78th FG 14.01.1945

[Joerg Dietsche]

What happened on 14.01.1945 at Köln-Wahn airfield. JG 26 had quite a lot of casualties at the airfield and around due to an attack of the Mustangs of the 78th FG( see below). At the same day the bridges over the Rhine in Cologne were bombed.
Were the P-51 escort fighters released to conduct airfield attacks?

1/14/45
Burckhardt, Gottfried
Uffz.
KIA
8
Köln-Wahn a/f
P-51
1/14/45
Pape, Dietwin
Lt.
no
9
S of Köln
P-51
1/14/45
Salewsky, Erich
Uffz.
KIA
12
Uckerath-Bonn
P-51
1/14/45
Stuppan, Alfred
Uffz.
KIA
5
near Köln-N of Bonn
combat
1/14/45
Vogt, Gerhard
Oblt.
KIA
5 CO
SE of Köln-Eil
P-51
1/14/45
Binge, Werner
Uffz
KIA

SE Bonn
P-51

So long
Jörg

[shooshoobaby]

Jorg -
78th FG flew 2 Missions 1/14/45
#1 was escort Bombers to Cologne Area. 78th FG Pilots spotted formations
of LW Fighters at Low Altitude and attacked.
78th Pilots awarded 13 Air Victories , 6 Damaged. Cologne , SW Cologne
#2 Fighter Sweep - 1 FW 190 shot down over Airfield North of Diepholz.
Mike

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by Joerg Dietsche

What happened on 14.01.1945 at Köln-Wahn airfield. JG 26 had quite a lot of casualties at the airfield and around due to an attack of the Mustangs of the 78th FG( see below). At the same day the bridges over the Rhine in Cologne were bombed.
Were the P-51 escort fighters released to conduct airfield attacks?

1/14/45
Burckhardt, Gottfried
Uffz.
KIA
8
Köln-Wahn a/f
P-51
1/14/45
Pape, Dietwin
Lt.
no
9
S of Köln
P-51
1/14/45
Salewsky, Erich
Uffz.
KIA
12
Uckerath-Bonn
P-51
1/14/45
Stuppan, Alfred
Uffz.
KIA
5
near Köln-N of Bonn
combat
1/14/45
Vogt, Gerhard
Oblt.
KIA
5 CO
SE of Köln-Eil
P-51
1/14/45
Binge, Werner
Uffz
KIA

SE Bonn
P-51

So long
Jörg

Joerg - the 78th had two missions as Mike noted. First a Ramrod and one flight of 82FS made first contact by bouncing from 25K on a 15 ship gaggle climbing from 15000. When they hit this group they spotted another 12-15 at a lower altitude... This fight took 3 Fw190's out and damged a 109 and another 190

Shortly afterwards Nuthouse vectored 84FS from Giessen area over to Koln and the second clash occurred - probably also with JG26. This was basically S/SSW Koln. This battle took out seven 109s plus two more Fw 190's.

The last score was on a Sweep and one Fw 190 was shot down over Diepholtz A/D.

According th JG26 by Caldwell the Fw 190s were all Fw 190D-9's.

Coincidentally the one Squadron of 355th, about the same time, took out a 109 near Munster and then shot down four more 109s plus 5 Fw 190D-9's near in Meppen-Munster-Dummer Lake area.

All these clashes were in afternnoon.

Regards,

Bill Marshall

[Joerg Dietsche]

Bill,

many thanks for your repy. In the meantime I found combat reports of the 82nd and 84th FS.

Cheers

[Peglar]

Dear Bill and Jörg, at the 14. January 1945 in the Giessen Area Fw Heinz Voigt, Gefr. Alfred Wagner and Ogefr. Rudolf Proske from JG 2 was shot down - all KIA.

Greetings Peglar

[drgondog]

Peglar - interesting.. this may have been the first clash with 78th, then followed with JG26 SW Koln?

I'm still trying to get a grasp of the unit(s) in Munster-Meppen area that the 355th engaged with just north of the JG26/78FG battle. I'm still wondering if the JG2/JG26 and 355th/78th engagements were connected.