|
Posted on 01/01/2004 2:20:50 AM PST by snippy_about_it
|
|
|
 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
|
| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
|
 Operation Bodenplatte ~ New Years Day 1945 January 1, 1945, The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a last desperate attempt to break loose the Ardennes Offensive that had been halted at Bastogne. Approximately 800 German fighters are sent to attack 15 allied forward air bases. At some bases the Luftwaffe attack is devastating, destroying aircraft and rendering airstrips useless. At other fields only a few fighters found their targets and damage was minimal. But at Asch the result was unlike anything the Luftwaffe had imagined. The attack on the Asch airbase, known as Y-29, was a total disaster. When the 11th Jagdgeschwader reached Y-29 they found 8 Thunderbolts of the 390th Fighter Squad, 366 Fighter Group circling the field and 12 Mustangs of the 487th Fighter Squad, 352nd Fighter Group just taking off. The ensuing battle came to be know as the "Legend of Y-29". This battle was only one of many battles that took place on new years day 1945. But in no other battle did one unit distinguish itself so well from such a disadvantage. For their courage and performance in the face of overwhelming odds, the 487th earned the only Distinguished Unit Citation given to a fighter squadron in the Northwestern European Theater of Operation.  On January 1st, 1945 the airfield at Asch Belgium (known as Y-29) was the home of the 366th Fighter Group of the 9th Tactical Air Force and the 352nd Fighter Group temporarily on loan to the 9th from the 8th Air Force. The 352nd had been moved to Asch on December 23rd 1944 in response to the heavy activity of the Luftwaffe in support of the German Ardennes Offensive. The plan was for the 352nd's Mustangs to fly fighter sweeps to clear the enemy from the sky and provide top cover for the Thunderbolts attacking ground targets. These roles provided a bit of irony during the battle over Asch. Asch airfield was a new and unpleasant experience for the pilots of the 352nd. Used to their home base in Bodney England, they were un-prepared for the primitive conditions at Asch. Tents heated by oil stoves provided the only shelter from the frigid Belgium winter and baths were taken either from a bucket or at a near by minors camp. A single tent served as the HQ, operations, briefing room, intelligence and supply.  Tragedy struck the 352nd on their second day at Asch, Christmas day 1944, when an American anti-aircraft battery inadvertently shot down Maj. George Preddy. Preddy was the 352nd's leading ace and commander of the 328th Fighter Squadron. While perusing a FW-190 at tree top-level Preddy was hit by the anti-aircraft battery when it opened fire on the 190. They undershot and Preddy's P51 was hit with 2 .50 cal rounds. Mortally wounded, Preddy crashed into an open field.  Maj. George Preddy The group rebounded from the primitive conditions at Asch and the loss of George Preddy in action over Bonn on the 27th of December. The 352nd engaged a large formation of German fighters claiming 22 enemy aircraft while sustaining no losses. The 352nd was taking out its misfortunes on the German Luftwaffe! This was a trend that was to continue. On December 31st 1945, the 352nd received its orders for the 1st day of the New Year. They were to provide escort for 8th Air Force Bombers on a mission to bomb targets near Berlin. Lt. Col John Meyer, commander of the 487th Fighter Squadron was disappointed with this assignment. He believed that the Germans may try to catch the allies still asleep and hung over from new years celebrations and requested that the 487th be allowed to fly a patrol early in the morning. Command reluctantly agreed on the condition that the 352nd be able to field a full group of 36 fighters for the escort mission.  The 366th also had received their orders for the New Year. The 391st was to leave early in the morning to attack German armor at Ondenval. Two flights of the 390th were also scheduled to take off slightly later in the morning with the same objective. Thus it was that 8 P47's of the 366th would be circling over Asch, and 12 P51's of the 487th would be on the flight line as the Luftwaffe approached.  The Luftwaffe units assigned to attack Asch were the I, II, & III Gruppen of Jagdgeschwader 11, Commanded by Oberstleutnant Gunther Specht, leader of the entire Geschwader. The 3 Gruppen of JG11 were stationed at Darmstadt-Griesheim, Gross-Ostheim and Zellhausen all southwest of Frankfort. 65 FW190's and Me109's of the three gruppen of JG11 took off from their respective bases just before 8:30am and formed up over Aschaffenburg, Joining with two Ju188 pathfinders and headed for Asch. Radio silence and low altitude were the order of the day. So secret was Operation Bodenplatte that the Germans own ground forces were not notified of the large formations of German fighters that would be flying overhead. This resulted in at least one casualty for the JG11 as they were assaulted by friendly fire on their way to Asch. Credit must be given to the German pilots for not breaking radio silence to call off the ground fire. On the return trip several more JG11 and many other German fighters fell to friendly fire before the German guns could be called off.  