PORTLAND, Ore. -- Eighty years ago this week, between March 15 – 21, 1945, the 371st Fighter Group (today’s 142nd Wing), distinguished itself in battle as it provided close support to General George S. Patton Jr.’s Third Army as it broke through the Siegfried Line and raced to the Rhine River. In recognition for the group’s outstanding efforts in this period, it was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (now known as the Presidential Unit Citation), the highest level of unit award in America’s armed forces.
The stage was set for this action in the weeks before, on 16 February 1945, when the 371st Fighter Group and its three P-47 Thunderbolt squadrons were reassigned from Twelfth Air Force and the 1st Tactical Air Force (Provisional) back to where they were before November, 1944, under Ninth Air Force and back to the XIX Tactical Air Command (XIX TAC) which supported Third Army. In the XIX TAC it joined the 354th (P-51, the Pioneer Mustang Group which trained at Portland Army Air Base in 1943 before going to Europe), 362nd (P-47), 367th (P-47), and 368th (P-47) fighter groups.
This reassignment was accompanied by a move on 15 February 1945 to Metz Airfield (Advanced Landing Ground Y-34) with much improved facilities for men and materiel, working areas and accommodations as compared to the group’s previous expeditionary airfield in the countryside near Tantonville (Y-1). This move boosted morale and efficiency which allowed for higher sortie rates in the good weather which prevailed for 27 days of March. These factors enabled the group to break its previous monthly sortie record with 2,891 sorties in March, 1945.
March 6, 1945 marked the group’s arrival overseas at Liverpool, England a year prior. In 12 months, the war in northwest Europe now brought the Allies from Great Britain to the doorstep of Hitler’s Germany, and the door was about to be broken wide open.
The 371st Fighter Group (371st FG) was about to participate in the culminating phase of the Rhineland Campaign, a series of Allied offensives on the western front which sought to occupy the Rhineland and obtain passage across the Rhine River into the heartland of Germany. It began in September of 1944 when Allied forces neared the German western frontier, and the picked up from February, 1945 in the aftermath of the defeat of the German winter offensives in the Ardennes and Alsace regions.
The Plan
The Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, gave the orders to “destroy the Wehrmacht west of the Rhine.” German forces numbering some 100,000 strong present in the Moselle River – Rhine River triangular Saar-Palatinate region were hemmed in by Third Army to the north, Seventh Army to the south, with nowhere to go, given German demolition and Allied bombers destruction of most of the bridges across the Rhine behind them. It was up to the fighter-bombers of the 371st FG and the other fighter groups in the XIX TAC to work closely in the Third Army to finish the job.
Actions of the group in the week-long period between March 15 – 21 greatly aided Third Army in reaching the west bank of the Rhine. In this push, the 371st FG flew missions in support of XX Corps, the “Ghost Corps” of Third Army commanded by Major General Walton H. Walker, which became the largest corps formation within Third Army in this period. The group had worked with XX Corps since rejoining XIX TAC in mid-February, so the two organizations were familiar with each other.
Ground operations planned were to break out from bridgeheads at Saarburg and Saarlautern in order to breach and uncover the Siegfried Line’s natural and man-made fortifications from Trier to Saarlautern. Ground operations began early on March 13. After breaking through the Siegfried Line, XX Corps was to move onward to capture key locations at St. Wendel, Kaiserslautern and Ludwigshafen to defeat the last significant enemy forces west of the Rhine River. This would then set up Third Army to cross the Rhine and advance deeper into Germany.
In order to cover the XX Corps formations on offensive operations starting on March 13, the group employed individual flights of four P-47s each, which then shifted on March 16 to using two flights together for a single mission with eight P-47 Thunderbolts. Only a few missions in the period were accomplished with more than eight aircraft. The single flights were launched at 20 minute intervals to provide XX Corps with continuous daylight coverage which after a few days then shifted to the predominant eight aircraft missions sent continuously over XX Corps at 30 minute intervals.
The fighters checked in with ground controllers “Quickstart” or “Ripsaw” for further assignment to advancing XX Corps subordinate units, e.g. divisions, regiments and battalions. At the start of the ground push, XX Corps had three infantry divisions, the 26th, 80th and 94th to breach the Siegfried Line, with a fourth, the 65 Infantry Division, making a diversionary attack at Saarlautern. Two armored divisions, the 10th and the 12th, awaited commitment to the battle until the infantry divisions opened passages through the Siegfried Line.
