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We upped from 178 with 8 or 9 pilots in P39Qs with DTs for our feint to the North, we RVd really well with the AEs and began the trip north, we turned into the west heading to 16 area then south.
We were able to get the 39 up to 24K when we were alerted to cons approaching us from the south, we turned into them and found them to be a few thousand yards above us. This turned out to be JG 51 in 109s, as our feint must have drawn them north to us the call was made to dive low and escape back to 178, unfortunately 51 squad had some other ideas and dispatched one of us whilst the others played tag all the way to 178. We lost another pilot to a prang on the runway and then rested and regrouped.
Second sortie the plan was to attack the tanks in the north of 7.1 (?) sector, loaded the Q with 1 500 pounder and 6 of the lads headed out. Timing was great as they kept low and never encountered a con, we did lose one pilot on the way in whom dropped his bottle of potato vodka in his lap just as we entered the river and slammed into the river bank. Terrible waste of vodka. The tanks were located and bombs dropped, with little effect, mostly due to our ineffective drops. Strafing began with the 37mm and 4 of the 8 tanks were blown up this was however not with an additional two losses from pilots not pulling out quick enough to clear the turret of the tanks.
The remaining members rtb'd to 178 for rearm, but on the third sortie it as obvious that the enemy was keeping a cap over the tanks as they dispatched one or two more of us before we arrived and the surviving lads stood down.
Nice plan Zippy sorry we could not do more, 39 is a great plane for uncontested target destruction, but those 109s are hard to deal with.
<S>
Swede- 416 VVS 127 Wing
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Swede-
