Danificou Martin Baltimore na Tunísia

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Danificou Martin Baltimore na Tunísia

Um Martin Baltimore sobrevoando a Tunísia na primavera de 1943. A aeronave poderia ser qualquer uma das versões posteriores do Baltimore do IIIA ao V, todos carregando a mesma torre de canhão dupla e eram muito semelhantes externamente. Observe o dano ao leme, sofrido durante um ataque a um campo de aviação alemão.

Zerstörergeschwader 26

Zerstörergeschwader 26 (ZG 26) "Horst Wessel" foi uma ala de caça pesado da Luftwaffe da Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Formado em 1º de maio de 1939, o ZG 26 foi inicialmente armado com o interceptor monomotor Messerschmitt Bf 109 devido a falhas de produção com a aeronave da classe Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer. A ala serviu na adormecida Frente Ocidental durante a fase da Guerra Falsa em 1939 e 1940. Durante esta fase, o ZG 26 foi equipado com o Bf 110. Fazia parte da Luftflotte 2 e lutou na Batalha dos Países Baixos, Batalha da Bélgica e Batalha da França em maio e junho de 1940. A ala continuou a operar na Batalha da Grã-Bretanha, embora em um papel muito reduzido devido às perdas.

Em 1941, o ZG 26 serviu novamente com sucesso na invasão alemã da Iugoslávia e na Batalha da Grécia e depois na Batalha de Creta em abril e maio. A partir de junho de 1941, a maior parte do ZG 26 lutou na Frente Oriental da Operação Barbarossa, que deu início à guerra na União Soviética. O ZG 26 apoiou o Grupo de Exércitos Centro e o Grupo de Exércitos Norte. Um grupo de ZG 26 voou e serviu na Batalha do Mediterrâneo e na Campanha do Norte da África de janeiro de 1941 a maio de 1943.

A partir de meados de 1943, o ZG 26 serviu e lutou contra a Oitava Força Aérea e a Décima Quinta Força Aérea dos Estados Unidos na campanha de Defesa do Reich com sucesso moderado, até que os caças de longo alcance dos Estados Unidos tornaram as operações adicionais muito caras. O ZG 26 foi dissolvido em setembro de 1944 e redesignado como uma unidade Bf 109, Jagdgeschwader 6.

O primeiro forte encomendado pelo governo dos EUA, o Fort McHenry foi testado durante a Guerra de 1812, quando os britânicos tentaram dominar Baltimore. Apesar dos dias de bombardeio pelas forças britânicas, o jovem forte impediu o avanço do inimigo. O poeta amador Francis Scott Key escreveu & # 8220The Defense of Fort McHenry & # 8221 em homenagem à vitória. O poema foi posteriormente musicado e se tornou nosso hino nacional.

Mergulhe na história com reconstituições, conversas sobre bandeiras, programas de ranger e a oportunidade de criar uma réplica do Star-Spangled Banner original.

Aqui estão mais alguns fatos divertidos sobre Fort McHenry:

Sempre que uma nova bandeira é projetada para uso pelos Estados Unidos, ela é primeiro hasteada sobre o Forte McHenry, sobre as mesmas muralhas mencionadas em nosso Hino Nacional.
A bandeira que pairou sobre o forte durante a Guerra de 1812 foi a maior bandeira da guarnição já hasteada, medindo 30 pés de altura por 42 pés de largura, de modo que os britânicos não poderiam perdê-la. Quer saber mais sobre como essa bandeira foi feita? Visite a Casa da Bandeira Star-Spangled Banner.

O Forte McHenry ostenta uma réplica da mesma bandeira da Guerra de 1812 com 15 estrelas e 15 listras.

Eventos históricos em 28 de abril

- 7 de maio) Utrecht destruída pelo fogo Nichiren, um monge budista japonês, propõe o Nam Myoho Renge Kyo pela primeira vez e declara que ele é a essência do budismo, na verdade fundando o budismo de Nichiren. Parlamento inglês exige supervisão dos gastos reais O & quotBom Parlamento & quot inglês começa a se reunir em Londres, permanecerá até 10 de julho, então o parlamento inglês mais antigo. Batalha em Cerignalo: exército espanhol comandado por Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba derrota uma força francesa liderada por Louis d'Armagnac, Tratado de Worms do Duque de Nemours: O Imperador Carlos nomeia seu irmão Ferdinand Arquiduque da Holanda-Áustria. Poderes da inquisição holandesa estende o estabelecimento da Pontifícia e Real Universidade de Santo Tomas, a Universidade Católica das Filipinas, a mais antiga universidade existente na Ásia e a maior universidade católica no mundo, o governador da Virgínia, John Harvey, acusado de traição e afastado do cargo, o general inglês no mar Robert Blake (ele nunca foi chamado de almirante) derrota a frota pirata do norte da África

Histórico Descoberta

1770 O capitão britânico James Cook, a bordo do Endeavour, pousa em Botany Bay, na Austrália

Constituição dos Estados Unidos

1788 Maryland torna-se o 7º estado a ratificar a constituição dos EUA

4 mitos do empréstimo VA quebrados: o que saber antes de ir

Postado em 29 de abril de 2020 16:08:01

Se alguém me perguntasse qual é o melhor conselho para alguém que compra uma casa, eu teria que dizer & # 8220 eduque-se. & # 8221 Sei que parece vago, mas há MUITAS informações, mais importante, informações incorretas lá e cada situação familiar é única. Tenho dificuldade em dizer o que é mais importante, mas quebrar as barreiras para começar seria o primeiro. Infelizmente, vejo muitos mitos repetidos diariamente, às vezes de colegas profissionais de hipotecas! Vou continuar a compartilhar informações digeríveis, mas primeiro, preciso tirar esses mitos comuns do caminho, para que nenhuma família militar seja impedida de começar:

Não há limite para o índice de endividamento.

O fator de decisão do VA & # 8217s sobre se você pode ou não pagar um empréstimo é baseado na & # 8220renda residual & # 8221 (p.57), ou seja, quanto dinheiro sobra a cada mês após o cumprimento de suas obrigações de dívida. Esta é uma fórmula baseada no valor do empréstimo, localização geográfica e tamanho da família - nem sempre é uma resposta única. Alguns credores têm & # 8220 overlays & # 8221 que são requisitos adicionais que vão além do que o próprio VA exige, razão pela qual o mito do DTI ainda está circulando. A grande lição aqui é que se um credor lhe disser que seu DTI é muito alto, ele pode ter requisitos extras além do que o VA declara, e você deve COMPRAR AO REDOR! Nem todos os credores são criados iguais.

Requisitos de residência.

O VA tem um requisito de residência (pp.12-13), que você pretender para fazer da casa sua residência principal e ocupar & # 8220 dentro de um período de tempo razoável & # 8221 & # 8211 geralmente considerado como 60 dias. Um cônjuge ou filho dependente pode preencher este requisito de residência, mas nenhum outro membro da família. Vejo continuamente o mito de & # 8220 um ano & # 8221 circulando, mas é simplesmente um mito. Mudanças e ordens de última hora acontecem, o VA sabe que, e de acordo com suas diretrizes, você não está vinculado a morar em qualquer casa por qualquer período de tempo que não funcione para sua família & # 8211.

Os limites de empréstimo do condado ainda se aplicam a múltiplos.

A Lei dos Veteranos do Vietnã da Marinha da Água Azul, Seção 6 (a) (1) (C) (ii), que entrou em vigor em janeiro de 2020, elevou o limite de empréstimo do condado do VA para quanto dinheiro você pode pedir emprestado, mas isso somente se você tem todos os direitos disponíveis. Um mutuário pode ter vários empréstimos VA ao mesmo tempo, mas se qualquer direito for usado atualmente, os limites de empréstimo do condado se aplicam aos direitos de bônus. Você pode estar sujeito a uma exigência de pagamento inicial se exceder o direito restante disponível.

Histórico de trabalho & # 8211 o que conta?

