Took off after a test circuit and PANCAKE at A-92 (St. Trond) and headed out for a defensive fighter sweep to protect the 5th Armoured Division. Shortly after arriving at the AO I spotted flak at around Angels-20 and we gave chase to what we surmised was a bandit. While passing head-on the bogie shot at me as he went by and we identified the bogie as bandit. We got into a turn-about and the bandit then tried fleeing East for home. I was ordered to take the lead on the chase and we proceeded about 5 minutes into enemy territory when I caught up to the enemy A/C. I gave it a few 2-second bursts from range and managed to force it into a flat scissors at very high speed. At this point I requested F/Lt 'Riksen' Richards to jump in to catch the bandit unawares; as it was very focused on the scissor with my aircraft. After a big over-shoot on my part I peered over my left shoulder and saw F/Lt 'Riksen' Richards put a good 5-second squirt into the cockpit and fuselage of the bandit plane and saw the enemy pilot immediately jettison his canopy cover and attempt to bail out - but it was too late! Riksen had got a fatal shot on the pilot and the last I saw was the bandit A/C spinning slowly to the earth. We then egressed West to PANCAKE (rearm/refuel) and while attempting a landing the airfield came under attack. We quickly retracted our landing gear and searched out the enemy, who was diving in from high to attack the AF. It looked like the bandit got hit by AAA because he was smoking bad when I approached him - I did a pass from above while he was at low speed and I saw the bandit crash land about 3 miles away from the AF. We attempted a landing again and we spotted another cluster of flak engaging an enemy bandit around the AF. We pursued the bandit and I was first on. I chased him another several miles East of the AF but thanks to the powerful new Griffin engine, I was able to catch him. I gave him a few short, fatal squirts with MG and Hispano and I saw him go down and explode in the treeline below! We then doubled back for the AF once again and finally got to land and park. F/O 'Zach' Z. Lamothe |
