December 2018December 2018 FLYPAST 43FLYPAST 43a pilot’s score, so the Ju 52 became
Peglar’s third victory.
‘HAIRY’ MISSION
On August 15, Peglar and his
squadron were on an escort to
Magdeburg – a long trip but with
little action except for very heavy
flak. But next day the 357th
shot down 13 against the loss of
one pilot.
A nerve-wracking mission took
place on August 18, as Peglar
explained: “This was something
very different from our escort role.
Beforehand our aircraft were all
fitted with a rack for a 500lb bomb,
and after a couple of days’ practice
we were ordered on a dive-bombing
and strafing mission northeast
of Paris.
“After attacking railyards with the
bombs, we then strafed engines,
buildings and transport, all the
while taking heavy anti-aircraft fire.
Bert Marshall,
our CO, was hit
and had to belly-land
in a farmer’s field.
“Lt Royce Priest then called him
on his radio and said to ‘sit tight’,
that he was coming down to get
him. Marshall said not to try it, but
Priest went in anyway. While we
circled, giving them cover, Priest
landed in the same wheat field,
got out, tossed his dinghy and
parachute to make room, and then
Marshall climbed in, Priest sat on
his lap and they took off!
“We escorted them back across
the Channel to home base and they
landed safely. For his efforts Priest
was awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross. Almost all of us were
hit by flak and, I guess, because of
the damage, that was the last time
we were called on to dive-bomb...
thank heavens.”
Peglar was forced to land at
Manston after the mission with
bad engine vibration caused by flak
damage. A Harvard trainer was sent
from Steeple Morden to ferry him
back, but his P-51 was left to be
repaired. Shortly after the sortie, a
directive was issued that, in future,
no pilot should attempt the sort of
rescue Priest had undertaken.
On August 25, Peglar and his
squadron mates escorted Liberator
bombers on a raid to Kiel, Lubeck
and the Rostock area, where
they would bomb the docks and
associated shipping. The next
day they were sent back to the
Strasbourg area, and on the 27th
escorted Berlin-bound bombers.
But the weather that day
prevented them getting through,
so the force attacked the secondary
target, the port of
Emden, in the faceof heavy and
accurate flak.
The pace of
missions was relentless, as
Peglar remembered: “We were
back at it on September 8 with
Liberators to the Karlsruhe railway
yards, 5½ hours, and very cold up
at 22,000ft, though with very light
flak at that height.
“In all these escort missions we
had the problem of staying with the
slower bombers. We usually cruised
at 240mph while a heavy bomber
was about 50 to 60mph slower, so
the fighter escort weaved in and
out, always keeping an eye out for
enemy fighters, which usually came
in from above and behind.”NARROW ESCAPE
“Three days later, on September
11th, we were escort to a large-scaleoperation to Magdeburg, the
target being an aircraft engine
plant. A large dogfight ensued as
the Luftwaffe put up a determined
fight to keep the bombers from
destroying the factory.
“During the battle, I shot down
two Me 109s, although [the pilot
of ] one baled out as soon as I got on
his tail. The empty plane spun down
and blew up. I was flying P-51D
‘WR-S’ and was at eight o’clock to a
box of B-24s at 24,000ft.
“Bogeys were called at three
o’clock high and, as I looked over, a
gaggle of at least six Me 109s hit the
bombers. I saw one B-24 catch fire
and dropped my wing tanks, called
a peel-off to the right and went
into an Me 109,
2,000ft below me.”
Peglar had to
execute a very tight
diving turn to get
behind his opponent
and, as he pulled into
position, the pilot baled
out at around 18,000ft
(5,486m). His aircraft
spun to the ground
where itexploded. The
combat took place some 40
miles (64km) southwest of Kassel.
“The fight spread out over a large
area,” added Peglar, “and, as all
dogfights go, a lot of us wound
up fighting at low level. Upon
leaving the first Me 109 I was at
approximately 2,000ft with Lt
H R Mann.
“I spotted an Me 109 on the
deck below me and dived on his
tail. I closed to about 200 yards
at 10° deflection and fired a two-
second burst, getting strikes on
the wing roots and fuselage. The
’109 immediately began to stream
smoke and pieces fell off it. We
were right on the deck and as I
prepared to fire again the gunsight
went out. I fired several other short
bursts to get deflection but missed
him entirely.so the force attacked the secondary“The fi ght spread out over a large
area and, as all dogfi ghts go, a lot of us area and, as all dogfi ghts go, a lot of us“The fi ght spread out over a large
area and, as all dogfi ghts go, a lot of us“The fi ght spread out over a large
wound up fi ghting at low level”
area and, as all dogfi ghts go, a lot of us
wound up fi ghting at low level”area and, as all dogfi ghts go, a lot of us
Below left
During a mission against
Gotenhafen on August
6, 1944, which landed in
Russia, seconded RAF
pilot Flt Lt Eric Wooley
fl ew this P-51B Mustang,
42-106462/‘G4-H’ of the
362nd FS from Leiston.
M OLMSTEAD VIA
TONY HOLMESBelow
A grisly sight, familiar
to Warren Peglar and his
colleagues, as a B-24
Liberator breaks up
after a direct hit from
heavy fl ak. USAF