Eu vejo repetidamente postagens nas redes sociais sobre a transição de um membro do serviço, recebendo um novo emprego (ou oferta de emprego), e eles não acham que podem se qualificar para um empréstimo até dois anos no emprego. Isso é totalmente falso! A ativa militar conta para o histórico de trabalho. O VA permite que a renda futura do emprego seja contada se o credor puder verificar uma oferta de trabalho não contingente, incluindo a data de início e o salário. A aposentadoria documentada e o pagamento por invalidez também contam para a renda qualificada, mas os benefícios da fatura do GI não.

A mídia social pode fornecer acesso instantâneo às experiências de outras pessoas, mas algumas das respostas às suas perguntas sobre o empréstimo do VA só podem ser encontradas em um profissional licenciado. Certifique-se de estar conversando com um credor que é apaixonado por educar você e sua família, permitindo que você tome decisões financeiras inteligentes. Nem todas as instituições financeiras emprestam & # 8220 pelo livro & # 8221, então pergunte a mais de um credor se algo não parecer certo ou se você não estiver satisfeito com a resposta. Um grama de prevenção, neste caso, certamente vale bem mais do que um quilo de cura!

Mais em We are the Mighty

Mais links de que gostamos

PODEROSA HISTÓRIA

Eventos históricos em 3 de maio

Ferdinand I oficialmente nomeado Sacro Imperador Romano depois que seu irmão Carlos abdicou em 1556 Tratado de Loudun encerra a guerra civil francesa

Evento de Interesse

1715 Edmond Halley observa o fenômeno do eclipse total & quotBaily's Beads & quot

Pierre de Marivaux '& quotLa Double Inconstance & quot estreia em Paris Willem IV nomeado vice-rei da Holanda / Utrecht 1ª faculdade de medicina norte-americana é inaugurada na Filadélfia A constituição de 3 de maio é proclamada pelo Grande Sejm (Parlamento) da Comunidade polonesa-lituana, tornando-se a 1ª moderna constituição na Europa Washington, DC é incorporada como uma cidade

3 de maio de 1808

Dia de 1808 retratado pelo pintor espanhol Goya em seu & quotO terceiro de maio & quot, pintado em 1814

Guerra da Finlândia: a Suécia perde a fortaleza de Sveaborg para a Rússia Guerra da Península: Os rebeldes de Madri que se levantaram em 2 de maio são alvejados perto da colina do Príncipe Pío

Evento de Interesse

1810 O poeta inglês Lord Byron nada o Helesponto (Dardanelos dos dias modernos)

Evento de Interesse

1915 John McCrae escreve o poema & quotIn Flanders Fields & quot

Voluntários ajudam a derrotar a greve geral

1926 O Congresso Sindical da Grã-Bretanha convoca a primeira greve geral do país, que começa de 1 minuto a meia-noite em apoio aos mineiros de carvão em greve, dura 9 dias

Prêmio Pulitzer concedido a Sinclair Lewis (Arrowsmith) Fuzileiros navais dos EUA pousam na Nicarágua (9 meses após a partida), permanecem até 1933 atrocidades japonesas em Jinan, China. Prússia proíbe anti-fascistas 24 turistas começam 1o feriado fretado (Londres-Basiléia, Suíça) Nellie T Ross, a 1ª diretora da Casa da Moeda dos EUA assume o cargo Frente do Povo Francês vence eleições

Evento de Interesse

1936 NY Yankee Joe DiMaggio faz sua estreia na liga principal com 3 rebatidas

Evento de Interesse

1937 Margaret Mitchell ganha o Prêmio Pulitzer por & quot E o Vento Levou & quot

Evento de Interesse

1938 Vaticano reconhece Franco-Espanha

Evento de Interesse

1941 67º Kentucky Derby: Eddie Arcaro a bordo do Whirlaway, 1ª etapa do sucesso da Triple Crown

Tropas japonesas atacam Tulagi, Gavutu e Tanambogo, Ilhas Salomão durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial. A Luftwaffe alemã novamente bombardeia Exeter, destruindo o centro da cidade. Os nazistas executam 72 OD'ers em represália em Sachsenhausen, Holanda. Os nazistas exigem que os judeus holandeses usem uma estrela judia

Evento de Interesse

Prêmio Pulitzer de 1943 concedido a Upton Sinclair (Dentes de Dragão)

Fim da greve contra campos de trabalho obrigatórios, depois que 200 mortos EUA 1ª divisão de blindados ocupa Mateur Tunísia Racionamento de carne termina nos EUA

Filme Premier

1944 & quotGoing My Way & quot, dirigido por Leo McCarey e estrelado por Bing Crosby estreia em Nova York (Prêmio da Academia de Melhor Filme, 1945)

Evento de Interesse

A constituição do Japão pós-guerra de 1947 entra em vigor, concedendo sufrágio universal, privando o imperador Hirohito de tudo, exceto o poder simbólico e proibindo o direito do Japão de fazer a guerra

Evento de Interesse

Prêmio Pulitzer de 1948 concedido a James Michener e Tennessee Williams

1ª transmissão do & quotCBS Evening News & quot - programa de notícias da rede de maior duração nos EUA. Primeiro disparo de um foguete Viking dos EUA atingiu 80 km Gil McDougald empatou recorde da liga principal com 6 RBIs em 1 entrada NY Yankee Gil McDougald é 5º a obter 6 RBIs em uma entrada (9º) Royal Festival Hall abre em Londres O Festival da Grã-Bretanha abre & quotCall Me Madam & quot fecha no Imperial Theatre NYC após 644 apresentações. 1ª aterrissagem de um avião no Pólo Norte geográfico 78º Kentucky Derby: Eddie Arcaro a bordo de Hill Gail ganha seu quinto recorde de Derby WTVO TV canal 17 em Rockford, IL (NBC) começa a transmitir Conferência de Westchester da American Library Association proclama & quotFreedom to Read & quot KTEN TV canal 10 em Ada-Ardmore, OK (ABC) começa a transmitir

Evento de Interesse

Prêmio Pulitzer de 1954 concedido a Charles A Lindbergh e John Patrick

Evento de Interesse

1960 A Casa de Anne Frank é inaugurada em Amsterdã, Holanda

Evento de Interesse

Prêmio Pulitzer de 1976 concedido a Saul Bellow (Presente de Humboldt)

1977 NFL Draft: Ricky Bell da primeira escolha da USC por Tampa Bay Buccaneers & quotSun Day & quot - eventos de energia solar são realizados nos Estados Unidos. O primeiro e-mail comercial não solicitado em massa (& quotspam & quot) é enviado por um representante de marketing da Digital Equipment Corporation para todos os endereços da ARPANET na costa oeste dos EUA. MLB Cleveland Indian Bobby Bonds atinge seu 300º RH (2º a ter 300 RHs e 300 bases roubadas) Martin Sherman's & quotBent & quot estreia em Londres 1979 NFL Draft: Tom Cousineau do Ohio State primeira escolha por Buffalo Bills 106º Kentucky Derby: Jacinto Vasquez em Genuine Risk vence em 2:02

Evento de Interesse

Willie McCovey, jogador da 1ª base do Giants de 1980, atinge seu 521º e final de HR

Martin Baltimore prejudicou a Tunísia - História

Obrigado por suas amáveis palavras, mas temo que meu conhecimento não seja tão profundo sobre o 82º FG quanto você pensa! Sua postagem detalhada na batalha de 5 de maio de 1943 foi nova para mim e muito bem-vinda, pois revelou quem eram os oponentes do "outro lado" daquele combate severo.

Neste caso, como de costume, dependo de 'ADORIMINI - Uma História do 82º Grupo de Caças na 2ª Guerra Mundial', de Steve Blake e John Stanaway. Também os 'CRÉDITOS USAAF (MTO) de Frank Olynyk para a Destruição de Aeronaves Inimigas no Combate Ar-Ar na 2ª Guerra Mundial'.

