WW II Air War 27The Me 262 operated from numerous bases but
seemed to be more concentrated close to Munich,
and they would consistently challenge escorting
fighters from any direction, while the Me 163
had mostly been observed around Leipzig. Allied
intelligence had gained some information that
their fighters might be facing a new threat in the
form of a new twin-jet aircraft capable of flying at
altitudes above 30,000 feet. Practically nothing was
known about it, but all of the RAF and American
fighter pilots were briefed on the possibility.
The bomber formations continued to get
hammered with heavy casualties by the hit-and-
run tactics of the two known Luftwaffe jets. This
was in late 1944 and early 1945, and the only
American fighter that seemed to have a sporting
chance against them was the new North American
P-51 Mustang.
During January/February 1945, the 366th
Fighter Group was heavily involved in going after
targets inside western Germany with an emphasis
on rail traffic and major rail yards. On the
morning of February 22, the 391st Squadron took
off with the same game plan. Early in the mission,
a flight of Thunderbolts from the squadron caught
a locomotive frantically pulling about 30 oil
tank cars. Squadron commander Maj. Sheldon
Brinson, carrying two 500-pound GPs went into
a steep dive and put both bombs squarely on the
engine and the first two cars. It did not take any
additional ordnance to destroy the entire train,
as the explosions walked down the tracks and
consumed every tank car.
Minutes later as the flight continued down the
tracks, another train was spotted moving toward
the east, and it was taken out with .50-caliber
rounds. As a result of the destruction of the two
trains, dense smoke could be seen for many miles.
Most of the 391st fighters still had their bombs
intact, so orders were given to move deeper into
Germany, past the Aachen area and closer to the
major cities of Düsseldorf and Cologne, which
were east of the Allied frontline positions.
Leading two flights of P-47s from the 391st was
Lt. David B. Fox. He recalls the unusual chain ofevents as they unfolded. “Our eight Thunderbolts
had been concentrating on ground targets,
which included dropping bombs and shooting
up anything we could in and around Cologne.
We were very aggressive against any river traffic
(barges, etc.) that we could destroy with ourColor cutaway of the Ar
234 B-1 coded T9+KH
reconnaissance version,
as flown by Oblt. Werner
Muffey operating with
Kommando Sperling (Spar-
row) which carried his
personal emblem of a jet-
propelled sparrow holding
a camera, painted on the
nose. An operational re-
connaissance mission was
flown over the Normandy
landings in June 1944 by
Oblt. Erich Sommer flying
the Ar 234 V7 prototype,
which the Allies knew
nothing about. (Photo
courtesy of the EN Archive
collection)“THE ONLY AMERICAN FIGHTER THAT SEEMED TO
HAVE A SPORTING CHANCE AGAINSTTHEM WAS
THE NEW NORTH AMERICAN P-51 MUSTANG.”