The
15th Air Force assembled a maximum effort 16 April 1944: 169 B-17 Flying
Fortress and 489 B-24 Liberators were put in the air. In addition, cover was
provided by 290 fighters - 112 P-38
Lightnings, 136 P-51 Mustangs and 42 P-47 Thunderbolts.
The targets: B-17s would hit the
refineries at Kragan and Florisdorf, and the Liberators would strike
Winterhafen, Lobau, Schwechat and Bratislava.
The 15th lost 2 B-17s, 12
B-24s, 7 P-38s and 1 P-51 that day. The fighters and the gunners of the big
bombers claimed claimed 70 enemy airplanes shot down, but in reality the
Luftwaffe lost 5 Me 410s, one Bf 110 and 4 Bf 109s. The MKHL
lost 10 Me 109s and 3 others were damaged.
The 8th
Jagddivision sent into the air I Gruppe ZG 76, 20 Me 410 A-1s (from Wien -
Seyring), and I./ JG 302 (Götzendorf) with Bf 109 G-6s.
American forces
also saw units of 7 Jagddivision. I./ JG 300 from its new airfield at
Herzogenaurah. This "Gruppe", led by Hptm. Gerhard Stamp,
flew in Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6s. Twenty four Messershmitts were accompanied
by Hptm. Egon Albrecht´s
II./ ZG 1 (from Wels) in 16 Bf 110 G-2s and II./ ZG 76 (from Prague Gbel and
Ruziň airfields) flying 17 Me 410 A-1s and B-2s under the lead of Maj.
Herbert Kaminski.
Finally, 129 additional German fighter planes were airborne to defend the
facilities in the Vienna area.
The duty of the twin engine fighters (Bf 110s and Me
410s) was to open the tight formations of the bombers by rocket attack. These
attacks were devestating and resulted in the pilots of the heavy fighters
claiming eight B-24 Liberators and one P-51 Mustang shot down. But further
combat with the US fighter cover was not possible due to the heavy defending
fighter's being outmatched, and they had to abandon the area as fast as
possible. They weren't quite fast enough as 1 Bf 110 and 5 Me 410s fell to the
American's guns.
I./
JG 300 also joined the combat. Their pilots successfully attacked the
Liberators, claiming three of the B-24 bombers shot down. The pilots claiming
success were Gefr. Horskisser, Ofw. Schenk and Ofw. Wenack. After the return
to their base Ofw. Hans Neuack from 2 staffel was missing. Later that day he
reported in from a field hospital where he was transported with injuries he
suffered after bailing out of his plane and landing near Ungarische Altenburg.
After the
air raid warning alarm sounded, 18 Messerschmitts of I./ JG 302 vectored to
the air space of Hungary. Over Plattensee they met the enemy planes. Fourth
staffel, which flew high cover for other three, attacked the American
fighters. The other three staffeln bounced the Liberator bombers. An enormous
airborne fight ensued and the German fighters succeeded in shooting down six
B-24s, and four others were reported as Herrauschuss.
Additionally two P-51s and
one P-38 were claimed. This great success was paid for with the loss of three
German planes.
B-24H
42-52309 Sky Gazer
(battle No#309), 456th
BG, 745th BS.
Target:
the fuel storage depot at Winterhafen.
The B-24 Liberator
of 2/Lt. Miller, flying Dog 2 box position, had engine problems and lagged
behind the bomber formation, becoming an easy target for enemy fighters. Two
Me 109s attacked from 6 o´clock. After this attack the Sky Gazer's left wing
and fuselage were covered in flames. Three parachutes were observed. The plane
then fell into a spin and at 1040 hours crashed 2 kilometers NW from the
village of Felsöszeli (Slovakian name is Horné Saliby), near the small river
Dudváh, into a corn field in an area called Dudvág-melléke. Of three
airmen that baled out, two were injured and transported to a hospital at Nove
Zámky. James Hill suffered injuries to both legs and had to be moved by
stretcher. He was interned in StalagLuft 3. Donald Ogden went to
StalagLuft 4. The third survivor was Francis J. Nish, ending up at Stalag
Luft III.
Above are photos of
the crashed "Sky Gazer with Hungarian troops.
The
possible victor over Miller's bomber was Lt. Wilhelm Hallenberger from
4.staffel Jagdgeschwader 302, who
claimed one Liberator at 1040, South of Galanta. The location is precise but
the time is not. However, when we think of all that needs to be done in an
aircraft cockpit plus the heat of battle and trying to find safety, it is
likely the pilot put in the claim the time which he remembers and this may not
be correct. On October 9, 1946, an exhumation of the bodies of the airmen
buried at Horne Saliby took place. The documents say 7 bodies. Identified were
Erwin G. Whitlock, Ray V. Bowden, Robert M. Hightshoe,
Marshal C. Hammer and Paul E. Miller. The rest were exhumed under numbers
X-7978 and X-7979. The remains of of Miller,
Kiefer,
Whitlock
and Bowden
were moved to the American cemetery at St. Avold, France.
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