O 95º Esquadrão de Caças do 82º FG estava voando em escolta para seis B-25s do 321º BG (M) em um ataque anti-navegação. Os dezessete P-38s foram organizados em quatro voos liderados pelo capitão Osher. Ao avistar a formação inimiga (& quotsix transportes italianos SM 82 e alguns caças de escolta & quot), Osher liderou dois voos de P-38 para o ataque. As seguintes reivindicações resultaram

Capitão Ernest K. Osher Um SM 82 e um MC 200 destruídos.
2 / Lt. Richard F. Kenney Dois SM 82s e um Bf 109 destruídos.
2 / Lt. Guido F. Lucini Um SM 82 e um Bf 109 destruídos.
1 / Lt. Charles R. Langdon Um SM 82 destruído e um Bf 109 danificado.
1 / Lt. Julius F. Schoenberg Um SM 82 destruído.

O 95º FS perdeu dois pilotos e seus P-38s. Ambos os homens eram bastante inexperientes. Eles eram

2 / Lt. Allen E. Ellerbee
2 / Lt. Edgar L. Weddle

Nenhum horário mencionado, exceto que a missão parece ter começado às 07.45 horas, horário dos EUA (F. Olynyk).

Vou perguntar a Steve Blake, O 82º especialista em FG, se ele tem mais alguma coisa sobre esse combate. Aliás, foi o SM 82 of Ten. Setti foi danificado pelos lutadores antes de ser forçado a pousar?

Não acho que sua cobertura seja tão preconceituosa, mas em alguns casos o autor pode ter feito suposições sobre a causa da perda. Por exemplo, em 4 de abril de 1942, o JG 26 reivindicou (15) Spitfires abatidos perto da costa francesa.

As perdas de RAF conhecidas foram:
- Acidente de Spitfire BM191 (64 Sqn) colisão no ar no Circo 119.
- Spitfire BL721 (72 Sqn) abatido por flak no Circus 119.
- Spitfire BL935 (72 Sqn) ausente do Circo 119, causa incerta.
- Spitfire AB258 (72 Sqn) ausente do Circo 119, causa incerta.
- Spitfire ----- (72 Sqn) Missão ASR, abatido por um caça alemão.

BM191 teve sua cauda cortada por um Spitfire não identificado, possivelmente BL935?

a discussão sobre a relação entre sinistros e perdas reais é sempre passageira e complexa. Aqui, eu prefiro pular o confronto entre a Luftwaffe e outras reivindicações de aviação & # 8211 entre parênteses. Eu considero as reivindicações da Luftwaffe, em média, mais precisas

Se você está se referindo a pilotos de caça, eu duvido, exceto em 1941. Caso contrário, a prova está faltando. Você ignorou as unidades antiaéreas alemãs, responsáveis por muitos aviões aliados. Portos marítimos controlados pelo eixo, cidades costeiras, áreas de abastecimento e campos de aviação estavam repletos de armas antiaéreas e os caças aliados também tiveram que enfrentar o fogo de retorno dos navios alemães.

Uma grande parte das perdas aliadas foram devidas a causas indeterminadas e, infelizmente, alguns escritores inescrupulosos desejam creditar todas as perdas aos caças alemães. Por alguma razão, eles se recusam a reconhecer estatísticas de acidentes e todo aquele negócio de flak bagunçado permanece amplamente inexplorado.

Muitas afirmações falsas de vitórias aéreas? Não era nada novo em sua unidade.

Em 1942, JG 2 estava entre os piores criminosos da Frente Ocidental. Não há nenhuma razão lógica para que isso mudasse em 1943. Todos deveriam ter esperado que isso aumentasse no Norte da África, e aconteceu, como seu livro sugere. Os pilotos estavam mais longe de casa e do escrutínio de seus superiores. Nenhum dos lados tinha uma força de ocupação / força policial / guarda domiciliar grande e confiável para ajudar a verificar os acidentes.

Onde está a prova de que B & # 252hligen destruiu algum deles?

Eu li essa discussão com muito interesse. Como co-autor de O Focke-Wulf 190 no Norte da África, escrito com Morten Jessen, pensei que poderia contribuir com minha opinião e, o mais importante, alguns fatos.

Devo começar com algumas definições.

A reivindicação excessiva, a reivindicação acidental de muitas vitórias ("entusiasmo exagerado", como diz Jim P.), ocorre na maioria dos combates. Os pilotos acreditam ter derrubado uma aeronave inimiga, mas na verdade ela só foi danificada ou não foi atingida. Isso é inevitável na confusão da batalha.

A falsificação, alegando vitórias quando o combate realmente não aconteceu (ou "engano intencional", como diz Jim P.), certamente ocorreu, mas era muito mais rara. Existem alguns casos bem conhecidos, mais notavelmente o J.G. 27 pilotos no verão de 1942.

Alguns dados
A pergunta original é sobre B hligen abatendo P-38s quando nenhuma perda foi realmente relatada. Na Tunísia, B hligen reivindicou 12 P-38, então claramente a questão se refere a esse período. Aqui estão alguns dados:

26 de dezembro de 1942
Tenente. B hligen de 4./J.G. 2 reivindica dois P-38s, Tenente. Marx de 4./J.G. 2 reivindica um P-38, e Oblt. Tonelada de 3./J.G. 53 abateu outro P-38. Um P-38 foi declarado danificado.

O 1º FG havia escoltado o 97º BG até Bizerta, e a unidade P-38 perdeu duas aeronaves.

Assim, as afirmações alemãs neste combate foram razoavelmente precisas.

8 de janeiro de 1943
Este foi um dos primeiros II./J.G. 2 combates ao voar do campo de aviação de Kairouan. Tenente. B hligen reivindicou três P-38s. O resto de II./J.G. 2 reivindicou sete P-38s destruídos.

O 14º FG perdeu três P-38s, junto com mais dois danificados. Martin Gleeson observa que o 82º FG perdeu quatro P-38s. Embora os tempos das missões do 82º FG não sejam conhecidos, todas foram para a área de Kairouan, e II./J.G. 2 era a única unidade de caça alemã na região, então podemos supor que em uma ou mais dessas missões o 82º FG se reuniu com II./J.G. 2

Novamente, as afirmações alemãs neste combate são razoavelmente precisas.

Obrigado a Martin Gleeson por fornecer algumas informações sobre esta data. Isso preenche uma lacuna no Morten e no meu livro.

É interessante notar que 8 de janeiro de 1943 foi o último dia em que Adolf Dickfeld voou como Gruppenkommandeur de II./J.G. 2. Isso pode ter tido alguma influência nos eventos subsequentes em Kairouan.

14 de janeiro de 1943
Tenente. B hligen reivindicou um P-38F abatido e outro II./J.G. 2 pilotos reivindicaram dois B-17 danificados. Um piloto italiano também reivindicou um P-38.

A oposição neste combate foi o 71º FS / 1º FG, que escoltou o 301º BG até Sousse e Sfax. Dois P-38s não retornaram.

Novamente, II./J.G. 2 reivindicações eram razoavelmente precisas.

28 de janeiro de 1943
Oblt. B hligen de 4./J.G. 2 reivindicou um P-38 50 km a sudoeste de Kairouan. Dois outros foram declarados danificados. Também houve reivindicações italianas de dois P-38 destruídos.

O 71º FS / 1º FG perdeu um piloto abatido e outro P-38 foi danificado.

Novamente, II./J.G. 2 reivindicações eram razoavelmente precisas.

15 de fevereiro de 1943
Oblt. B hligen reivindicou três P-38s abatidos. Ao todo, II./J.G. 2 reivindicou dez P-38s abatidos, três Spitfires abatidos e um lutador desconhecido abatido, bem como um B-25 danificado.

B-25s e B-26s voaram uma missão para Kairouan, escoltados pelo 94º FS / 1º FG e pelo 82º FG, e foram interceptados pelos FW 190s e Bf 109s logo após deixarem a área alvo (o 12º BG informou 15/20 caças inimigos, enquanto o 82º FG notou 6/9 caças inimigos). Às 17:35, a USAAF relatou apenas uma perda em troca de reivindicações de 3-3-5. Não estou ciente de mais nenhuma derrota americana, embora gostaria de ouvir de alguém que tenha detalhes das derrotas americanas no P-38 neste dia.

Este é um dos mais suspeitos II./J.G. 2 combates.

12 de março de 1943
Oblt. B hligen reivindicou três P-38s abatidos, e Hptm. Rudorffer reivindicou um B-17 abatido.