Those subordinate formations had ground controllers who coordinated the air support with curious call signs such as “Abtide, Benchhouse, Booty, Camel, Dumpling, Eggcup, Fieldfare, Foundation, Hopetide, Ironclad, Mainpost, Rabbi” and, “Unstrap.” A subordinate controller might be further identified by adding a color to the call sign, such as Blue, Green, Red or White. One could contact “Quickstart,” be referred to “Eggcup,” and further referred to “Windswept” as an example of the daisy chain in the command and control for close air support. If no targets needed servicing during an individual mission’s time on station, then the squadrons were tasked to fly armed reconnaissance on the XX Corps front.
The Enemy Threat
The enemy may have been on the defensive, and soon on the run, but was well-equipped with Fliegerabwehrkanone or "Flak" guns to defend themselves against air attack by Allied fighter-bombers with a variety of light and medium caliber anti-aircraft artillery (AAA). By this point in the war, German forces in northwest Europe had ample, painful experience fighting with Allied fighter-bombers, so this effort to strike their ground forces from the sky was fiercely opposed. This is not to mention the numerous small arms and automatic weapons possessed by soldiers, armored fighting vehicles and non-flak units on the battlefield.
The primary AAA threat the group’s P-47 pilots faced was from light caliber flak, weapons like the Flak 30 20 MM cannon and the Flak 38 20 MM cannon in single and Vierling (quadruple) mounts. A single Flak 38 fed by a 20-round box magazine had a practical rate of fire of 180 rounds per minute and an effective firing range of 7,200 feet.
Less numerous but much deadlier to fighter-bombers like the P-47 was the medium-caliber flak found in such weapons as the Flak 43 37 MM cannon in single and Zwilling (twin) versions. It had a 180-round per minute practical rate of fire fed by eight-round clips and a ceiling of over 15,000 feet.
P-47 Capabilities
To fight with, destroy and/or suppress the German targets on the ground including the flak guns, a single P-47D carried eight Browning AN/M2 .50-caliber aircraft machine guns, with up to 425 rounds per gun. The rate of fire was between 600 and 800 rounds per minute; a five-second burst of all eight guns could send 500 rounds downrange. The guns in each wing were harmonized to converge into a three-foot by three foot area some 1,100 feet ahead of the aircraft.
In addition to the guns, the P-47 could carry up to 2,500 pounds of external stores, including a variety of air-to-ground ordnance up to 1,000-lb bombs, though the most commonly used was the 500-lb general purpose bomb. In addition to employing these heavily-used 500-lb weapons, the 371st Fighter Group’s operations in this period saw a limited employment of napalm bombs, an incendiary weapon made with a jellied gasoline compound. Accurately employing guns or bombs required P-47 pilots to enter the weapons engagement zones of the ground-based guns which protected many of the enemy’s army formations.
The 371st Fighter Group in Action, March 15 – 21, 1945
Following are highlights from over 150 combat missions flown by the 371st FG (call sign “Van Dyke”) in this one-week period. It should not be considered any kind of definitive history of the experience.
Thursday, March 15
XX Corps continued to press attacks against the Siegfried Line but showed signs of cracking in the sector where the 94th Infantry Division was attacking. Defenders counterattacked against the 26th and 80th Infantry Divisions which were defeated without loss of territory.
The 404th and 405th fighter squadrons (404th FS, call sign “Kismet,” and 405th FS, call sign “Discharge”) of the group sent out 29 four-ship formations during the day. Each P-47 was armed with a single 500-lb bomb each with a load of 2,400 rounds of .50 caliber machine gun ammunition.
Some missions ranged deep into enemy territory in a kind of battlefield air interdiction role. A railroad marshaling yard (M/Y) just west of Nohfelden drew the attention of a 405th FS mission (group mission 20 for the day) led by Lt. Eliel Archilla, who observed 20 boxcars there. The flight dropped four bombs and strafed - the boxcars were apparently loaded with explosives and the many subsequent explosions appeared to destroy all the cars in the yard. One P-47 was damaged by flying debris.
Other flights worked closer and directly with US ground forces. A flight of 404th FS P-47s led by squadron commander Lt Col Alonzo C. Wright, Jr., on mission 24 was assigned a target by “Abtide” which US forces marked with six white phosphorous artillery shells. The fighters dropped their bombs on a house concealing this artillery, achieved two near misses, then strafed it, setting it afire. “Abtide” confirmed their target was destroyed.
