84 FLYPAST May 2015Spotlight
Lockheed
P-38 Lightning
U
p until early July 1944
escort missions by the
82nd Fighter Group of
the Fifteenth Air Force
followed an established pattern:
P-51 Mustangs out in front, while
the P-38s stayed close to the
bombers. Unsurprisingly, it was
the P-51s that got the most ‘kills’.
All this changed on July 8 when
only the P-38s of the 82nd were to
shepherd the strike force from Italy
and it turned out to be the most
productive operation of its kind up
to that time. The 82nd had three
squadrons – the 95th, 96th and
97th – totalling 48 aircraft, all of
which were rostered for the mission,
which was to attack the Korneuburg
Oil Refinery in Austria.Leading was Charles Pinson.
About 20 miles out from the
targets, Pinson spotted a large
formation of Messerschmitt Me
410s climbing up to meet the
bombers. He recalls the events
as they unfolded: “We were able
to fly straight to the target area
without having to use our usual
weave pattern that we normally
did around the bomber formation.
Spread out in a two flights abreast
formation with the second section
trailing about 500ft lower, we were
ready for anything that got in our
way.
“It didn’t take long to find some
action as we counted 16 Me 410s
below us. They were flying at
90-degrees to our path, whichBombers
Fighters and
meant they would cross in front of
us. I radioed the others and told
the 97th Squadron to remain with
the bombers while the 95th and
96th would go after the ’410s.”
These German interceptors
were not to be taken lightly; they
had a maximum speed of almost
400mph with two 7.92mm
machine guns and two 20mm
cannon. They were one of the
most effective answers to the B-24
and B-25 bomber formations.Pincer movement
Charles Pinson: “In a case like this,
surprise can mean the difference
between success or failure, and
losing several aircraft. Speed may
be the most desirable asset in aerialAbove
A line-up of 20th
FG, 55th FS P-38Hs
in 1943. NATIONAL
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