Bf 109s of JG 53 vs Hurricanes of No.145 Squadron

Image size: 1194 x 1600 pixel. 398 KB
Date: Monday, 12 August 1940
Place: Isle of Wight, English Channel

Artist: Mark Postlethwaite

On 12 August 1940, Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53) was tasked with carrying out a ‘Freie Jagd’ off Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight in support of Ju 88s of KG 51 that were attacking Portsmouth harbour and Ventnor radar station on the Isle of Wight. Leading 1./JG 53 was Hauptmann Hans-Karl Mayer, who was flying a Bf 109E-4 coded ‘White 8’. His Rottenflieger was Unteroffizier Heinrich Rühl in a Bf 109E-1 coded ‘White 10’. Flying at 8500 m, Mayer spotted three Hurricanes below attacking a lone Bf 110 at 1220 hrs, and although he quickly engaged the enemy fighters the Bf 110 pilot bailed out. Mayer selected the right Hurricane and Rühl the left, the former firing a total of 20 20 mm shells and 80 7.92 mm machine gun rounds into the RAF fighter, which immediately burst into flames and dived into the sea for what would be Mayer’s tenth victory of the war. Having already exhausted his supply of cannon shells, Rühl fired 200 machine gun rounds at his Hurricane, which then hit the sea in a gentle curve. Mayer now turned his attention to the remaining Hurricane, which had been engaged by the rest of his Staffel. This combat was not as one-sided, however, for his Bf 109E was hit six times. Mayer’s combat report noted; ‘After my first kill I flew back to the dogfight with the last remaining Hurricane against several aircraft of my Staffel. I immediately attacked and was able to open fire twice, and also received some hits myself. The damaged aircraft tried to escape in the direction of the coast but I stayed close to it, while my Staffel lost me in the haze. At first it made only slight evasive actions, and so I was able to get in several well-aimed bursts. The aircraft started emitting black smoke, went down in a shallow dive and disintegrated on impact.’ Mayer had achieved his second victory of the mission, firing ten cannon and 250 machine gun rounds at the Hurricane, which, after hitting the sea, sank immediately. Although it cannot be said for certain, it is believed that Mayer and Rühl accounted for Plt Off John Harrison, Acting Flt Lt Wilhelm Pankratz and Sgt Josef Kwiecinski of No 145 Sqn, all of whom were reported missing in action off the Isle of Wight at times that matched the three German claims.

Source :
"Jagdgeschwader 53 'Pik-As' Bf 109 Aces of 1940" by Chris Goss

A Japanese Dive Bomber Shot Down Near Truk

Image size: 1600 x 1114 pixel. 773 KB
Date: Sunday, 2 July 1944
Place: Truk Lagoon, Caroline Islands, western Pacific Ocean
Photographer: William Janeshek

With its gunner visible in the back cockpit, this Japanese dive bomber (possibly Yokosuka D4Y Suisei or Nakajima B5N Kate), smoke streaming from the cowling, is headed for destruction in the water below after being shot down near Truk, Japanese stronghold in the Carolines, by a Navy PB4Y on July 2, 1944. Lieutenant Commander William Janeshek, pilot of the American plane, said the gunner acted as though he was about to bail out and then suddenly sat down and was still in the plane when it hit the water and exploded! When the Japanese Imperial Navy withdrew after the Gudalcanal campaign, some carrier aircraft and pilots operated from both Rabaul and Truk. The Allies named it 'Judy'. The D4Y was one of the fastest dive-bombers of the war. Its effectiveness was compromised by the introduction of improved American fighters, especially the Grumman F6F Hellcat. The photograph captures the last seconds before the plane impacts the water. You can see the rear gunner trying to see what is happening, but is not bailing out. When the Imperial Navy withdrew after the Gudalcanal campaign, some carrier aircraft and pilots operated from both Rabaul and Truk. Quite a number of carrier crews survived the Midway disaster. And when the Imperial Fleet withdrew, many of the air crews were transferred to Rabaul and Truk to continue the air war there even if the Imperial Fleet was withdrawn. This proved to be a terrible mistake. Most of these throughly trained air crews were gradually lost in the subsequent fighting as the Americans moved up the Solomon Chain. Carrier pilots are some of the most skilled individuals fighting the War. It takes a great deal of time and effort to train carrier pilots. And experienced pilots also have a great deal of experience and wisdom to pass on to the trainees and new crews. The Americans rotated experienced pilotsstate-side to help in the trainong of air crews. The loss of experienced Japanese air crews meant that when the Imperial Fleet finally emerged to do battle and stop the Americans from seizing the Marianas, they fought the Battle of the Philippines Sea with inexperienced, poorly trined air crews. The Americans by this time had better planes, but the catasrophe now known as the Marianas Turkey Shoot also resulted from poorly trained and led air crews.