Meanwhile, the group’s third squadron, the 406th Fighter Squadron (406th FS, call sign “Yearling”) sent out three missions at 0836, 1232 and 1615 hours attacking military installations at Wehrheim about 12 miles north of Frankfurt. After bombing them, they were to conduct armed reconnaissance in the areas of Mainz, Kaiserslautern, Neunkirchen and other locations on the XX Corp front.
On the first 406th mission, 14 aircraft led by Maj John O. Daniels flew deeper into Germany with each aircraft carrying a single 75-gallon external fuel tank and 10 of the P-47s armed with two 500-lb M-76 incendiary bombs. But unlike most other days in the period, the weather prevented attack on the primary target. The fighters soon found worthwhile targets, such as a locomotive with 30 boxcars headed south about eight miles north of Frankfurt and dropped 14 of their bombs on that train. They then looked for other targets hitting another train and various motor transport and a flak tower.
The second and third missions sent 16 P-47s out on each go with a belly tank for extended range and full loads of .50-caliber ammo. Sighting nothing significant they strafed on the way back damaging and destroying a variety of Motor Transport (M/T) vehicles they came across.
One psychological warfare leaflet dropping mission was flown in the morning between 1018 and 1050 by the 406th by Lt. Miller (either Donald W. Miller or Robert J. Miller or William H. Miller, all assigned to the squadron). The four-ship carried 28 leaflet bombs and dropped 12 on front posts, and four each on four towns. Winds appeared to give good distribution to the leaflets. There is no indication in the group’s history of what message(s) were conveyed in these leaflets, but they may have been surrender leaflets to encourage Siegfried Line defenders to give up as Third Army pressed them.
Summary for March 15: Flew 114 successful sorties in 32 missions, dropped 114 500-lb bombs, 28 leaflet bombs and fired 58, 780 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition. Three aircraft were damaged by flak, one by flying debris from a target and another in a landing accident.
Friday, March 16
Enemy defenses began to waver and there were signs the enemy was starting to withdraw. With the success of the infantry divisions breaking through the Siegfried Line after three days of fighting, XX Corps committed the 10th Armored Division to the offensive, with the 80th Infantry Division following it. The 10th headed east in the direction of St. Wendel.
On this day the group commenced the eight-ship mission formations as the predominant tasking. As such, the group flew 21 such missions during daylight hours.
Loss of Lt. Harris
Group mission 14, the 404th FS led by 1st Lt. Estel L. Stobaugh took off at 1312 and dropped on a troop concentration in Neunkirchen. They then pursued targets of opportunity, which unfortunately led to the loss of 2nd Lt. Christo G. Harris, shot down by “moderate accurate light flak” while on an armed reconnaissance further north towards Koblenz. He was hit by flak at 1,000 feet while strafing enemy vehicles and his aircraft was seen to crash and explode at L-758464*, just north of Hecken, south of Kirchberg, some 40 miles south-southwest of Koblenz.
Christo Harris was from Los Angeles, California and was buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg at Plot D, Row 5, Grave 9. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters.
Mission 20, flown by the 406th FS led by Lt. Richard E. Kyte employed 75-gal napalm bombs, dropping a pair on M/T at one location south of Losheim damaging four and setting woods on fire, and delivered another pair of napalm bombs on tanks and M/T east of Losheim. Two of the mission’s aircraft were damaged by wires while they strafed at low level but were able to return to Y-34.
Summary for March 16: Flew 167 successful sorties on 21 missions, dropped 133 500-lb bombs, four 75-gallon napalm bombs and fired 63, 473 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition. One aircraft shot down by flak, five damaged by flak and two damaged after hitting wires while strafing at low level.
Saturday, March 17
Enemy forces executed a disorganized general withdrawal all along the front of XX Corps. Weather prevented flying until early afternoon, and on this day no bombs were dropped in support of XX Corps in order not to hinder the movement of its rapidly moving formations. Most of the 17 group missions flown consisted of one flight of four P-47s.
Mission number seven led by Lt. Vern J. Walraven of the 406th took off at 1625 and was vectored for road recce around Nonweiler. On the way there they ran across 50+ horse drawn artillery and 20+ M/T just east of Schwarzenbach and attacked. The four P-47s damaged 20 of the horse drawn artillery pieces and killed 40 horses in the process. They destroyed four M/T, damaged another two and battled meager but accurate light flak which damaged one of the Thunderbolts in return.