38 B-17s foram escoltados por 30 primeiros FG P-38s para Sousse e Enfidaville. Não há perdas americanas conhecidas, seja B-17 ou P-38, neste combate.

Portanto, as únicas datas em que B hligen reivindicou o abate de P-38s quando não houve perdas foram 15 de fevereiro e 12 de março de 1943. Nesses dois dias, ele reivindicou seis P-38s.

II./J.G. 2 e reivindicação excessiva / falsificação
A maioria dos suspeitos II./J.G. 2 reclamações na Tunísia ocorreram enquanto eles estavam baseados no aeródromo de Kairouan, na Tunísia central, em janeiro e na primeira metade de fevereiro de 1943. II./J.G. 2 pilotos baseados em Kairouan durante o período de reclamação foram incluídos: B hligen, Rudorffer, Werner, Karch, Sch lze, Goltzsche, Engelbrecht, von Farnholz, belbacher, Sonntag, G bler, Wei gruber, Jacobs e Marx .

II./J.G. 2 era geralmente a única unidade baseada em Kairouan, e certamente era a única unidade de caça baseada lá (exceto para o Facada J.G. 53 durante a operação Kasserine). Eles estavam a 150 a 200 km da principal sede alemã no norte e no sul da Tunísia, e reportaram ao Fliegerf hrer Tunis uma vez por dia, à noite. O II./J.G. O destacamento de 2 era geralmente no máximo quinze pilotos (por exemplo, em 5 de fevereiro de 1943 havia 13 pilotos no destacamento de Kairouan e dez FW 190s).

Portanto, era o ambiente perfeito se o II./J.G. 2 pilotos queriam falsificar alegações. Rudorffer era o oficial mais graduado e estava cercado por pilotos que haviam estado juntos no Gruppe por um tempo.

Observe que não estou dizendo que a falsificação de vitórias de II./J.G. 2 de fato ocorreu, estou apenas sugerindo que raramente uma unidade de caça alemã estaria em uma posição tão boa para apresentar afirmações falsas de vitória. As chances de descoberta eram muito pequenas, contanto que você tivesse a confiança de seus colegas pilotos.

Lacunas nos registros americanos
Esta é uma desculpa conveniente para o II./J.G. 2 pilotos, mas simplesmente não é verdade. O 1º Grupo de Caças possui registros completos de suas operações no período de II./J.G. 2 sobre reivindicar. Tenho os microfilmes do 14º FG e, embora seus registros não sejam tão detalhados quanto os do 1º FG, há informações suficientes para fazer a comparação entre sinistros e perdas. Infelizmente, não vi os registros do 82º FG, então geralmente confio em Shores, Ring & amp Hess para suas operações na Tunísia (que é uma das razões pelas quais Morten e eu não éramos muito definitivos sobre II./JG 2 sobreavaliar em nosso livro) .

Martin Gleeson menciona o 3º PRG com P-38s na Tunísia. Este é um ponto válido, mas geralmente II./J.G. 2 estava reivindicando várias mortes de P-38, e as unidades PRG voaram sozinhas, eliminando-o como uma possibilidade na maioria dos casos.

Rudorffer na Frente Oriental
Quanto a Rudorffer na Frente Oriental, não sou especialista, mas sei que em pelo menos um combate ele e seu ala estavam muito otimistas com suas afirmações. Devo observar que não desejo acusá-lo de nada (acredito que ele ainda esteja vivo). Morten e eu escrevemos para ele em 2001 perguntando se ele queria fornecer informações para nosso livro, mas ele recusou. Gostaríamos de ter conhecido o seu lado da história.

Justin Michael Wolfe

18 de outubro de 2010 | Postado por Timothy Watson

Número DOC: 1139246. ((& # 8220Offender Locator. & # 8221 Departamento de Correções da Virgínia 11 de outubro de 2010. & lthttp: //www.vadoc.state.va.us/offenders/locator/index.cfm>.))
Número do interno: 309126. ((& # 8220Offender Locator. & # 8221 Departamento de Correções da Virgínia 11 de outubro de 2010. & lthttp: //www.vadoc.state.va.us/offenders/locator/index.cfm>.))
Local: Condado de Prince William. ((Wolfe v. Commonwealth, 265 Va. 193, 576 S.E.2d 471 (2003).))
Vítima: Daniel Robert Petrole, Jr. ((Wolfe v. Commonwealth, 265 Va. 193, 198, 576 S.E.2d 471, 474 (2003).))
Crimes:
- Assassinato capital (assassinato de aluguel). ((Wolfe v. Commonwealth, 265 Va. 193, 198, 576 S.E.2d 471, 474 (2003).))
- Uso de arma de fogo na prática de um crime. ((Wolfe v. Commonwealth, 265 Va. 193, 198, 576 S.E.2d 471, 474 (2003).))
- Conspiração para distribuir maconha. ((Wolfe v. Commonwealth, 265 Va. 193, 198, 576 S.E.2d 471, 474 (2003).))
A partir de Wolfe v. Commonwealth [ênfase minha em todo]:

O réu [Justin Michael Wolfe] era um importante traficante de drogas na Virgínia do Norte. Ele regularmente vendia maconha de alto grau, conhecida como & # 8220kind bud & # 8221 ou & # 8220chronic & # 8221, por um preço entre $ 4.200 e $ 5.000 por libra. Seu fornecedor de maconha era Daniel Robert Petrole Jr., que começou a fornecer maconha ao réu em novembro de 2000, sete meses antes de ser assassinado.

Petrole, um grande fornecedor de maconha de alto grau na Virgínia do Norte, comprava regularmente cerca de 100 libras de maconha por mês a um preço de US $ 360.000. Petrole geralmente vendia ao réu entre oito e 18 libras de maconha a cada duas semanas. O réu descreveu Petrole como seu & # 8220 homem crônico. & # 8221

Na promoção de suas atividades com drogas, o réu e Petrole utilizaram um sistema informal de crédito descrito como & # 8220 fronting. & # 8221 Quando Petrole vendeu maconha ao réu, o réu deu a Petrole uma quantidade de dinheiro como entrada, e o réu pagou o saldo quando recebeu o produto das vendas de maconha a terceiros. Petrole manteve um registro de vendas de maconha a traficantes como o réu, e os pagamentos feitos por esses traficantes, em documentos comumente conhecidos como & # 8220owe sheet. & # 8221 As & # 8220owe sheet & # 8221 continham os valores das dívidas daquela droga concessionários devidos à Petrole. Às vezes, o réu devia a Petrole até US $ 100.000. Uma folha de & # 8220owe & # 8221 que foi descoberta no corpo de Petrole & # 8217 na noite em que ele foi assassinado indicava que o réu devia a Petrole mais de $ 60.000.

O réu e seus amigos, T. Jason Coleman e Chad E. Hough, discutiram sobre roubo de traficantes de drogas. Em uma ocasião, o réu, Hough e Coleman planejaram roubar um traficante de drogas em um local em Washington, DC, mas depois que eles conduziram a vigilância do local planejado para o roubo, eles concluíram que o amplo nível de segurança no local rendeu sua plano muito arriscado.

Janelle E. Johnson, esposa de Coleman & # 8217s, testemunhou que no inverno de 2000, o réu e Coleman discutiram cometer um roubo ou roubar dinheiro de outro traficante de drogas que vendia maconha na Virgínia do Norte. Em apoio a esse plano, o réu e Coleman compraram máscaras de esqui e fita adesiva.

Hough testemunhou que ele e o réu & # 8220 conversaram sobre a realização de roubos na maioria das vezes. Quase todas as vezes que nos encontrávamos, geralmente era algum tipo de roubo relacionado com drogas. & # 8221 Em janeiro ou fevereiro de 2001, o réu perguntou a Hough se ele & # 8220 queria talvez ganhar algum dinheiro, e [o réu] mencionado. . . que [Hough] poderia. . . ganhar algum dinheiro participando de um assalto. . . . & # 8221 O réu queria que Hough roubasse um traficante quando o réu estava & # 8220 fazendo uma compra. & # 8221 O réu queria que Hough seguisse o traficante e o roubasse. O réu não mencionou o nome do traficante de drogas # 8217s, mas Hough concluiu que o réu queria que Hough roubasse o fornecedor de drogas do réu.