Source:

http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/sea/pac/ncp-truk01.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/09/world-war-ii-the-pacific-islands/100155/

V-1 Hits the Aldwych, London

Image size: 1600 x 983 pixel. 479 KB
Date: Friday, 30 June 1944
Place: Aldwych, London, England
Photographer: Unknown

 Fieseler Fi-103 V-1 flying bomb about to hit the Aldwych area of London. You can see the V-1 just as its engine cuts out over Waterloo Station and it drops behind the Law Courts Buildings. Despite the lack of ability for precise targeting by the Luftwaffe, this V-1 hit the Air Ministry at Ad Astral House opposite the BBC's Bush House station. Many people were outside when the bomb came down, falling onto the crowded street. People were incinerated in buses on the street and from flying shrapnel and glass from the Air Ministry's windows. 48 people were killed and 200 injured, but some sources say that 198 were killed. This may be due to the Air Ministry's underreporting of casualties at the time of the attack as a security measure. 

Source:

Imperial War Museum

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii105

Marauder II Bombs Banja Luka, Yugoslavia

Image size: 1600 x 1200 pixel. 558 KB
Date: Sunday, 11 June 1944
Place: Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
Photographer: Unknown

Martin Marauder II (B-26C) of 25 Squadron, 254 Wing, South African Air Force, after releasing bombs on Banja Luka, Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav resistance, led by Communist Josef Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980) had attempted to take this center of Axis domination in January 1944 and failed; the Germans responded with the Seventh Anti-Partisan Offensive, aimed at capturing or killing Tito. The Balkan Air Force was a mixed-nationality unit, with Royal Air Force, Italian co-belligerents flying Martin Baltimores, South African Air Force, Yugoslavian Air Force, and United States Army Air Force units flying from bases in Italy in support of the partisans. Banja Luka was an important Axis stronghold, and this attack was part of a general campaign to disrupt and distract the Germans and their allies from their offensive. 25 Squadron flew Marauders from November 20, 1943 until the last wartime mission on May 4, 1945. 254 Wing was based at Campomarino Airdrome in Biferno, Campobosso Province, Italy. 

Source:

Royal Air Force

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0040

RAF 5 Group Lancaster Attacks Bordeaux Refinery

Image size: 994 x 1600 pixel. 556 KB
Date: Thursday, 10 August 1944
Place: Bec d'Ambes, Gironde, France
Photographer: Unknown

Avro Lancaster IIIs of Royal Air Force 514 Squadron, 3 Group, attack Raflineries de Petrole de la Gironde (Petroleum Refineries of the Gironde Estuary) at Bec d'Ambes at the junction of the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers on August 4, 1944. Capable of processing 300,000 tons of petroleum per year, this refinery opened in 1931, fifteen miles (twenty-four kilometers) from Bordeaux. It had the capabilities of processing crude oil into gasoline products and asphalt. After several previous attacks since 1940, this raid by 288 Lancasters of 1, 3, and 8 Groups, supported by 27 DeHavilland Mosquitoes from 100 Squadron as escort fighters, damaged but did not destroy the refinery completely. No aircraft were lost. On August 10, 215 RAF aircraft dropped over 500 bombs and demolished the refinery, denying the Germans gasoline during the Normandy Campaign. Later Societe Caltex, a French Company, rebuilt the refinery from 1947-1950, almost trebling its output. Another nearby refinery at La Pallice, thirty miles (48 kilometers) from Bordeaux, was also attacked and destroyed. None of the RAF aircraft were lost. French civilian casualties are not determined. The reconstructed plants showed visible scars of the bombing for years. 

