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Bf 109G-6 serial number 784068 shot down northwest of
Haderslev 12/3 1945.
The aircraft belonged I./ (Erg) JG 1 and was coded ?
T/o Hadersleben. Op: Interception.
A number of American P 51 fighters had escorted bombers to Swinemünde and were
returning towards west when a group of four sighted two Bf 109`s and was at the
same time attacked by a third Bf 109.
The American group consisted of Captain Owen Farmer, F/O John Pesanka, F/O
Joseph Coker and 1st Lt Vernon Carr.
They let go of their drop tanks and turned against the German planes. It was
cloudy and the Americans spotted and lost the Germans again in the clouds thus
the de briefing of the combat became a bit confusing as the pilots was quite
naturally stressed up.
Farmer turned against the attacker and as the German climbed he hit the German
aircraft in the belly with his 12.7 caliber guns. The Bf 109 started burning and
Farmer last saw the Bf 109 when it was diving through 2000 ft at an 80 degree
angle. Farmer climbed again and reformed with the group and at 4500 ft spotted
two German planes.
Coker opened fire at one plane and hit it before he lost it in clouds. Farmer
attacked the other aircraft and fired short busts at it but had to break out of
the attack.
Carr took over and fired at the German at zero distance and the German starting
burning. The German pilot bailed out at 250 meters but the parachute did not
deploy and he fell to his death.
At 1000 ft Pesanka saw a Bf 109 coming against him and made a sharp 180 degree
turn to get behind it and scored hits on the fuselage, cockpit and wing. The Bf
109 exploded and fell to the ground and burned.
Coker attacked two planes and these separated and Pesanka handled the one
turning right. Coker followed the one turning left and when he had closed in to
250 meters, he opened fire and continued firing to 100 meters. The Bf 109 was
burning when it rolled over and dived to the ground where it exploded on impact.
Unteroffizier Adolf Hoppe in his Bf 109G-6 serial number 784068 was seen to come
from a westerly direction closely followed by a P 51. He tried to outturn the P
51 when over the Bøghoved area but was hit during the manoeuvre and hit a
hilltop at approx. 12:45 hrs.
Hoppe was thrown clear of the wreckage that burned. His body was taken to chapel
at rest at the cemetery in Flensburg. He was laid to rest in the Friedenshügel
Cemetery in Flensburg.
The Bf 109G was a 100% loss.
RL 2 III/1199, LBUK, CP, Warming.
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