FlyPast 01.2018

January 2018 FLYPAST 35

our contact was secured at three
miles, and from that point on,
my radar observer took over the
interception. Closing to 800ft, with
target at 12 o’clock and 50°, we got a
positive identification on it... a Ju 88,
flying on a course of 200° at 5,000ft.
“Airspeed was 170mph and at
that point he started taking hard
evasive action. I fired two quick
bursts of 20mm from 500ft and got
good hits on the right wing at its
roots. Suddenly, the guns jammed
whereupon I tried to drive the pilot
into the ground.
“After a few minutes of tailing him,
my guns were suddenly unjammed.
I stayed on him down till 500ft and
fired another quick burst. Strikes
were obtained on his right engine
which had started to smoke. I fired a
couple more bursts until my ammo
ran out.
“Still the aircraft would not explode,
although debris was falling off and
his navigation lights went out. The
Ju 88 was last seen below 1,500ft and
no explosion was seen. No parachutes
were seen, so the crew must have
gone in with the aircraft.”
On Christmas night the same crew
was still trying to intercept Luftwaffe
intruders. The main reason the
hunting was so good was because the
Allied day fighters had full control of
the skies.
At 21:11 Anderson and his R/O
took off in their regular Black

Widow, 42-5543, for a defensive

patrol between of the V Corps area

between the bomb line and Rhine.

GCI informed Anderson of a bogie

about 20 miles distant, headed west.

When the gap got down to three

miles, the R/O took over the pursuit

and, closing to 800ft, they identified

a Ju 88.

Anderson took up the story:

“Pulling up to dead astern, I opened

fire at 600ft. The first burst obtained

strikes along its right wing root

causing the Ju 88 to fly in a gentle

port turn. The second burst of 20mm

exploded the right engine, splattering

oil on the canopy of our aircraft.

“I continued firing and the final

burst caught the left wing, outboard

of the engine, debris causing damage

to his aircraft. The bandit fell off to

port while losing altitude rapidly. I

continued a port orbit and quickly

saw it explode as it hit the ground.

The combat terminated at 23:00 and

no parachutes were seen to open.”

NO LOVE, NO NOTHING

The CO of the 422nd was Lt

Col Oris B Johnson, and his

regular R/O was Captain James A

Montgomery. Johnson built the

squadron to be the best and their

tenure in Belgium turned out to

be the most productive period

for all the USAAF night-fighter

squadrons.

Occasionally the unit came face-

to-face with the Focke-Wulf Fw

190, considered by many to be the

best fighter in the European theatre

• only three were shot down by
  422nd NFS Black Widows.
  Johnson described an encounter
  with a ’190: “We were flying night
  patrol in our assigned P-61,

Above

‘Borrowed Time’, the

Black Widow usually

assigned to Lt Herman

Ernst, at Scorton. Behind

are Mosquitos of 604

Squadron. JOHN ANDERSON

Left

Black Widow ‘Double

Trouble’, fl own by Lt

Robert Bolinder.

Left

Left to right: John

Anderson and his R/O,

James Mogan, and Robert

Elmore with his R/O,

Leonard Mapes.

JOHN ANDERSON