Combat over Berlin March 4, 1944. The Cavalry

Flight Officer Chuck Yeager with his P-51B

Glamorus Glen

March 4, 1944

Some of us never got word of the recall. The weather was stinkin’. There were only two of us P-51s escorting a box of bombers for the first US daylight raid over Berlin. None of us had gotten the recall. I spotted an Me-109 below me, dove on him and blew him to pieces: my first kill.

Several decades later in an interview, the lead bomber pilot called the two P-51s the cavalry. Bombers were exposed so they were thrilled to see me shoot down the deadly threat of the Me-109.

I also shot down a Heinkel 111 but never got credit for it.

As we were returning and I was low on ammunition, I broke silence to warn the bomber group I was coming in for protection and to tell the trigger-happy gunners not to shoot me down. Bombers have navigation equipment – so much better than dead reckoning when the weather is stinkin’.

I made it back safely to Leiston, my air base, elated with my first of five on a path to Fighter Ace.

Encounter report can be found here: https://chuckyeager.com/first-me-109-victory-4-march-1944

c. GCYI