I was flying Red 4 position, on Lt. Stockman’s wing in Maj. Routt’s second element, in the vicinity of west of Muhlhausen, Germany. We observed e/a coming in at ten o’clock and around 3000 feet below us (22,000 ft.).
We released our wing tanks and made a diving 180 degree turn which positioned us on their tails. I saw Lt. Stockman shooting at a ME 109. The pilot jettisoned his canopy and bailed out. The enemy pilot’s chute opened almost immediately. This was around 20,000 feet. Lt. Stockman gave chase to a second 109 which was in a slight dive and on the same course as the ME 109 he had just destroyed. I was trailing Lt. Stockman around 300 yards. I saw him take a long range burst at the ME 109. Evidently this caused the enemy pilot to turn as he immediately went into a level turn to the left enabling us to close rapidly. While the e/a was in this turn at 15,000 feet I fired a 3 - 4 second burst from 400 yards and 45 degrees deflection until I could no longer hold the deflection. I observed tracers to pass around his cock-pit but saw no hits. My speed was around 400 MPH. The orbit continued and I was able to get several deflection shots of two seconds duration from 30 degrees. I observed hits on the ME 109 at this time. After the initial burst only one gun was firing. The e/a then broke for the deck doing slow rolls, half rolls, aileron rolls, and high speed tight chandelles. Around 5000 feet I took a headon pass with this e/a and fired a four second burst with my one gun. I observed no firing from the e/a during this headon pass. The spinner of the ME 109 was black and white with a spiral of one of these colors around the spinner. After the headon pass the e/a broke for the deck again. I positioned myself in trail of the e/a and when he leveled out at 1500 feet I fired a 5 - 6 second burst with my one gun from 150 yards and from dead astern at an airspeed of 250 MPH. I observed tracers going over one wing of the e/a. My gun then ran out of ammunition. Fifteen seconds later the canopy of the ME 109 was jettisoned. I had now closed to 60 yards. The enemy pilot rolled over on his back, jumped, hung up on his a/c and then fell clear after a one turn spin. His chute failed to open. I observed the pilot fall into the woods and his a/c to crash in a small field at the edge of the woods. I took a three second burst of the burning wreckage with my gun camera.
I claim 1 ME 109 destroyed.
RICHARD C. PENROSE
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