FW190 downed North of Neuruppin, 20 April 1945

[Steve Brew]

On 20 April 1945, 41 Squadron’s Blue Section was airborne at 14:35 on an armed reconnaissance to the Lübeck-Wittenberg area. At 15:05, they sighted a lone FW190D flying at 1,000 feet in a northerly direction, just north of Neuruppin Aerodrome.

Blue 3 and 4 dived on the aircraft but overshot, and were themselves attacked by the FW190. Blue 5 (Plt. Off. Pat Coleman) then made his own attack on the FW190 from above and behind. He fired a short burst from 200 yards seeing immediate strikes and the 190 broke to port to escape. Coleman followed him around and made a second attack, firing a two-second burst from a distance of 300 yards dead astern. His fire struck the 190 again and the pilot flicked his aircraft into an inverted position, opened his hood and baled out.

The aircraft fell into Binenwalde Lake and the pilot landed in the trees of a wood bordering the south-easterly lake shore. Coleman claimed the FW190 destroyed.

Can anyone tell me, please, who the pilot was and which unit he came from?

Thanks
Steve