As the JG11 approached Asch, 8 P47's of the 390th were just forming up over Asch to head out over the Ardennes in search of German armor. As the 390th finished forming up they spotted flak bursts over the Ophoven field. At this same moment Lt Col. John Meyer was just beginning to roll down the runway. He also saw the flak bursts and radioed the tower to inquire; the tower had nothing to report. Heading for Ophoven to investigate, the 390th was surprised to see a large formation of FW190's and Me109's approaching Asch from the northeast at 1500 ft.  The 8 P47's of the 390th jettisoned their bombs and external tanks and attacked, causing confusion among the German attackers and breaking up the formation. This turned out to be a key blow to the JG11, without which the mustangs of the 487th may not have so easily taken to the air. The 390th claimed 7 enemy aircraft in this attack taking a loss of only one. Meanwhile Meyer was lifting off with the rest of the 487th behind him. As he rose from the runway he found himself faced with the oncoming JG11. With a full load of fuel in his fuselage tank, making low altitude maneuvering difficult, and gear still retracting he fired at an oncoming FW190 scoring hits and sending the enemy aircraft crashing into the field. Meyer went on to claim a second Fw190 before the battle was over. The battle over Asch went on for 30 minutes. 11 pilots of the 487th claimed 23 victories while sustaining no losses, and just three aircraft damaged in the air. I will leave the adventures of each pilot to be told by them through their personal combat logs and memoirs.  The 390th and 487th defended the airbase at Asch so well that only one Mustang was damaged on the ground and no casualties were reported. The actions of the 487th in taking off under fire and performing so well at such a disadvantage earned the unit the only Distinguished Unit Citation given to a fighter squadron in the Northwestern European theater of operation.  The total estimated losses of the JG11 range from 24 to 40. Given the credited victories of the 487th (23), 390th (7), 391st (2), and ground gunners (7) along with at least one aircraft destroyed by friendly flak in route, the number of 40 seems to hold up. However, there was undoubtedly some double counting of victories claimed and some victories that were not confirmed. But more Important then the numbers was the loss of experienced Luftwaffe leaders and pilots. None of JG11's flight leaders returned from this mission.  An instant after rotating, Lt.Colonel John C. Meyer is seconds away from his first kill of New Year’s Day, 1945, as he readies for a head-on encounter with an incoming FW-190. Meyer, with his foresight and ability to anticipate the enemy’s next move, lead the 487th FS of the 352nd FG to a decisive victory over JG 11 at Asch, Belgium, that day. JG 11 was taking part in "Operation Bodenplatte". Which was a surprise attack by all available Luftwaffe fighter units against allied air bases on the European continent.  The 352nd FG was scheduled to fly a bomber escort mission on New Year’s Day. The night before, Lt. Colonel John C. Meyer asked for permission to fly a local patrol along the front before the escort mission to clear the air of any enemy planes that were in the vicinity. He was first denied his request, but was later granted permission. Twelve planes of the 487th FS were readied for the early morning mission. JC, leading the Squadron, took off into the first wave of enemy fighters. Despite the fact that the airfield was under attack all 12 blue nosed Mustangs made it off the ground safely. Meyer's hunch had paid off. After scoring his first victory of the day in "Petie 3rd" HO-M, Meyer latched on to a second Focke Wulf fighter and chased it all the way to Leige before shooting it down. His performance in the "Legend of Y-29" battle earned him his third Distinguished Service Cross.      |
The Focke Wulf FW 190A-8 equipped a large number of units in Operation Bodenplatte
Jagdgeschwader 11
Jagdgeschwader 11
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
The Thunderbolt was the most famous of all the Republic aircraft in WWII. First flown on 6 May 1941, the P-47 was designed as a large, high-performance fighter/bomber, utilizing the large Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine to give it excellent performance and a large load-carrying capability. The first deliveries of the P-47 took place in June 1942, when the US Army Air Corps began flying it in the European Theater.
Though it was an excellent airplane, several improvements were made as production continued. As the war progressed, the Thunderbolt gained a reputation as a reliable and extremely tough airplane. P-47s logged almost 2 million flight hours during the war, during which they were responsible for the destruction of over 7000 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground in the European Theater alone.
Later in the war, Jugs served as escort fighters for B-29 bombers in the Pacific.Early versions, up through the P-47C, had "razorback" fuselages, but the popular P-47D featured a bubble canopy which gave the pilot increased rearward visibility.
P-47s were also used during the war by the air forces of Brazil, England, France, Mexico and the Soviet Union. Following the war, they served for nine more years in the US, flown by the Air National Guard. They continued to serve for many additional years with the air forces of over 15 nations around the world including Turkey.
The barrel-shaped Republic P-47 was the biggest, heaviest single-seat fighter produced by America during the war. This rugged airplane was well suited for ground attack missions, as their large radial engines could withstand flak damage better than the inline engines of the Mustangs.