It may surprise some readers but the German Army in World War II was not all mechanized with armored and wheeled vehicles. It relied heavily on horses for a variety of purposes, whether troop transport, communications, reconnaissance, support units of many kinds, even horse drawn field kitchens for feeding deployed troops, as well as the artillery observed in this instance.
Horses have long seen war throughout history and the Second World War was no exception. It may be worth noting that the last mounted US Cavalry charge in history took place on January 16, 1942 at the village of Morong in the Philippines during the Bataan Campaign in 1942. Lt. Edwin Ramsey led Troop G of the 26th Cavalry (Philippine Scouts) in a successful charge which cleared a numerically superior Japanese infantry force from the village.
Mission 14 led by Lt. Charles B. Meyer of the 405th took off at 1636 and subsequently found 50 M/T and 50 Horse Drawn Vehicles (HDV) just west of Bosen on the Bostalsee, moving eastward in a disorganized fashion, The Thunderbolts attacked and destroyed nine M/T and damaged another 14. They destroyed five HDV and damaged another ten, killing two men and 10 horses in the strafing attacks – in the process they noted the HDVs appeared to be loaded with both military and civilian personnel.
Lt. James K. Harrison led a 404th flight on mission 15 which took off at 1745. It found between 200 and 300 M/T on main and secondary roads in the vicinity of Leitzweiler, oriented easterly but all stationery. The four P-47s expended over 5,000 rounds on the vehicles, and destroyed 13 M/T, damaged another ten, damaged a couple of tanks and destroyed a half-track and gasoline trailer.
Summary for March 17: Flew 75 successful sorties, fired 121, 501 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition. Five P-47s damaged by flak and one by exploding vehicle debris.
Sunday, March 18
Elements of the 10th Armored Division reached St. Wendel and seized a bridge. With the great success XX Corps experienced on the ground, the 12th Armored Division was attached to the Corps’ northern flank, passing through the 94th Infantry Division to follow the German Autobahn north of Kaiserslautern and head east to the Rhine.
From March 18 – 20, the group engaged in intense activity, with its three squadrons of P-47s on a rampage which destroyed or damaged some 500 enemy vehicles each day. So many bullets and bombs were expended that C-47s had to transport munitions from England to Y-34 to sustain the group’s activity.
On March 18, the 371st FG flew 144 close support sorties, with the balance being armed reconnaissance.
Lt. Kirkland, MIA
Group mission 9 of the day was a 405th FS eight-ship tasked against a target at Birkenfeld, Germany, between Trier and Kaiserslautern. The mission leader was Lt. Edward R. Kirkland of the 405th FS, on his second mission lead that day. He was hit badly by flak and successfully bailed out of P-47D-30-RA, serial number 44-32961. Lt. Kirkland reached the ground safely and began a dangerous adventure for ten days.
For more details on his capture(s), escape(s), evasion and return to duty on March 27, see: “Twice Escaped: The POW Story of P-47 Pilot Edward R. Kirkland” at: https://www.142wg.ang.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2143606/twice-escaped-the-pow-story-of-p-47-pilot-edward-r-kirkland/
On group mission 21 flown by the 406th FS and led by Capt. William T. “Shorty” Bales, Jr., a result was captured for posterity in the group’s warbook where it says: “Proof that military vehicles in working order were scarce was the fact that one personnel carrier was a former manure spreader evidently hastily acquired from a farm. We know, because Capt. Bales brought back part of the evidence on his cowling.” Two other P-47s in this eight-ship mission were damaged by flak as they attacked 50+ M/Ts and HDVs.
Loss of Lt. Spicer
On group mission 22, eight 405th FS Thunderbolts led by Lt. Archilla took off at 1643, contacted “Ripsaw” for assignment and starting working around Theisberstegen, about seven miles northwest of Ramstein-Meisenbach, to hit a variety of targets at 17 different points between 1655 and 1805, attacking electric locomotives, boxcars and gondola cars, M/Ts and HDVs.
They encountered accurate small arms fire at one location near Nohfelden where they destroyed 10 M/T; two P-47s were damaged, including one flown by 1st Lt. Harold Higson Spicer. Returning from the mission, Lt. Spicer overshot the runway on his first landing attempt and went around for another try, but crashed and was killed about a mile away from the airfield because of battle damage.
