CONFIDENTIAL
PILOT'S PERSONAL ENCOUNTER REPORT
A. Combat
B. 14 January1945
C. 338th Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group
D. 1330
E. 13 miles S.E. of Salzwedel.
F. CAVU.
G. Me 110.
H. One (1) Me 110 Destroyed on the ground.
I. I was flying No. 5 man in a five ship flight led by Major Cramer. We made a
pass at a locomotive, then pulled up, only to find ourselves over an airfield
with several Me 110's on it. We broke to the right and went down on the field. I
saw Major Cramer and Lt. Bodiford get good strikes on two of the planes. Flak
was bursting all around us, so I got a little closer to the ground and an Me 110
was right in front of me. I opened fire and saw good hits along the wing and
pilot's compartment and a fire starting. I pulled off the plane into a flak
tower and silenced it. Flak was still too thick for comfort so I did a few turns
only to run into another flak position which I was forced to clobber. I pulled
up then and looking back in the SE corner of the field where I had seen 3 a/c
parked nose to nose I saw a large fire and columns of smoke. I believe this fire
and smoke came from at least two of the a/c and probably all three of them. I
also observed another fire some distance from the field, which could have been
one of our P-51's.
J. Ammunition expended - 1,700 rounds.
FRANCIS R. SHARP.
1st Lt., Air Corps.
CONFIDENTIAL