CONFIDENTIAL

ENCOUNTER REPORT

A)

B)

C)

D)

E)

F)

G)

H)

I)

I WAS FLYING VACTRIC LEADER (RED FLIGHT) ON A BEACHHEAD TOP COVER

PATROL WHEN THE FIGHTER CONTROLLER CALLED IN FOUR PLUS ENEMY PLANES

PROCEEDING FROM CAEN TO THE BEACHHEAD AT ABOUT 7,000 FEET. VACTRIC

RED AND BLUE FLIGHTS LOWERED TO 8,000 FEET AND FLEW INLAND ABOUT

FIFTEEN MILES AND THEN A 180 DEGREE TURN AND FLEW BACK TOWARD SHORE.

WE WERE THREE MILES NORTHEAST OF CAEN WHEN OUR CONTROLLER CALLED TO

NOTIFY US THAT THE "BOGIES" HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED AS "FRIENDS". AT

THAT INSTANT BLUE TWO CALLED IN SEVERAL TWIN ENGINED PLANES BELOW

US AT A VERY LOW ALTITUDE AND I CALLED TO REMARK THEY WERE PROBABLY

MOSQUITOES. WE MADE 1 180 DEGREE TURN IN A SHALLOW DIVE AND I SAW

ABOUT 6 SPITFIRES DIVING TOWARD THE PLANES WE HAD SPOTTED. WE

IMMEDIATELY WENT INTO A STEEP DIVE DOWN TO THE DECK AND I SAW A

TWIN ENGINED PLANE WHICH WAS EITHER A JU-188 OR A ME-140 AT AN

ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 100 FEET. MY WING MAN, LT. GILBERT, AND I GAVE

CHASE AND THE ENEMY PLANE FLATTENED OUT ON THE DECK AND WENT BOUNC-

FIELDS, MAKING ANY ACCURATE FIRE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. I FIRED

SEVERAL SHORT BURSTS AT ABOUT 300 TO 400 YARDS AND FINALLY WAS CLOS-

ing in ON A TURN ACROSS A FIELD WHEN I FOUND I WAS FLYING INTO FOUR

OR FIVE TALL TOWERS OR POLES WHICH I AVOIDED ONLY BY STANDING THE PLANE

ON A WING TIP AND FLYING THROUGH VERTICALLY. AGAIN I CLOSED IN TO

ABOUT 150 YARDS AND AS WE BOUNCED OVER SOME TREES I LET A LONG

BURST INTO THE SHIP AND OBSERVED STRIKES IN THE UPPER FUSELAGE

AND THE PLANE ENGINE. THE JERRY PILOT THEN CRASH LANDED HIS PLANE

INTO THE FIELD AHEAD AND THE SHIP WAS BADLY BATTERED AS THE LAND-

ing WAS MADE AT ABOUT 225 MILES PER HOUR. I THEN MADE A TIGHT

360 DEGREE TURN AND CAME ABOUT AND TOOK SOME PICTURES AS MY WING

MAN PUT A FINAL BURST INTO THE WRECKAGE. I CLAIM ONE ME-410

DESTROYED.

j)

MICHAEL J. INGELIDO,

MAJOR, AIR CORPS