by Brooke, GL, I/JG3
Saturday, March 6, 1999
I/JG3 started with 8 pilots in 109F's. 2 were unaccounted for after that, and 6 replaned in FW 190A-4's. Of those 6 FW's, 3 made it back to base. Overall, I/JG3 shot down 3 B-25's for a K/D ratio in FW's of 1.
We took off initially from Dunkirk in 109F's. I/JG3 consisted of me as GL, Soggy as FL, DFox, Saber, Yoj, Vono, Whip, and rdnk1. We got up to 40k and flew a racetrack pattern, mostly at 79% throttle, which kept us aloft until about T+50-60 or so, when we landed with about 25%-35% fuel. By that time, I think we had lost DFox and Saber to dumps -- I have to hear back from them.
After landing, we were to take off in FW 190A-4's. At that time, there was a strike going on at Breast. We would be too late to stop that, and I wanted to make sure that we had time to get to alt even if the allies sent a strike farther inland, so I picked LeHarve (I think it was Leh). It was too conservative a pick for what actually happened, as the allies didn't come farther inland.
We climbed toward Breast to 35k+, not sure of what the fighter-cover situation was and not wanting to lose our nice FW's. About 3 sectors out of Breast, we heard of B-25's in the 1,10-1,12 area (NW of us), heading N. I turned I/JG3 north to cut them off in case they turned E for a strike. I called on the radio to get a confirmation that they weren't just bombers returning to England from a strike already completed and got that confirmation. I then wanted to make sure our N flank was covered.
We flew N from Cherbourg for about a sector, and the bombers didn't turn E, so they probably were rtb'ing from a strike after all. Also, at that time, we got reports of another batch of bombers heading N from Breast after another strike, so I turned I/JG3 SW then W to intercept this bomber stream heading N rather covering the coast. We got over the enemy counter positions in 1,10 or 1,11 or so and started N to overfly and find the bombers within.
Right at that time, a call came in of 10 B-25's nearing Breast. I called for I/JG3 to turn S and head to Breast. My decision was based on three things. First, the ones already heading N had dropped their bombs, whereas we might have a miniscule chance of getting to Breast in time to mess up incoming bombers' runs. Second, the ones N were out over water, and we and our precious FW's would have no base and ack to dive into if we got into trouble. Third, there seemed to be no friendly fighters in their midst to give location reports and dispositions of fighter cover, so I figured they'd be a lot harder to find than the ones near Breast.
So, I called for I/JG3 to turn S for Breast, but FL Soggy continued on with a group of pilots N, his thinking probably being that we were already so darned close (which is also good reasoning). It's OK with me if a FL takes the initiative and does something different as long as it works out. :)
And it did work fairly well, I think. Soggy and flight B found the northern B-25's and attacked them around 1,11 or 1,12 right about the time flight A was reaching and ID'ing the southern B-25's over Breast. Soggy and his boys shot down 1 B-25 at the loss of 2 FW's.
Flight B came screaming in on Breast from 30+k (thus being able to assess any fighter cover from the top down -- we didn't see any). The bombers were down at about 6k already being attacked by other fighters. Flight B attacked the B-25's, killing 2 of them at the cost of 1 FW. I don't think any of the B-25's from that raid made it home.
Overall, I/JG3 shot down 3 B-25's, mauled some others, and lost 3 out of 6 of our nice FW's. 3 landed safely.
Man, it's hard to cover all this territory. We did an OK job of it, I think. I would be reluctant to go out over water where we can't dive out and get to a friendly ack position. (Our fields do have ack, right?)
As for the gunner situation, I got shot at, but I never got hit. I tried to do off-angle, high-speed attacks -- but some of the passes were from the back. High speed, having the bomber turning as you approach, other planes in the vicinity, and making off-angle passes (even if they are from the rear) seemed to work OK this time around.
I didn't like the mission file with waypoints for reference. That took a long time to set up, and if someone gets dumped and has to come back in, it's gone. I strongly suggest going without it. It's just as easy to give a reference to some airfield as it is a waypoint -- only everyone is guaranteed to have the airfields on their maps.
-- Brooke, GL, I/JG3