Source:

Royal Air Force

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0037

RAF Blenheim V6391 After Bombing Goldenburg Power Station, Cologne

Image size: 1600 x 946 pixel. 380 KB
Date: Tuesday, 12 August 1941
Place: Knapsack, Cologne, Nordrhine-Westphalen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV (extreme left), serial V6391, marked RT-V of 114 Squadron, 2 Group, Royal Air Force, banks away after releasing two 500-pound (227-kilogram) bombs over the Goldenburg-Werk lignite (brown coal) power station in Knapsack. V6391, piloted by Sergeant (later Air Marshal) Ivan Gordon Broom (June 2, 1920 - January 24, 2003) and crewed by Sergeant William "Bill" North, Navigator, and Sergeant Leslie Harrison, Weapons Operator and Aerial Gunner. Fifty-four Blenheims made a daring daylight raid on two power stations near Cologne run by Rheinische Aktiengesellschaft für Braunkohlenbergbau und Brikettfabrikation or RAG (Rhine Public Company for Brown Coal and Briquette Manufacturing). They were escorted by fifteen squadrons of Supermarine Spitfires and 263 Squadron flying Westland Whirlwinds, but none of the fighters had the range to make it all the way to the target, so the Blenheims went in on their own. Broom was noted as one of the flew pilots of 2 Group who did not consider the mission a suicide run. He relished the enthusiastic reaction of the Dutch public, who greeted the low-flying Blenheims with waving and cheers, which abruptly stopped when V6391 crossed into Germany. This photo ran in the Illustrated London News, which syndicated the photo around the world without Brown or his crew being named. The Goldenburg power station was severely damaged, but power was restored to the Ruhr factories. Brown and his crew were sent to the Far East in September 1941, but were "hijacked" in Malta, where they were ordered to fly anti-submarine patrols and attack airfields in Sicily and Italy. On their first flight out of Malta, Broom and North used an Aldis signal lamp to guide a stricken Blenheim back to base. With most of the senior officers dead or missing, Brown was given command and won his first Distinguished Flying Cross, eventually surviving 30 missions. Brown was a popular leader who shared his men's risks. Later he flew DeHavilland Mosquitoes on pathfinder missions on night raids over Germany. 

Source:

Imperial War Museum (IWM) C2025

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0031

RAF Blenheims Attack Fortuna Power Station in Cologne

Image size: 1600 x 1216 pixel. 532 KB
Date: Tuesday, 12 August 1941
Place: Quadrath, Cologne, Nordrhine-Westphalen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

A Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of the Royal Air Force's Number 2 group pulls away after a successful attack on the Fortuna Power Station in Quadrath. You can see the end of the dorsal turret Vickers .303 machine gun lower right. Two power stations, Fortuna I and II, burning lignite (brown coal), were run by Rheinische Aktiengesellschaft für Braunkohlenbergbau und Brikettfabrikation or RAG (Rhine Public Company for Brown Coal and Briquette Manufacturing) in the small village of Quadrath. Another target was the Goldenberg-Werk Power Station in nearby Knapsack. Fifty-four Blenheims were detailed for a low-level raid, coming in over the Netherlands to attack, causing significant damage. The Blenheims came from 18, 21, 82, 107, 114, 139 and 226 Squadrons, commanded by Wing Commander Nichol in his first Blenheim mission (????-1941) and navigated by Officer (later Wing Commander) Thomas Baker (1914-2006) who later said the mission was "almost suicidal - it was the only time in my life that I saw my fellow aircrew grey and shaking." Ten of the Blenheims were shot down and others were damaged, mostly to the large anti-aircraft concentrations around the plants. The power stations were heavily damaged. While the bomb run on the plant had no fighter cover, Supermarine Spitfires of 306 and 315 Squadrons covered the incoming flight, 308 Squadron with Spitfire VBs and 263 Squadron with Westland Whirlwinds flew top cover, and three other squadrons flew cover for the fighters. 485, 610 and 452 Squadrons, all flying Spitfires, and three other squadrons of Sprtfire VBs struck airfields and targets along the French and Dutch coasts. Lacking the range to get within 100 miles of Cologne, the Blenheims went in on their own; all the Spitfires had to withdraw after five minutes of loitering in the formation area over Holland. 19, 65 and 226 Squadrons, flying the standard short-range Spitfire II, and 66, 152, and 234 Squadrons, all flying the longer-ranged standard Spitfire IIA, rendezvoused with the surviving Blenheims and escorted them back to England. Four Spitfires were lost. While the Fortuna plants were soon back online, the daylight raid was intended to pull German fighters from the Eastern Front, and soon the Luftwaffe began concentrating their strength against the RAF, and later, the United States Army Air Force's VIII Bomber Command. 