Lt. Spicer, who entered the service from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg at Plot H, Row 14, Grave 67. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
Summary for March 18: Flew 190 successful sorties on 24 missions, dropped 83 500-lb bombs, four 75-gallon napalm bombs and fired 235, 319 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition. Two aircraft shot down by flak, 13 damaged by flak and one damaged by exploding vehicle debris.
Monday, March 19
The 10th Armored and 80th Infantry cleared St. Wendel on this day as other elements of the divisions continued eastward. Enemy ground forces showed a rapid disintegration as elements hastily retreated to the east and southeast, aiming to escape and/or reach two bridges still up across the Rhine at Speyer and Germersheim. XX Corps units captured many prisoners and huge amounts of enemy stores and equipment. Any significant opposition was by small units performing a rear guard mission to delay the advancing Americans.
Most of the 25 missions flown this day were eight-ships, and 18 carried at least some 500-lb bombs in a target-rich environment.
The 371st FG Oprep A No. 75 for 24 hours ending Sunset 19 March 1945 succinctly described the second mission of the day in a typical Oprep entry: “The 404th Sq., led by Lt. Fisher, took off with 8 a/c at 0721, arrived over target 0745-0835. “Eggcup” directed strafing on 200-300 M/T, tanks HDV and Half tracks going E at L-8913 – 25 M/T dest., 20 HDV dest., 5-7 half tracks dest., dam. 20 M/T and 15-25 HDV. Meager, inaccurate light flak encountered at L-8710. Weather was CAVU. 1 P-47 was dam. Cat. “A” (flak) T.D. 0857. Time: 14:20, 19,200rds. .50 cal. Ammo carried, 8,510 rds. Expended.”
Loss of Lt. Nerney
This day saw the loss of 406th FS pilot 2nd Lt. Frederick W. Nerney in P-47D-28-RA serial number 42-28620. He was a member of an 8-ship formation on the group’s mission 8 of the day, the third for his squadron. Led by 1st Lt. Richard E. Kyte, it was composed of Yearling Yellow and Yearling Red flights, and Lt. Nerney flew Yearling Red 4.
The flights took off from Y-34 at 1019 and reached their target area 20 minutes later. They were vectored by ground controllers “Ripsaw” and “Quickstep” to a location north of Kaiserslautern reported to have tanks. Finding no tanks, the flight armed with bombs dropped a single 500-lb bomb each for a total of four expended on a M/Y at L-9421, in the vicinity of Odenbach, Germany, about 20 miles north of today’s Ramstein Air Base, and cut a rail line.
The group’s operations report indicated the mission encountered meager accurate light flak at L-9421 also. But a flight member indicated there was a little more heavier caliber flak in the area. An eyewitness report from Lt. Nerney’s element leader, 2nd Lt. Edwin R. Byrne, in MACR 13175 stated the following: “During an identification pass on M/T in town at L-9424, our Yearling Red flight was subjected to 20 MM and 40 MM flak. Thinking I heard my wingman call out “I’m hit”, I looked back. Finding him still there, I once again directed my attention to the M/T’s. At that time, we were flying on the deck. I saw him turn up a small valley and pull up over a hill. He appeared to have good control over the ship when I last saw him. I checked for him again in about three or four minutes and called him on the R/T but without results. Very shortly thereafter a crash-landed ship was called in by the leader of Yellow flight.”
A rugged P-47 Thunderbolt could perhaps survive multiple 20mm hits if a vital point wasn’t struck. But a heavier 37 MM type round packed a wallop and was a different story.
Am amplifying statement from 1st Lt. Robert M. Smith added this: “I was flying at 5,000 feet and observed a burning A/C on the ground. One of our pilots, Yearling Red Four, was missing from the flights, so I dove down to further identify the plane. I observed it had a yellow nose and that the right wing was on fire. The fuselage was complete except that on the left-hand side, from the wing back, the skin was torn loose from the frame. I could not observe the contents of the cockpit, as it was obscured by smoke. I did not see any person near the plane.”
The downed aircraft’s location was reported as L9424, just northwest of the town of Meisenheim, some 15 miles southwest of Bad Kreuznach, or about 20 miles north of Kaiserslautern. Lt. Nerney, from Attleboro, Massachusetts, was later found dead by American ground forces. He was buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery at St. Avold, France at Plot A, Row 29, Grave 22. Lt. Nerney was awarded the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
A later 406th squadron mission flown observed at 1700 a US armored column that was ten miles long facing south at wM0511, in the vicinity of Imsweiler, about eight miles NNE of Kaiserslautern.
