MUSTANG LOSS 10 OCT 44

[Chris Goss]

Records state that on the above date, a Beaufighter and Mustang were lost on ops over Yugoslavia. The Beau was NT997 of 19 Sqn SAAF (Flt Lt A R Vance/Lt A M Medalie) but can anyone confirm the Mustang details?

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Here is what I have on the Mustang loss (and its victim that day):
"When construction of the Graf Zeppelin was resumed in 1942 the Ju 87C took over the role as a reconnaissance bomber, and torpedo bombers were no longer seen to be needed. Nine of the existing Fi 167 were sent to a coastal naval squadron in the Netherlands and then returned to Germany in the summer of 1943. After that they were sold to Croatia, where their short-field and load-carrying abilities (under the right conditions, the aircraft could descend almost vertically) made it ideal for transporting ammunition and other supplies to besieged Croatian Army garrisons between their arrival in September 1944 and the end of the War.

During one such mission, near Sisak on 10 October 1944, the Fi 167 WNr 4808 of the Croatian Air Force flown by eight-victories Croat ace Bozidar Bartulovic and his gunner Mate Jurkovic was attacked by five P-51 Mustang III of 213 Sqn RAF. Jurkovic had the distinction of claiming one of the Mustangs shot down - possibly one of the last bi-plane "kills" of the war - before itself being shot down. Bartulovic reported that five fighters made two passses on him, setting the aircraft alight and wounding him in the head. Both Croat men bailed out.

Three pilots of 213 Sqn, Sqn Ldr Clifford Vs, Sgt W E Mould and Sgt D E Firman claimed a single-engined biplane shot down over Martinska Ves but the Mustang III KH554 of Sgt W.E. Mould was hit by the return fire and was wrecked in a crash-landing 3 miles northeast Martinska Ves, Yugoslavia.

Source:
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/archiv...hp?t-2979.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fieseler_Fi_167
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/...ses/losses.htm (no more online)
http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/1944_1.html
"Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 49: Croatian Aces of World War 2", by Boris Ciglic. ISBN 1-84176-435-3
http://maps.google.fr/maps?hl=fr&q=Martinska%20Ves%20Croatie"

Mould survived but I have no idea what happened to him after force landing. The loss list above does not show him as a POW, so I guess he evaded capture or landed in partisan-held country.

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Laurent

[Russell]

Hello Chris,

Mould evaded and was back with 213 on 21st October. The OpReps covering the 10th and a note in the 21st OpRep noting his return and in the Appendices to the ORB. The CR is not, I have not checked Air 50, but the was majority of 213 Sqns Combat Reports are in the Appendices.

Mould is not listed as being on strength on the 31st October Monthly report on who was serving on the unit, so I assume he was posted.

Regards

Russell