Owen M. Barber, IV, e o réu foram & # 8220bons amigos & # 8221 por seis ou sete anos. Barber, que também era traficante de drogas, comprava maconha de baixa qualidade, conhecida como & # 8220shwag. & # 8221 Ocasionalmente, ele vendia libras de maconha para o réu. O réu perguntou a Barber se ele & # 8220 desejava ter [o réu & # 8217s] homem crônico. & # 8221 O réu afirmou que Barber não deve apenas roubar seu & # 8220 homem crônico & # 8221, mas que Barber deve atirar nele porque Petrole conhecia gente demais. Barber testemunhou da seguinte forma:

& # 8220Q: Chegou a um momento em que você teve uma discussão sobre o fornecedor [do réu & # 8217s] de gemas crônicas ou gentis [maconha]?

& # 8220A: Sim. Foi um dia em que estávamos [em um restaurante] apenas bebendo e [o réu] me perguntou se eu queria pegar seu homem crônico.

& # 8220Q: Obter o homem crônico?

& # 8220A: Sim. And I was like, yeah, you know, we’ll just rob him or whatever. And I was like, all right, you know and then he said, no, no you can’t rob him. He was like, we got to shoot him because he knows too many people.

“Q: He knows too many people?

“A: Yeah.

“Q: At that point in time, did he tell you who his chronic man was?

“A: Yeah.

“Q: Who was it?

“A: He said Danny Petrole.

“Q: Had you known Danny Petrole prior to that time?

“A: No. I knew the name. I didn’t know him like personally.”

This conversation occurred in late February or early March, 2001.

The “next couple of days” after the defendant and Barber had the conversation about robbing and killing Petrole, the defendant and Barber planned how they “could do it and how [they would] have to find him or . . . follow him or catch him alone.” On one occasion, the defendant and Barber went to Petrole’s apartment in Washington, D.C. to determine if it was feasible to kill him at that location. The owner of the apartment building employed a doorman, and the defendant and Barber concluded that they should not kill Petrole at that location.

Subsequently, the defendant and Barber made another attempt to locate and kill Petrole. The defendant made a telephone call to Petrole one night, and Petrole informed the defendant that Petrole intended to attend a class at the Northern Virginia Community College campus in Arlington or Annandale, Virginia. Barber was not sure of the specific campus where Petrole attended community college. The defendant and Barber got in Barber’s car and traveled to the campus. They “drove around the parking lot” looking for Petrole’s car, but they were unable to find it.

On another occasion, the defendant spoke with Petrole, who informed the defendant that he (Petrole) planned to eat dinner at a restaurant in Washington, D.C. The defendant and Barber traveled to the restaurant in search of Petrole. Barber testified that they “went and looked for him at the restaurant . . . and we didn’t see him. Then we went back and we waited in the parking lot . . . behind his building.” Barber and the defendant did not find Petrole that evening. Barber and the defendant concluded that they were going to kill Petrole if he returned to his apartment that night. If he did not return to his apartment, they were going to wait until they had another opportunity to kill him.

During the next several days, Barber and the defendant continued to discuss their plan to kill Petrole. On March 15, 2001, the defendant placed a telephone call to Barber, who was with a friend, Robert H. Martin, Jr. The defendant directed Barber to meet the defendant at a restaurant in Fairfax County. Barber and Martin went to the restaurant, and Barber and the defendant spoke alone in a parking lot. The defendant informed Barber that the defendant had spoken to Petrole, and the defendant planned to meet him that night. Petrole had agreed to bring a large quantity of high-grade marijuana to an apartment that the defendant shared with his girlfriend, Regina A. Zuener.

The defendant and Barber agreed that Barber would follow Petrole once he left Zuener’s apartment. Barber returned to the car where Martin had waited, and they went to Barber’s apartment. About an hour later, the defendant, using his cellular telephone, called Barber to inform him that Petrole was “on his way” to Zuener’s apartment. Barber called the defendant and inquired whether Petrole had arrived, and the defendant informed Barber that Petrole had not.

Barber asked Martin if he wanted to accompany Barber “on this thing [Barber] had to do,” but Martin refused. Barber testified as follows: “I think I told [Martin], you know, I’ve got to go do this thing and he was like – he said he was [willing] to beat him up or to rob him or whatever. And I was like, no, you know, it’s more than that. He’s like, no, no, I’m not going to do it. I’ll let you have my car, but I’m not going to do it.” Barber wanted to use Martin’s car to travel to Zuener’s house so that he could rob and kill Petrole because Barber’s car was too distinctive. Barber’s car was equipped with racing tires and a large noisy engine.

Barber, armed with a Smith & Wesson nine millimeter pistol that he had purchased from Coleman, got into Martin’s car and drove to a cul-de-sac at the end of a street near Zuener’s apartment. Petrole arrived at Zuener’s apartment in Centreville. The defendant, Jennifer E. Pascquierllo, Nicholas Soto, and Coleman were present. Petrole knocked on the door, and Zuener let him in. Petrole was carrying a large black duffel bag filled with high-grade marijuana. Petrole and the defendant went upstairs to a bedroom. Later, Zuener went to the bedroom where she observed a large drug transaction occur between Petrole and the defendant. She saw between 10 and 15 pounds of high-grade marijuana on her bed. Petrole had a large amount of money. The marijuana was packaged in separate bags, weighing approximately one pound each. When the drug transaction was completed, the defendant and his friends went to a nightclub, and Petrole left the apartment and got in his car.

As Petrole began to drive his car, unbeknownst to him, Barber followed Petrole as he drove through Fairfax County. Petrole parked his car in front of a house in Fairfax County and went inside. Barber, using his cellular telephone, called the defendant and informed him that Petrole “went into some house in Fairfax City.” Later, Petrole got back in his car and drove off as Barber continued to follow him. While following him, Barber temporarily lost sight of Petrole’s car, but managed to locate it and continued to follow him. Petrole drove his car to a neighborhood where he had recently purchased a townhouse and parked his car. Barber stopped the car he was driving and “jumped out.” Barber stated, “I shot him across through the passenger side window and then jumped back in the car and turned around and then left out with . . . my lights off.” Barber shot Petrole 10 times, and he was five or six feet from the victim when he discharged the pistol. Barber damaged Martin’s car during the murder. As Barber sped away, he tossed the pistol and gloves he used out of the car window.

Issa Hassan, Walter P. Gunning, Jr., and Jeanette Lorentzen were in Petrole’s townhouse when they heard noises and ran to the window. They observed a red Ford Escort as it “sped off real fast and turned its lights as it turned around the corner.” Issa Hassan went outside, and he saw Petrole seated in the driver’s seat of the car. Hassan opened the door and shook Petrole. Petrole’s neck was “flimsy,” and he did not have a pulse. The car’s windows were shattered, and there was “glass everywhere in the car.”

Police officers responded to the scene of the murder and found $ 965 on the victim’s body. The police officers found $ 17,460 in United States currency in the victim’s duffel bag located in the trunk of his vehicle. The police officers searched the victim’s house and found approximately $ 120,000 cash, 46 pounds of high-grade marijuana, which was “vacuum packed” in plastic bags, 4,000 tablets of metholanedioxine, an amphetamine, also known as Ecstasy, and an “owe sheet.”

Gunning, Petrole’s roommate, testified that Petrole was angry with the defendant because he owed Petrole over $ 66,000 and that the defendant had taken “a little longer than what he expected to pay him back.”

Dr. Frances P. Field, an assistant medical examiner, conducted an autopsy upon Petrole’s body. She gave the following testimony. The victim had nine gunshot wounds in his body. One bullet penetrated the victim’s spinal column and severed the spinal cord. Bullets damaged the victim’s ribs, abdomen, liver, kidney, large intestines, small intestines, aorta, lung, and chest. Dr. Field opined that the defendant’s death was caused by multiple gunshot wounds, and that any of the wounds which injured the internal organs such as the lung, liver, kidney, or spinal canal could have proven fatal because of bleeding from those sites.