On the same day, March 19, General Eisenhower gave the green light for Third Army to make an assault crossing of the Rhine. General Patton had already mobilized engineers and bridging equipment to support this development, and the units to make the crossing were aware of a forthcoming mission. As a result, Third Army soon initiated the first of a series of Rhine River crossings.
Of note, the last 405th FS mission of the day marked the 500th combat mission flown by the squadron since April, 1944. In the last three days (17-18-19 March) the Discharge squadron claimed 400+, 371 and 350+ enemy M/T damaged or destroyed, more than 1,000 in all, the highest number among the three squadrons of the group.
Summary for March 19: Flew 191 successful sorties on 25 missions, expended 71 500-lb GP bombs and fired 156,299 rounds of .50-cal. ammunition. One P-47 shot down; nine other Thunderbolts damaged by enemy flak.
Tuesday, March 20
By this day the 80th Infantry Division cleared and captured Kaiserslautern while the 10th Armored Division and the XIX fighter-bombers pursued enemy columns desperately trying to escape the onslaught.
Mission 16 by eight P-47s of the 404th was led by Lt. Walter K. Fisher. East of Kaiserslautern and just west of Bad Dürkheim they “…sighted 200 plus mixed motor transport perked bumper to bumper and side by side. 4 direct bomb hits were made in the center of this concentration, destroying 40 and damaging 20 plus vehicles. The entire area was blazing when the squadron left.”
It was probably in this area east of Kaiserslautern, between Frankenstein and Bad Dürkheim, that shortly after the battle XX Corps reported Allied officials viewing the destroyed remains of a German division “massacred by the Air Corps.” The “twisted mass of death and destruction…is so enormous that the mind cannot measure it!”
Summary for March 20: Flew 174 successful sorties on 22 missions. Dropped 84 500-lb bombs, fired 112, 387 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition. Six aircraft damaged by flak; another by hitting a cable while at low level.
Wednesday, March 21
On this day, the 12th Armored Division reached the Rhine River and the 94th Infantry Division, with a combat command from the 12th Armored, was poised to seize Ludwigshafen, an industrial center which manufactured up to 50% of Germany’s chemical production.
The Luftwaffe made a significant, if ineffective, appearance on this day, with some 60 sorties against XX Corps units, mostly small numbers of fighters, including some Me-262 jet jobs, and a few twin engine bombers bombing and strafing. The largest Luftwaffe presence noted was a formation of 15 Me-109s which dropped bombs at 1245. It’s not clear if this was the formation which members of the 405th FS encountered some 15 minutes later this last day of the period which saw the group’s only air-to-air encounter with the Luftwaffe in the period.
The Discharge Squadron, the 405th FS, launched an eight-ship mission (mission number five of the day) led by 1st Lt. Joseph A. Bunting at 1221 and was vectored to an area east of Kaiserslautern and west of the Rhine for reconnaissance. While flying at 9,000 feet at 1300, they spotted a gaggle of 15 Me-109 fighters at 10 o’clock heading southwest at 8,000 feet at wM5004, about seven miles west of Ludwigshaven. The five pilots with 500-lb bombs jettisoned them in safe mode about 20 miles east of Kaiserslautern and all then bounced the Messerschmitts. About eight of the enemy aircraft broke eastward and dived while the others started a circular climb away to the east.
One of the diving Me-109s was pursued by Discharge Yellow Three, 1st Lt. Ray H. Sanders and his wingman, 2nd Lt. C. E. Lindley. Sanders claimed one Me-109 destroyed, shared with Lt. Lindley. They expended 2,470 rounds and the combat film their gun cameras took apparently confirmed their victory which was officially credited.
Meanwhile, higher up, Lt. Bunting pursued the climbing Me-109s, closed to 350 yards behind one of them and fired a pair of short bursts (125 rounds), observing strikes along the fuselage before the enemy aircraft outclimbed the Thunderbolt and escaped. He claimed one Me-109 damaged.
