21 November 1944: Five Each for Whisner and Crenshaw
On 21 November 1944, US 8th Air Force sent 2245 aircraft against Germany - 1291 heavy bombers and 954 fighters. Once again, the oil factory at Merseburg was the main target.
Due to adverse weather, the German fighter controller failed to spot the exact location of the main bomber force. Thus, the fighters scrambled too late, and some units still were assembling when the US fighters struck them from above. II./JG 27's Bf 109s scrambled from Hopsten and was engaged by numerous Mustangs and Thunderbolts from both 8th and 9th Air Forces. In the ensuing combat, four Bf 109s were shot down while II./JG 27's pilots claimed to have shot down one Mustang and three Thunderbolts.
III./JG 4 managed to break through the fighter escort and attack 1st BD's bombers near Merseburg, claiming four B-17s and a Mustang shot down against a price of eight own losses. In the meantime, I./JG 1 was lucky to reach the bombers before the US escort fighters had intervened, but due to the pilots' lacking experience, only a part of the Jagdgruppe managed to get into shooting position in a frontal attack.
Having claimed eight B-17s shot down, I./JG 1's pilots again gave proof of their inexperience by conducting a dive after the attack which brought them through humid but could skies from 20,000 feet altitude down to only 2,000 feet. The result was heavy icing which covered the cockpits and limited sight to a small spot forward. In that moment the Mustangs struck. A total of 27 Fw 190s were shot down from I./JG 1. In his "The Mighty Eighth", Roger A. Freeman describes the scene as the Americans interpreted it:
"One unit of Fw 190, encountered by elements of the 352nd and 359th Groups, did not drop their belly-tanks when attacked. Markings suggested that this Gruppe was a tactical fighter unit, a possibility borne out by the inexperience exhibited."
The three Gruppen of JG 301 tried to form up in the Stendal area, but was harassed by Mustangs which broke up the Gefechtsverband. I./JG 301 was locked into a prolonged fighter versus fighter combat which cost the Gruppe a loss of eight Fw 190s.
352nd FG's Captains William Whisner and Claude Crenshaw claimed to have shot down five Fw 190s each. Afterward, an enthusiastic Crenshaw attributed his success to three factors: The presence of such a large number of easy targets, the K-14 gyro gunsight, and his G-suit which enabled him to make tight manoeuvres.
In total, JG 301 lost 25 Fw 190s against claims of no more than four Mustangs shot down. 352 and 259 FGs reported 36.5 victories against three own losses.
II./JG 27 was sent into the air once more, to attack the withdrawing bombers, but again became embroiled in dogfights with the US fighters, losing three more Bf 109s against claims of two Mustangs shot down.
When the battle of 21 November was over, I. Jagdkorps had lost 83 fighter planes. The 8th Air Force recorded 48 losses - including 33 heavy bombers, of which the majority were due to AAA.
Go to next page: 26 November 1944: Misfortune of the Liberators