog]

" One of the .50 caliber projectiles of the Mustang penetrated Fönnekold’s heart. Nevertheless he landed his Bf 109 G-6 (WNr. 441931 "black 9") before succumbing to his injury."

I would speculate the ability of Fonnekold to land a Me 109 AFTER he took a 750 grain 50 caliber bullet through the heart approaches zero... It was most likely getting hit during his landing roll..