The last mission flown in the period was by the 406th FS “…led by Lt. Ted Stewart, took off with 8 a/c at 1717, arrived over target 1735-1835. “Ripsaw, Dumpling, Brown, and Kismet” contacted. “Kismet” vectored Sq. to Q-9074 to Q9966. 300 M/T and HDV in area. 4 x 500 dropped. 1 road block at Q-9770, strafing caused 2 tanks to be dest., 1 tank dam., 15 M/T dest., 47 M/T dam., 9 HDV dam., 25 horses killed. 20-25 percent of vehicles dest. By all Sqs. Of the group in that area. T.D. 1856. Time: 17:00, 20, 160 rds. .50 Cal. Ammo carried, 10,087 rds. Expended. 4 x 500 GP M103 M101A2 carried and expended.” It was a lucrative finish for a record setting week.
Summary for March 21: Flew 174 successful sorties on 15 missions, dropped 84 500-lb bombs, fired 112, 387 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition. One aircraft was damaged by flak, another by the blast of its own bombs.
Summary
Third Army succeeded in its bid to reach the Rhine, and in the process captured some 43,000 enemy soldiers. During the intense week, the 371st flew 157 combat missions and 1,087 sorties.
The cost to the group was three pilots and four P-47s. This may seem light compared total XIX TAC losses of 34 aircraft for this period, all but one to flak or unknown causes. But 39 of the group’s P-47s were damaged by flak, and another nine to various other causes. For a number of the damaged aircraft, it was likely a razor’s edge close to a loss but most made it back to Metz. Getting Patton to the Rhine was far from a walk in the park.
Assessment
The Senior Airman of the US Army Air Forces, General Hap Arnold, lauded the efforts of XIX TAC in support of Third Army, “Such smashing air attacks, coordinated with relentless ground pressure can only result in complete victory.”
The XIX TAC commander, Major General Otto P. Weyland, also heaped praise upon his Airmen, “During this period results of your efforts far exceeded results of other TAC’s and set a new record for military history.”
Both the Commanding General of Ninth Air Force, Lieutenant General Hoyt S. Vandenberg and the CG of XIX TAC, General Weyland, also expressed appreciation directly to the 371st Fighter Group noting the maintenance efficiency of the group was higher than the Ninth Air Force average as well as higher than any single group within the command.
Recognition
In recognition of the tremendous effort and results the 371st Fighter group accomplished, the group was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation, known today as the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest level of unit award for combat performance.
The citation for the 371st Fighter Group's DUC was contained in Headquarters Ninth Air Force General Orders No. 117 (27 June 1945), and War Department General Orders No. 84 (5 October 1945). It read as follows:
"The 371st Fighter Group is cited for extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy from 15 March to 21 March 1945. During this period the 371st Fighter Group inflicted tremendous destruction on the hostile forces fleeing before the Allied units closing to the banks of the Rhine River. Demonstrating steadfast determination to destroy the enemy, the gallant pilots launched a series of brilliant air attacks closely coordinated with the advances of the Third Army. Striking vigorously ahead of the advancing tank columns, they smashed the enemy's desperate attempts to organize a holding defense. Although frequently engulfed by intense concentrations of fire from mobile artillery and small arms, they descended to treetop level to attack the motor transports, troop concentrations, and strong points of the retreating enemy. During this 6-day period the airmen of the 371st Fighter Group destroyed a total of 1702 transport vehicles, 180 factories and buildings, 57 railroad cars, 20 tanks and 7 gun emplacements. 1,407 transports, 70 railroad cars, and 59 tanks were damaged. The brilliantly successful attacks of the 371st Fighter Group constituted a material contribution to the defeat of the hostile forces in southern Germany. The courage and determination of the airmen, combined with the technical skill and devotion to duty of the ground personnel, mark the 371st Fighter Group as an organization of unusual esprit de corps, and are in keeping with the finest traditions of the Army Air Forces."
Other details for this action derived from group records achievements can be found in the article “Redhawk Battle Honors: Distinguished Unit Citation“ here.
In honor and remembrance of this outstanding combat performance, a blue DUC streamer for this action is emplaced atop the 142nd Wing’s official flag. As is a streamer for the Rhineland Campaign in which this DUC was earned. The DUC is a distinctive battle honor which past, present and future members of the 142d Wing can be proud of.
*Note: The Modified British System was a geographical coordinate system for use by air and ground forces developed in between the world wars. The coordinates mentioned in this article are from the “Nord de Guerre Zone,” one of several grids covering the European theater. For more information, see “Overview of the “Modified British System” used on the European Theatre of Operations,” here.
To derive a coordinate from this system, use the translator tool here.