ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 176322
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| Date: | Tuesday 15 August 1944 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito PR Mk XVI |
| Owner/operator: | 60 Sqn SAAF |
| Registration: | NS520 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | near Günzburg/Leipheim airfield. -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | San Severo airfield (I) |
| San Severo airfield |
Mosquito NS520: Damaged after attack by German Me 262 over Southern France. 15/08/1944
They survived severe damage to their Mossie and flew back to base. Belly landed at San Severo.
Took off for the Munich area 15/08/1944. Crew expected this to be a routine job, although opposition was usually hotter over this part of Southern Germany than Czechoslovakia, Austria, Poland, Rumania or any other country in 60 Squadron's field of operations. Airfields, marshalling yards, factories were to be the targets—all pinpoints familiar from previous sorties. They would keep a sharp look-out for fighters, not let the flak upset them, and get away quickly as soon as the job was done. As they approached Gunzberg/Leipheim airfield near Munich at 30,000 feet and 360 m.p.h., Pienaar did a couple of turns to either side to ensure no fighters were creeping up his tail, then turned on to target with Lockhart-Ross over the bombsight. As Pienaar levelled out he had another quick look in his rear-view mirror. A twin-engined aircraft was closing in rapidly. Immediately he slammed both throttles wide open, dropped his wing tanks and began a turn to starboard. Simultaneously the enemy aircraft opened fire from 400 yards and Pienaar saw pieces fly off his aircraft as it flicked into a spin, out of control, with Lockhart-Ross pinned in the nose by gravitational force and the port engine jammed at full throttle. Had he turned to port—as he suspected the enemy would expect him to do—he would have been blown out of the sky. For 11,000 feet Pienaar fought with his wounded aircraft before finally bringing it under control at 450 m.p.h.—to find the pilot of the phenomenal German aircraft poised for another attack and part of his own port wing and tail unit shot away. Pienaar also discovered he could turn only to port and that he would have to fly with the control column hard over to the right. It was a time for great skill and cool nerves. Pienaar had both. With Lockhart-Ross out of the nose and reporting the enemy's position from the top blister hatch, Pienaar outflew the enemy pilot in 11 more attacks in the next 35 minutes, turning inside him off the stern attacks and, on the final head-on attack, trying to ram him. By then both pilot and navigator had identified their foe as a jet-propelled Me. 262, which they had read about in secret reports. It was painted silver with black crosses below the mainplanes, the usual cross on the fuselage and a swastika on the tail. And it had a long nose, clipped wings, underslung engines and a teardrop-type cockpit cover. Its speed was phenomenal.
Had the Mosquito been armed "at least twice during the attacks he made the enemy would have been a sitting target for me", said Pienaar. The action had taken the Mosquito some 90 miles to the south of Gunzberg when the engagement was broken off and Pienaar found refuge in a cloud for his juddering aircraft. But the dangers were not yet over for the two South Africans. With the radio and almost all the instruments unserviceable, both throttles jammed and, with 500 feet to spare over the Alps, they limped low over Northern Italy and down the coast to San Severo, where Pienaar put down a perfect belly-landing when the wheels would not go down. They had fuel for only another seven minutes' flying. Entire crew were given immediate awards of' DFC.
Crew:
Capt (I02855V) Salomon ("Pi") PIENAAR DSO & DFC (pilot) SAAF - Ok
Lt (542717V) Archer Ronald LOCKHART - ROSS DFC (nav.) SAAF - Ok
Sources:
1.http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH98%20prodn%20list.txtt
2.ORB 60 Sqdn SAAF
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-May-2015 17:52 | Thomas Fuk | Added |
| 23-Aug-2015 11:02 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 23-Dec-2015 16:46 | Heil | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 26-Jun-2018 14:38 | ehren69 | Updated [Operator, Location] |
| 24-Jul-2018 18:11 | Heil | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport] |
| 07-Sep-2018 05:01 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 18-Jan-2019 20:08 | Nepa | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Operator] |
| 22-Nov-2021 11:44 | Nepa | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, Operator] |
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