North American P-51D Mustang
This North American P-51D Mustang N7551T, was at the 2001 Reno Air Races
Photograph taken by Roger D. Cain (NC 148)
Diagrams below from zenoswarbirdvideos.com
Me 109
This CIA Gamma Ray weapon was used to shoot down the Wellstone Beech aircraft.
Air Marshall Goering had assured Hitler there was nothing to fear from America. The Americans wouldn't fight, he was certain. And even if they did, they would be no threat, "All they're good at is making razor blades and refrigerators!"
He believed American mass production would be no match for German efficiency and craftsmanship when it came to building airplanes and tanks. Goering was mistaken.
Four years later with the Luftwaffe in tatters, Goering said he knew that the War was lost when American P-51 Mustangs appeared over Berlin escoring waves of bombers.
<====Mash This
The P-51 was designed as the NA-73 in 1940 at Britain's request. The design showed promise and AAF purchases of Allison-powered Mustangs began in 1941 primarily for photo recon and ground support use due to its limited high-altitude performance. But in 1942, tests of P-51s using the British Rolls-Royce "Merlin" engine revealed much improved speed and service ceiling, and in Dec. 1943, Merlin-powered P-51Bs first entered combat over Europe. Providing high-altitude escort to B-17s and B-24s, they scored heavily over German interceptors and by war's end, P-51s had destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft in the air, more than any other fighter in Europe.
Mustangs served in nearly every combat zone, including the Pacific where they escorted B-29s to Japan from Iwo Jima. Between 1941-5, the AAF ordered 14,855 Mustangs (including A-36A dive bomber and F-6 photo recon versions), of which 7,956 were P-51Ds.
Packard V-1650 "Merlin" Engine
The V-1650 liquid-cooled engine was the U.S. version of the famous British Rolls-Royce "Merlin" engine which powered the "Spitfire" and "Hurricane" fighters during the Battle of Britain in 1940. In Sept. 1940, the Packard Co. agreed to build the Merlin engine for both the American and the British Governments, and adapted it for American mass-production methods. The first two Packard-built Merlins to be completed were demonstrated on test stands at a special ceremony at the Packard plant in Detroit on August 2, 1941. Full production began in 1942 and by the end of World War II, 55,873 Merlins had been produced in the U.S.A. The Army Air Forces used the engine almost exclusively in the famed P-51 "Mustang", for it provided greatly improved high-altitude performance over the Allison V-1710 engine used in earlier series of the airplane. The V-1650 Merlin also replaced the V-1710 in the "F" series of the P-40. The British also used Packard-built Merlins during the last three years of the war in their "Spitfire", "Mosquito", and "Lancaster" airplanes.
Goering was smoking crack.
And getting his intelligence reports on allied aviation from unreliable sources.
LOL! I think she was dating the British Lion at the time.
"Puff, the Angry D'A$$hole!!"
(To be sung to Peter, Paul and Mary's "Puff, the Magic Dragon")
Puff, the Lib'ral Leader, Bane of the FRee...
Tom ruled with an iron fist in Washington, DeeCee!!
Lib'ral Commie Sosh'lists loved that D'A$$hole Puff,
'Cuz Tom pulled strings fer big airlines who'd hired Missuz Puff!! Bold!!
Puff, the would-be Prez'dent, loved Tyranny...
He protected his friend Willie Slick, in a Trial fer Perjury!!
South Dakota voters said, "Oh, whatta SLEAZE!!"
And conspired to next autumn rid their State of Tommie's disease!!
Tom D'A$$hole, he would grovel fer Dem votes a cryin' shame...
Tommie preyed on weakness..."Fear" was Puffboy's middle name!!
Union thugs and bigots would bow whene'er Puff came,
Lib'ral whips bent o'er and begged fer Puff's pork, oh so lame. Woah!
Puff, RAT's Lib'ral Leader, loathed liberty...
Big Guv'ment was his Power trip and he'd tax all he could see!!
Puff held judges hostage, shameful was he...
He ruled from his Senate seat 'til he pissed off Hillary!!
The Senate loves its Power, but weakness leaves a void...
HildaBeast and her man Slick returned...Left's overjoyed!!
In '04, it happened, Johnnie Thune, he whupped li'l Puff!!
'Cuz voters in their wisdom, folks, they'd just had enuff!!
Puff's head was bent in sorrow, felled by Clinton's stain...
Puff no longer weilded Power...fell off the gravy train!!
Without his Leader's seat, Puff was just a knave...
So Puff, that tiny tyrant, sadly slipped into a cave. Oh!
Puff, EX-DemRAT Leader, loathed by the FRee...
Left dwindled down with evil Slick 'cuz DemRATs chose Hillary!!
Puff, that tragic figure, died mysteriously...
The Sheeple called it Arkancide 'cuz it's Death by Slick Willie!!
FReegards...MUD
LOL! I like this verse best
LOL and FReegards...MUD
Dog people are good ;-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