After he had committed the murder, Barber returned to his apartment and told Martin that he had killed Petrole. Barber used his cellular telephone to talk with the defendant, who was at the nightclub.

Barber changed clothes, and he and Martin went to the nightclub to meet the defendant. Once Barber and Martin entered the nightclub, Barber and the defendant spoke outside of Martin’s presence. Barber told the defendant that he (Barber) “did it and it was done.” The defendant responded, “all right.” Then the defendant gave Barber “like a pound and a half hug.” The defendant “ordered a round of drinks” for himself, Barber, and Martin. The defendant commented that “we got to have a made cake now – or like a rack of cake,” a slang expression that means “we made a lot of money.” The purpose of the toast was to celebrate their “rack of money.”

In return for his act of killing Petrole, the defendant told Barber that he did not have to pay for four pounds of marijuana that the defendant had previously sold him. Additionally, the defendant gave Barber a half pound of “chronic” marijuana, forgave Barber’s $ 3,000 debt for past drug transactions, and promised to pay Barber $ 10,000 in cash.

Martin testified at trial, and his testimony corroborated Barber’s version of the events on the night of the murder. Martin and Barber had dinner with Martin’s parents on the evening of March 15 before the murder. After dinner, Barber and Martin went to Barber’s apartment that he shared with Coleman. They drank beer and smoked marijuana. Martin observed Barber when he had the conversation with the defendant in the parking lot of the restaurant. After the conversation, when the men were at Barber’s apartment, Barber told Martin that Barber intended to “put one in each kneecap.” Barber told Martin that Barber intended to leave the apartment with his pistol after he received a telephone call from the defendant. After Barber received the telephone call, he left the apartment, followed Petrole, and killed him.

Martin testified that after the murder, he and Barber went to the nightclub and when they met the defendant, Barber told Martin “to go away” so that the defendant and Barber could have a private conversation. After the defendant and Barber had concluded their private conversation, Martin approached them. The defendant and Barber gave Martin an alcoholic beverage, and the defendant “told [Martin] right there you can’t say nothing about this and I’m about to make a lot of money.” Immediately, the defendant, Barber, and Martin made a toast.

After the murder, Martin approached the defendant and asked for a discount for the purchase of marijuana. Martin told the defendant, “I know what happened.” The defendant gave Martin a discount on the purchase and forgave him of a past drug debt.

The day after the murder, the defendant and several friends, including Barber, went shopping to purchase clothes to wear to a birthday party in honor of the defendant on March 17, 2001. The defendant and his friends purchased several bottles of expensive champagne for his birthday party that cost in excess of $ 200 per bottle.

After his birthday party, the defendant decided that things were getting “too hot” with the police, and he fled to Florida. Police officers searched Barber’s apartment and interrogated him, but he denied any involvement in Petrole’s murder. Barber left Virginia, went to Florida, and then fled to San Diego, California. Barber contacted his former girlfriend, Jennifer Pascquierllo, and asked her to obtain money from the defendant and bring the money to Barber. The defendant gave her $ 1,000. She drove her car to meet Barber in San Diego, where he was eventually arrested by United States Marshals.

Three days after the murder, Barber gave Martin $ 540 and directed him to repair the damage to his car and to replace the tires. Barber was afraid that the car’s tires may have created identifiable skid marks at the scene of the murder. Barber instructed Martin to take the car to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and get it repaired there. Martin told Barber that Martin was not “going to help him out.” Martin tried to return the money, but Barber would not accept it. That night, Martin contacted police officers and reported the crime.

Pascquierllo testified that Barber relayed to her the facts relating to the murder of Petrole. Her testimony concerning these facts was consistent with Barber’s trial testimony. She also testified: “I asked [Barber] what the sum of money was, what kind of sum of money it could have been, and he told me that it was $ 10,000 and he got some weed, but that he had to flush it, and then he told me that it was also the $ 3,000 debt that involved me.” Pascquierllo testified that Barber tried unsuccessfully to obtain from the defendant the $ 10,000 that he had promised to pay Barber to kill Petrole.

The defendant made numerous admissions during his testimony. The defendant admitted that he had been a drug dealer for four or five years before Petrole’s death. He admitted that he was guilty of the charge of conspiracy to distribute more than five pounds of marijuana. He had distributed more than 100 pounds of marijuana throughout Northern Virginia since he began selling drugs. He admitted that he had spoken to his friends about robbing a drug dealer. He admitted that he had discussed with Coleman the possibility of committing robberies. The defendant admitted that he was the last person Barber called before Barber killed Petrole and the first person Barber called after Petrole’s death. He admitted that he sold marijuana to Martin after the murder and that Martin stated, “I know what happened.” After Martin made this statement, the defendant admitted he decreased the price of the marijuana he sold to Martin.

The defendant testified that one of his highest priorities was the “high life” that money could obtain for him. The defendant regularly spent between $ 2,000 and $ 3,000 on weekends for entertainment purposes. The defendant admitted that he owed Petrole more than $ 80,000 at the time of Petrole’s death.

The defendant claimed that Barber testified untruthfully about him because the defendant purportedly had had sexual relations with Barber’s former girlfriend, Pascquierllo. However, the defendant admits that when asked by the police detectives, “did Owen have anything against you?,” the defendant responded, “no.” Additionally, Pascquierllo denied that she ever had a sexual relationship with the defendant. ((Wolfe v. Commonwealth, 265 Va. 193, 199-206, 576 S.E.2d 471, 474-479 (2003).))

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Kristallnacht

Interviewee: Lowe, Margaret (לאו, מרגרט)
Page: 12
Year: 1993
Língua inglesa
Length: 0:35:14

כל הזכויות לראיונות באתר זה שמורות למדור לתיעוד בע”פ במכון אברה הרמן
ליהדות זמננו באוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים. השימוש בראיונות מיוע למטרות
מחקר בלבד. נאסר שימוש שאינו מורשה. כל פרסום חייב לכלול הפניה מפורשת למקו.

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/>A plane captain catches a few winks with a chock for his pillow during "stand by" to flight quarters beneath a Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat during operation "Torch." (Arquivos Nacionais)
Vichy French forces in Morocco were unaware of the massive invasion force steaming toward them until dawn on Nov. 8, when landing craft began hitting the beaches, along with covering fire from the Allied flotilla.

By 0630 the French had sounded alert sirens at scattered barracks and airfields. After shore batteries near Casablanca belatedly responded, the Vichy government’s forces were called to defend its installations — and French honor.

“Fighting Nine”(VF-9) was launched from guarda-florestal at 0610, with commanding officer Lt. Cmdr. Jack Raby leading nine Wildcats off the deck.

Sweeping unopposed over Cazes airfield, southwest of Casablanca, they made three line-abreast passes, destroying many French aircraft on the ground.

Eight more VF-9 Wildcats concentrated on the Sale airfield, strafing multi-engine bombers being readied for takeoff.

The first French Hawks to make it into the air over Casablanca, six fighters of GC II/5 led by Lt. Pierre Villacèque, encountered Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher and Curtiss SOC-1 floatplanes that were spotting fleet gunfire.

After one Kingfisher was shot down, the rest of the spotters retreated.

As a second squadron from guarda-florestal, VF-41, entered the action over Cazes and the beachhead, its F4Fs clashed with French Hawks and Dewoitine D.520s.

/>On the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Ranger while sailing to North Africa, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 1st Class R.M. Price offered Aviation Radioman 3rd Class M.S. Waterson, left, $2,340 for the latter’s rear seat in a dive bomber but was turned down. (Arquivos Nacionais)

Lt. j.g. Charles “Windy” Shields encountered two red-and-yellow-striped French fighters. The enemy planes came so close, he recalled,“You could see their insignia.”

Then one of Shields’ squadron mates exclaimed over the radio: “Look at that — the bastards! That used to be an American squadron,” a reference to the Indian head insignia clearly visible on the Vichy plane.

