A B-26 Shoots Down Three Me-262 on One Mission

[MIflyer]

This is an incredible story! I have only read of a B-26 using the side mounted package guns to shoot down a fighter once before.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMliVbRKp8Q

 

[Gnomey]

Good one!

 

[Daggerr]

A bomber pilot breaking formation to chase an enemy jet fighter, while still carrying a full bomb load, sounds strange to me. Was that even allowed?

'The Messerschmitt Me 262 combat diary' by John Foreman and S.E. Harvey gives a description of what happened on the 20th of April 1945 when the B-26s of 323rd Bomb Group were attacked by Me 262s.
There is no mention of Lieutenant Vining.
There is mention of Sergeant Edward S. Tyszkiewicz, a B-26 turret gunner, who received a Silver Star for shooting down two Me 262 jets during that raid, was wounded but kept manually operating his turret. His name is not on the group photo in the video so I guess he was in a different B-26 than Lt. Vining.

This book may not be complete or correct. Other sources may give a different account of what happened that day.

 

[MIflyer]

A bomber pilot breaking formation to chase an enemy jet fighter, while still carrying a full bomb load, sounds strange to me.

The only other time I have heard of a B-26 using its package guns air to air was when a BF-109 made a pass at a B-26 formation and one of the bombers on the outer edge dove after it, shot it down and then pulled back up into formation, to hear "Good Shooting!" over the radio. But I assumed that the bombs were already gone in that case. And I have heard of only one case whee ETO B-26's were instructed to hit a target and then go down and strafe. The bombardier's nose .50 cal in the B-26 could not be installed with the Nordon sight in place so it had to be removed after the bombs were dropped and was handed to the navigator in that case.

 

[Crimea_River]

It's on YouTube so it must be true.....

Here's a different version on the NASM website:

"0n last mission, attacked by 12+ German jet fighters (Me-262). 30mm shell explosion amputated my right leg and disabled my right engine. For
next hour I directed the co-pilot in keeping the plane flying and gunners in defense against, two subsequent attacks by the jets. They
shot down two of the jets and possibly two more. Just before attempting a belly landing (one hour after initial attack) I flew the plane
in a 360° turn to allow the bombardier to exit the nose through the co-pilot's position, thus saving his life. For this and the rest
I was recommended for the Medal of Honor, but received the Silver Star instead. Retired following year at age 21."

 

[Greg Boeser]

The only other time I have heard of a B-26 using its package guns air to air was when a BF-109 made a pass at a B-26 formation and one of the bombers on the outer edge dove after it, shot it down and then pulled back up into formation, to hear "Good Shooting!" over the radio. But I assumed that the bombs were already gone in that case. And I have heard of only one case whee ETO B-26's were instructed to hit a target and then go down and strafe. The bombardier's nose .50 cal in the B-26 could not be installed with the Nordon sight in place so it had to be removed after the bombs were dropped and was handed to the navigator in that case.

In early February, 1943, a lone B-26B of the 70th BS, flying out of Guadalcanal on a patrol mission, encountered a Kawanishi H6K4 on a similar mission. They made two passes, engaging with package guns as well as nose and turret guns. Forced to break off after taking a cannon hit in the wing spar, they limped back to Cactus, where they learned the Mavis had crashed. Japanese records confirm the loss of a Mavis after being attacked twice by a "large aircraft". Four of the seven aboard were killed.