Johnson managed to regain control of the falling aircraft by using rudder and stick.
Thought his rudder was ‘lost’??
Interesting. In “The Blue Max” George Peppard shot down the disabled/escorted enemy plane but only after the gunner recovered and started shooting at him. Othe pilots didn’t believe him.
https://realhistoryco.wordpress.com/2018/05/23/robert-s-johnson-p47-thunderbolt/
https://www.donhollway.com/wolfpack/
He was in a spin and the rudder was not responsive. He lost rudder effectiveness. He managed to pull the P-47 out of the spin. He was able to stomp and the rudder pedals to swing the aircraft left and right and slow down which caused the FW190 to fly past him.
“Johnson’s didn’t know it at the time, but that Fw 190 was piloted by Egon Mayer, a German fighter ace who would, by the time of his death in March 1944, have shot down 102 enemy aircraft.”
Maybe he lost ailerons not the rudder?