A P-47D Thunderbolt pilot had many ways to die: flak; German fighters; engine failure at low altitude; premature detonation of his own bombs; hitting trees or power lines while strafing; and terrible weather—weather that led to midair collisions, takeoff and landing accidents on icy airfields, pilot disorientation and fatal spins, and collisions with hillsides disguised by low-lying clouds.
Weather kept the Thunderbolt-equipped 362nd Fighter Group grounded for half of November 1944 and limited operations in the first three weeks of December, even after the German Ardennes offensive began on December 16. The squadrons in the group, the 377th, 378th and 379th, were shifted to the Ardennes on December 23. That day, the weather changed for the better, and once committed to the fight, weather was not going to keep them grounded anyway. “We knew that [the ground troops] were bound to be in a bad way, and we flew every hour that the weather would permit,” said Capt. Joe Hunter.
By this stage of what would become known as the Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne was encircled, the German offensive neared its peak, and a bloody chapter in the 362nd’s history was about to begin. Between December 23 and January 23, the group would lose 17 Thunderbolts and 13 pilots killed or captured—but would exact from the Wehrmacht a terrible price.
December 23
This story is from the February 2020 edition of Flight Journal.
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This story is from the February 2020 edition of Flight Journal.
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Scourge of the Allied Fighters
IT HAD TO BE THE MOST HELPLESS FEELING in the world: you're at 25,000 feet over Europe knowing that your primary function is to drop bombs-or flying escort for the bombers while being a slow-moving target for some of the world's finest shooters. However, you have John Browning's marvelous .50 caliber invention to give some degree of protection. Unfortunately, you're absolutely helpless against flak. Piloting and gunnery skills play no role in a game where sheer chance makes life and death decisions. For that reason, the Krupp 88 mm Flak 18/36/37 AA cannon could be considered WW II's ultimate stealth fighter. You never saw it coming.
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