BIG WEEK
Through the
winter months the 8th Air Force had planned and prepared, and waited for the weather
to break, for a concentrated series of blows at the major factories turning out
fighter aircraft for the Luftwaffe in central and southern Germany. With the presence
in the command of P-51s and P-38s that could escort the heavies over the farthest
targets, and with the P-47 having again extended their escort range with 108 gallon,
jettisonable tanks, it was felt the missions could be carried out successfully.
Command was under no illusions
however and they fully anticipated there would be serious opposition from the
Luftwaffe. Heavy losses were expected. In the event, the escort fighters did a
remarkable job of defending the bombers everywhere, and the bomber gunners did
no less. From operations on the 20th, 21st, 22nd, 24th and 25th, 158 heavy bombers
and 33 escorting fighters were lost. Considerable damage was done to fighter producing
factories at Regensburg, Leipzig, Oschersleben, Gotha, Brunswick and Augsburg,
but since most points were final assembly factories and many production facilities
lay outside of the areas attacked, no lasting loss in fighter production was accomplished.
However, the strain and
losses on the operational German fighter units were very high and left them with
virtually no reserves. Bombers of the 8th Air Force claimed 233-71-115
enemy aircraft and their escorting fighters claimed 208-28-108. Although claims,
mainly from bomber crews, were eventually found to be overstated, the Luftwaffe
did lose over 200 fighter aircraft, but more importantly, they lost nearly as
many irreplaceable, experienced fighter pilots. This loss was the great result
of The Big Week, and it was one from which the Luftwaffe would never recover.
For its part in The Big
Week, the 353rd gave penetration and withdrawal support for missions on the 20th
and 21st but had no encounters with enemy fighters. From Wayne Blickenstaff’s
diary for February 20th, 1944:
The
mission for February 22, not part of "The Big Week" operation was to
support B-24s. However, they had aborted due to weather, and the Group waited
in the designated area for some minutes to pick up and escort out three groups
of B-17s. The mission was to be a most fateful one.
Major
Walter Beckham
Trouble
started inbound to the rendevouz point in a bizarre and ominous way. At 28,000
feet over Antwerp one 352nd Squadron plane received a direct flak hit and went
straight down with its pilot. After rendezvous with the bombers there was no sign
of action, and Lt. Col. Duncan took the Group on several large sweeps, looking
for enemy aircraft. Northeast of Bonn he spotted an enemy airfield with several
twin engine aircraft taxiing on it and other aircraft parked around its perimeter.
Duncan
then took his flight down to the deck, as Major Beckham and the other 351st
Squadron flight leaders gave him top cover. With Major H. N. Holt (Executive
Officer of the 366th Fighter Group, getting his first combat experience with
the 353rd) flying his wing, Duncan lined up on a Ju 88. He opened fire, scored
many hits, knocking pieces off the plane, and continued his fire into a group
of soldiers or crew chiefs and a hangar before pulling over the hangar. He called
for strafing planes to stay low because of the heavy flak and proceeded on out
from the airfield where he hit two locomotives. Major Holt followed him through
all of this and finished up most of what Duncan had started, the two sharing
the destruction of the Junkers. Behind Duncan the other 351st flights came down
to strafe. Major Beckham picked out a line of six enemy aircraft and came in
at tree top level, indicating 425 mph. As he pulled up from the pass a burst
of flak found his plane.
Instantly
his engine was on fire and he trailed flames and smoke as he clawed for altitude.
Then his Florida drawl came over the R/T.
“Take the boys
home, George. I can’t make it.” These words were directed to his wingman,
Lt. George Perpente. When Perpente hesitated, not wanting to leave his stricken
leader, Beckham called again. “Get the hell out of here. Take a course of
310 degrees, stay low
and get going. I hope to see you all later.”
Thereupon
Beckham opened his canopy,
bailed out and floated down to become a prisoner of the Germans. His loss
was a great blow to the Group and to the 8th Air Force, which lost its leading
ace to some German ground gunner just when he was reaching the peak of his
abilities as one of the greatest air fighters of all time. Walt’s final score
in the air was 18 destroyed, 4 probably destroyed and 2 damaged.
While all this was taking place,
the 352nd Squadron was escorting the heavies near Cologne, and Lt. Poindexter
spotted two Me 109s coming in on the bombers. He went down and with two bursts
exploded one of them. He then went after the leader (with red markings N7-5 on
its fuselage) as it shot down a Fortress, and he blew the entire left wing off
this plane, sending it spinning to the ground. These two victories brought his
total of enemy aircraft destroyed to five, making him an ace. It was at approximately
this time that Capt. Orsinger, of the 366th Group and flying with the 352nd Squadron,
was last seen, spinning down. He failed to return.
There
were no operations for the Group on the 23rd, but on the 24th it sent 45 planes,
with 108 gallon wing tanks, to give penetration support to the 1st Task Force
of B-24s. For the first time the planes were divided into two group formations.
Lt. Col. Rimerman led the “A” Group of two squadron strength, and Lt. Col. Duncan
led the “B” Group, also two squadrons strong. This procedure allowed for a single
group to put up two formations of sufficient size to handle enemy fighter attacks
and thus doubled the scope and effectiveness of the fighter escort. For
the mission, five FW 190s were destroyed, all by Duncan’s flight. He shot down
one, for his 11th victory, and 1st Lt. Richard A. Stearns destroyed two. On the
way out, Duncan also damaged a twin engine plane on the ground. An “A” Group and
a “B” Group were also dispatched on the 25th, but the only claims were an Me 110
destroyed and a Do 217 and a Ju 88 damaged, all on the ground.
For
several months the 8th Air Force had been ready to carry out its first daylight
attack on Berlin. Several times missions had been scheduled to the German capital,
but each time weather had forced a cancellation.
Following
"Big Week" 8th Air Force planners again turned their eyes toward Berlin.
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