The sky was full of wheeling Dewoitines, Hawks and Wildcats. Shields went after one of the defenders and, in his eagerness, overshot his target. Ele lembrou:

As I went past I saw he was coming round on my tail. I pulled up and came back over in a quick turn that brought me with my nose toward him. I was too far away and too anxious but still gave him a burst from long range. Those .50-calibers got him. I could see him standing still in the air as if something had jerked him up by the tail. He looked as though he was going to stall to take evasive action, and he fell over to starboard, his wing fluttering. I followed him down, too excited to think of doing anything else.

He hit the ground, bounced, and with his motor still running, ricocheted across the field until he came to stop in a water hole.

I circled but there was no sign of the pilot.

Then I remembered about keeping together, knowing I was crazy to be down there all alone. Presently I saw a Wildcat [Lt. j.g. Charles August’s] coming in across the airfield very fast and very low with two P-36s on his tail.

The French pilots were scissoring round behind him and shooting alternate bursts. Chuck shouted over the radio, “Windy! Windy! Get those bastards off my tail quick!”

I went down with my throttle wide open and one of the French planes saw me and broke away. I got on his tail but he managed to slip away. Those P-36s are extremely maneuverable.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw August going up in a steep chandelle and getting his Hawk with a beautiful shot. I got my man in the sights, lost him, got him again, gave him a burst and then another. He went up into a climbing turn, a darn silly thing to do, and I only had to pull up my nose and take a simple shot at him. He staggered and rolled over, then righted himself.

A streak of orange flame came from his starboard side, and he went down spinning and burning.
/>Fighter pilots gather in a ready room on board the aircraft carrier Ranger (CV-4) before dawn of the first day of attacks on North Africa, Nov. 8, 1942. Pilots scheduled to take off before dawn wear dark goggles to accustom their eyes to darkness. (Arquivos Nacionais)
Eventually the Hawks ganged up on Shields, sending bullets into his fuel lines and more that tore open the top of his wing. His cockpit filled with smoke.

“The fumes were getting thick now, but the machine was still flying,” he remembered. “Then an incendiary bullet started a fire. A great lick of flame came up at my face and I knew it was the end. I pushed back on the hood and tried to turn the Wildcat on her back, but she wouldn’t have it. The trim tabs and aileron surfaces were not working.

"I decided to stall her, and at that moment when she lost flying speed I braced my knees and jumped for it. The parachute opened, and as I floated down feeling angry and frustrated, a French plane came at me. I thought he was going to shoot me but he just flew past, wagging his wings, waving his hands and laughing like hell.”

Chuck August was also battling for his life against the Lafayette Escadrille Hawks.

After his F4F took anti-aircraft hits that caused the right landing gear to droop, the Vichy fighters were chasing him over Cazes airfield when more Wildcats came to his rescue. Somehow he managed to shake off his tormentors and get his sights on a Hawk.

He recounted what happened next:

My position was just right and I made a high beam attack and gave him a long burst. The .50-caliber bullets hitting at about 60 per second seemed to rip him open like a can opener. He stopped in his line of flight, turned turtle and went down in flames.

I saw another pair of enemy planes, a P-36 and a Dewoitine 520. The pilots seemed to be talking to each other. I got close in and fired.

The P-36 shuddered. The weight of metal you put into them with the 50-calibers seems to jar them off their line of flight. I got to within 50 yards, feeling strangely elated. I was sure of hitting him now and as I gave him a burst with all guns and pulled up over him, he was hanging in the air and rolling about with a convulsive movement, rather like an animal in pain.

Then the red-and-yellow-nosed plane turned over in a slow roll with its engine running and began to fly on its back.

It was like watching a beginner crash in a training flight. It went down quite slowly and a plume of dark smoke spurted from the ground where it hit.

Still at low altitude, with friends and foes dodging in and out of view, August could see fires burning all over Cazes.
/>Testing machine guns of Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters on board the aircraft carrier Ranger (CV-4), while sailing to North Africa in November of 1942. (National Archives)
I climbed for better altitude and checked over the targets on the airfield. I made one run over some parked bombers.

One of them subsided gently to the ground as if a giant had suddenly sat on it. A gun crew fired at me, and a man with a Tommy gun took a pot shot at me then shook his fist pathetically. Then suddenly, as I pulled the nose up, I found that I was losing speed.

I cussed and stuck the nose down and checked the instruments. I had about 60 gallons of fuel but oil pressure was zero. Underneath was what looked like the world’s worst terrain for a forced landing — hills, rocks and gullies. I was at about 1,100 feet when my motor let out a noise that was like a cracked bell sounding over a radio at full blast. Then came a terrible vibration, the entire machine getting the jitters.

It was so violent that it almost shook the stick out of my hand. Then it stopped.

August tried but failed to turn his Wildcat over before bailing out. As a result, one of his legs hit the stabilizer when he went over the side.

His chute opened just before he hit the ground, though he recalled: “Hit is hardly the term. I crashed very hard and painfully because I was swinging like a pendulum. When I caught my breath I found myself on my back being dragged along by the parachute.”

/>A destroyer passes astern of the aircraft carrier RANGER at sunset on Nov. 8, 1942, the first day of landings on North Africa. Note F4F Wildcat fighters on the Ranger's deck. (Arquivos Nacionais)

The French had taken off in ones and twos, often under fire, until they outnumbered the attackers. Lt. G.H. Carter expressed grudging respect for the enemy airmen:

I got separated from the gang and three Vichy pilots came from nowhere on my tail. I did everything I knew to get them off, but they kept on coming.

I got a shot at one and turned him away with smoke coming from his engine. Then another one got me at close range and hit my plane behind somewhere, and the controls became difficult.

The best thing seemed to be to head back out to sea and try to make the carrier, but that Frenchman on my tail was smart and exceedingly aggressive. His second burst shot away my oil cooler lines.

I began to lose altitude and was heading for the drink when a bunch of bullets hit the back of my armor plate. I couldn’t do anything so I stuck her nose down and prepared to ditch.

The French pilot who had just shot me down showed up on my right waving and grinning. He was still overhead when I made a crash landing.

Quite a chivalrous guy.

/>The escort carrier Santee with Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless scout-bombers and Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters on the flight deck during Operation Torch. (Arquivos Nacionais)

The GC II/5 journal described the air battle with the Wildcats in melancholy terms:

The Grummans are very tenacious, provided with invincible weapons, they are three times as numerous as us and soon gain superiority over our unfortunate Curtiss planes.

Our pilots, in spite of their lack of training and decrepitude of their planes, fight a fierce battle and clearly defend their lives, downing numerous enemies.

[Maj. Georges] Tricaud is killed after having downed a Grumman above the runway. Capt. [Robert] Huvet, one of our most brilliant pilots, with six confirmed victories [over Germans], is killed at his post.

Adjutants [François] LaChaux and [Paul] deMontgolfier and Sgt. [Lucien] Heme, all superior pilots, also fall on the Field of Honor.

Several other pilots are defeated and wounded, some seriously: Capt. [Elie] Reyné received a bullet in the right thigh Lt. [Georges] Ruchoux, after overcoming one enemy plane is wounded in one leg, burned and parachutes Lt. Fabre is seriously wounded by three bullets in his left arm Lt. Villacèque, heavily engaged against several enemy planes, defeats one of them, after which he is wounded in the face by plexiglass splinters and landed roughly.

While these battles are going on, other Martlet [export version of the Wildcat] formations are machine gunning the field, burning one after the other, nearly all of the Douglas twin-engine craft [11 out of 13] of GB [Groupe de Bombardement] I/32.

VF-41 claimed 13 aerial victories and one probable, plus six planes destroyed and eight damaged on the ground.

In reality, six pilots from GC II/5 were shot down and died, two were wounded, one was forced to bail out, another was killed in a takeoff accident and several aircraft returned so badly damaged as to be inoperable.

VF-41’s losses were also heavy. French pilots claimed the destruction of seven Wildcats and three more probables.

In fact, six F4Fs and their pilots failed to return to guarda-florestal. Two of the missing pilots (Shields and August) became POWs.

It had been a battle of near equals. Both the Wildcats and the Hawks had a top speed of just over 300 mph both were highly maneuverable and armed with six machine guns (though the French guns were 7.5mm, closer to .30-caliber as compared to the Wildcat’s .50-calibers).