Source:

Imperial War Museum (IWM) C2024

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0030

390th Group B-17 Flying Fortresses Strike Bois-Colombes

Image size: 1600 x 1284 pixel. 602 KB
Date: Friday, 31 December 1943
Place: Paris, Region Parisienne, France
Photographer: Unknown

B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 390th Bomb Group, 13th Bomb Wing, 8th Air Force, unload 500-pound (227-kilogram) general purpose bombs on the Hispano-Suiza engine plant and the Compagnie d'Applications Mécaniques (CAM) ball bearing factory in Bois Colombes outside of Paris, 31 December 1943. Other B-17s attacked the CAM factory in Ivry-Sur-Seine in Southeast Paris. 120 of 125 B-17's hit the industrial areas at 1207-1227 hours; one B-17 was lost, one damaged beyond repair and 49 damaged; casualties are two Wounded in Action and ten Missing in Action. These missions are escorted by 74 P-38's, 441 P-47's and 33 Ninth Air Force P-51's; they claim nine Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed, one probable and one damaged; one P-38, two P-47's and one P-51 are lost; one P-38 and six P-47's are damaged beyond repair and one P-38 is damaged; casualties are three Wounded in Action and two Missing in Action. CAM and Hispano-Suiza were forced into producing equipment for the Luftwaffe. The engine factory at Bois Colombes was converted from making car engines to aircraft engines and first bombed on September 15, 1943. This knocked out the metal hardening facility and all the bearings were shipped to Ivry for finishing. After the attack in this photo, the ball bearing production was moved to mushroom caves near Taverny at great effort and expense. Casings for the Hispano-Suiza engines had to be shipped from the Pyrenees, difficult with the wrecked transport system leading up to Operation Overlord. When Paris is liberated in August 1944, cases of finished engines are found at the Hispano-Suiza plant. There was no transportation to take them to the Luftwaffe.

Source:
National Archives and Recoreds Adminisstration (NARA)
http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0012

B-17G Destroyed by Bomb Strike From Above

Image size: 841 x 1600 pixel. 441 KB
Date: Friday, 19 May 1944
Place: Berlin, Germany
Photographer: Unknown. Taken from unidentified newsreel

In this remarkable series of still frames from a motion film camera, 1000-pound (453.6-kilogram) bombs dropped by another Flying Fortress wreck the left horizontal stabilizer of a B-17 on May 19, 1944. Operations that day put 888 heavy bombers over Berlin, Kiel, and Brunswick. These two planes, of the 8th Air Force, 94th Bombardment Group, unfortunately intersected over Berlin. Lieutenant John Winslett's Vega-built B-17G-30-VE Flying Fortress, "Trudy" (#42-97791) of the 332nd Bombardment Squadron unloaded its payload on Boeing B-17G-20-BO (#42-31540) "Miss Donna Mae II" of the 331st Bombardment Squadron commanded by Lieutenant Marion Ulysses Reid (November 13, 1920 - May 19, 1944). The bombs had a propeller that were timed so that at a certain altitude, the bombs would arm; so they did not explode on impact. Reid's plane dropped to 13,000 feet (4000 meters) and the stress on the aircraft tore the wing off. As the Fortress disappeared into the clouds, no chutes were seen. All eleven crew members were killed. When this photo was released to the press, it incorrectly claimed the plane returned to base, ahead of the other aircraft. On December 11, 1944, "Trudy" was severely damaged by a bird strike while returning to her base at RAF Bury St. Edmunds. Marion Reid's body was recovered and reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery on April 21, 1949. His father, a Baptist Minister, was honored by his congregation to have a building dedicated in his son's name.

Source :

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0006