/>Pilots of Fighting Squadron 41 (VF-41) singing in their ready room on board the aircraft carrier Ranger, before zero hour of the first day of the invasion of Morocco, Nov. 8, 1942. Lt. Malcolm T. Wordell, Squadron Executive Officer, (at right) is leading the songs. Lt. Jacob W. Onstott is standing in the left center. Wordell would be shot down near Casablanca. (Arquivos Nacionais)

The dogfights had ended by the time a second patrol of 16 Wildcats (half from VF-9 and half from VF-41) led by Lt. Mac Wordell arrived over the beachhead.

At the same time, five French destroyers came boiling out of Casablanca Harbor, headed toward the transports and landing craft.

Wordell alerted his comrades, then led the unit in a strafing run.

“I started firing at about 4,000 feet as my sights began to travel down the center line of the last ship in column,” he later reported. “I could see the tracers squirting on the decks and bouncing off, and it almost felt like I was running into my own ricochets.

"Actually I was seeing the red pencils of their tracer fire coming up at me.”

The Wildcats’ attack and a volley of shells from the offshore fleet stopped the foray by the French destroyers, but not before Wordell’s F4F was damaged by anti-aircraft fire.

He recalled: “It wasn’t until I was over the leading ship that I almost subconsciously heard a noise — the same kind of noise you hear when you jam a screwdriver into a can of milk.”

With oil streaming from his engine and the cockpit filling with smoke, he crash-landed.

By noon the French destroyers were damaged or beached, and Wordell was riding into Casablanca behind a native Spahi cavalryman.

Jean Bart and other French ships in Casablanca Harbor were pounded by SBD dive bombers from guarda-florestal e Suwanee and shelled by the battleship Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, Task Force 34 aircraft strafed columns of French troops bound for the beachhead and also struck remote Vichy airfields.

/>Ordnancemen mount a 1000-pound bomb beneath the belly of a Douglas SBD-3 "Dauntless" on board the aircraft carrier Ranger during operation "Torch" in November of 1942. (National Archives)

U.S. Navy air units suffered several more casualties due to flak or mechanical failure.

Santee, which bore the brunt of the trouble, lost three aircraft in landing crashes.

Then Lt. Cmdr. John Blackburn was forced to ditch after he experienced landing gear problems (he was rescued the following day). Lt. j.g. George Trumpeter declared an emergency over land, and was never seen again.

Four other pilots from Santee couldn’t locate the fleet due to radio interference and landed at Safi airfield, where they were temporarily imprisoned by the French.

Dawn of Nov. 9 found Patton’s army firmly established in Morocco. Despite heavy losses on the 8th, the French army and air force units again mounted a defense against the invaders.

The Lafayette Escadrille pilots were airborne early on the 9th, although they had just five operational Hawk 75s.

guarda-florestal dispatched nine VF-41 Wildcats for low-level assignments eight VF-9 aircraft stayed close behind them, serving as top cover.

Controllers on guarda-florestal reported that Allied troops in the Fedhala lodgment were being strafed when a greater menace appeared: fresh enemy troops and tanks from Casablanca.

While Lt. Cmdr. Tom Booth led VF-41 in repeated strafing runs against the French column, Fighting Nine — patrolling at 10,000 feet — spotted 15 French bombers approaching the landing craft at the beach head.

They were escorted by 16 Hawks from GC I/5, the “Champagne” squadron. Tenente Comandante Raby led eight F4Fs against this new threat.

The French bombers managed to escape while the escorting fighters engaged the Wildcats.

/>A Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighter taking off from the aircraft carrier Ranger to attack targets ashore during the invasion of Morocco in 1942. (National Archives)

After one Hawk dodged an overeager attack by Ensign Marvin Franger, the Navy pilot made a tight turn and stayed with him.

“I was able to slide in on his tail and that was the end,” Franger said. “He started smoking and I saw fire as he went down. I didn’t see him go in but our section leader, Al Martin, saw the crash.”

The French fought courageously, but their Hawks’ 7.5mm guns were unable to inflict significant damage on the armor plated F4Fs.

The Wildcats’ .50-calibers, on the other hand, took a devastating toll on the Vichy fighters, destroying four planes of the Champagne squadron and killing two of its pilots.

Two other French fliers survived crash landings, while four more Hawks were damaged.

Adjutant Georges Tesseraud was gravely wounded, and Lt. Camille Plubeau made a belly landing at Rabat, emerging unhurt.

VF-9 lost two of its aircraft to battle damage. The only GC I/5 success, by Sgt. Jérémy Bressieux, compelled Ensign C.W. Gerhardt to ditch his F4F at sea, while Ensign Louis Menard crashed into the barrier when he landed on guarda-florestal.

Neither American was injured.

/>Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class W. T. Chamberlain relaxes on the wing of a Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, 9-F-12 (assigned to VF-9) during operation "Torch," in November 1942, on board the aircraft carrier Ranger (CV-4). Note how the "9" of the fuselage coding overlaps the yellow surround to the fuselage star. (Arquivos Nacionais)

By noon Fighting Nine was airborne again, scouting for enemy planes.

Leading 13 Wildcats at 10,000 feet, Raby spotted many aircraft on the ground at Mediouna airfield.

Diving by sections in echelon formation, the F4Fs swept down on the targets, concentrating on rows of fighters and half a dozen DB-7 bombers.

After five strafing passes, all the bombers and most of the fighters were burning.

During one low strafing run a Douglas bomber exploded just as Lt. Ed Micka passed over it — sending his Wildcat crashing into the ground.

A French officer later described the aftermath in a letter: “We buried him on the spot with full military honors. Over the grave we put a white cross, to which we affixed the identification tag of the brave flier.”

/>Mrs. Evelyn Vandenberg Micka, widow of the Lt. Edward Micka, who was killed in action on Nov. 9, 1942. The sponsor of the ship, she holds her 10-month old daughter Barbara Lynn Micka, during launching ceremonies for the destroyer escort Micka at Port Newark, New Jersey, on Aug. 23, 1943. (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command)

Micka was not the only casualty.

French gunners scored hits on several F4Fs, including Lt. j.g. Mayo A. Hadden’s, which was hit 12 times. Despite heavy damage to his plane and a shrapnel wound in one leg, Hadden managed to get his Wildcat back to guarda-florestal.

For the balance of the day the French air force was nowhere to be seen. Task Force 34 pilots spent the rest of their time scouring the roads ahead of advancing U.S. forces.

In fact, the French defenders’ air strength had been so depleted in the first two days that no fighters appeared in the sky on Nov. 10.

Task Force 34 fighters and bombers devoted the 10th to close ground support missions and attacks on Jean Bart, which continued to lob shells at targets miles away.

Later that day, Gen. Auguste Lahoulle, the French air commander in Morocco, met with survivors of GC II/5 to give them a pep talk.

A heated discussion ensued, with senior officers of the Lafayette Escadrille imploring the general to “understand the futility of this fratricidal struggle.”

It must have been a relief to all concerned when, at 2200, they received a message from Casablanca ordering them to end the hostilities.

Honor having been served, the Vichy French negotiated a truce and quickly transitioned to become the Free French.

Reequipped with American aircraft, the air units fought valiantly against Axis forces for the balance of the war.

Many of the U.S. Navy fliers who fought in Morocco went on to serve in the Pacific. Fighting Nine, for example, would see two tours of combat against the Japanese. And several former Task Force 34 pilots — including Blackburn, Wordell, Franger and Menard — became aces before the war’s end.

/>Photographer's Mate Second Class D. Mokos gestures as pilot Lt. C.V. Johnson prepares to take off on a photo-recon "hop" from the aircraft carrier Ranger during operation "Torch." The plane is a Douglas SBD-3 "Dauntless" form VS-41. (Arquivos Nacionais)

John W. “Jack” Lambert is the author of numerous books and articles about air combat during World War II. For additional reading, he recommends his own Wildcats Over Casablanca monograph. This article originally was published in the May 2011 issue of Aviation History, one of Navy Times’ sister publications. To subscribe, click aqui.

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