daveT
Senior Airman
We recently acquired a FW 190 instrument. It was donated by Lt. Colonel Bruce Sooy
I need to know more about it. What was it used for?
The Col got it after he was released from POW camp on his way home.
Story behind it below
Lt. Colonel Bruce Sooy and the Windshield
This battle-damaged armored glass and aircraft instrument have an interesting story to tell. The glass came from a B-24 Liberator that was shot down during WWII and the indicator came from a German FW-190 aircraft that was the same type of aircraft that shot down the B-24.
B-24 pilot Bruce Sooy recalled the incident when he was shot down over Germany during World War II over 70 years later. It was March 18th 1944; the squadron of Lockheed B24's had completed its bombing run when…
"The fighters came through the formation in 5 airplanes abreast…you cannot move right of left as you have airplanes on both sides of you…so when he knocked out my three engines and knocked off my rudder I was completely out of control. So we bailed out…"
The 10 crew members parachuted and landed safely. All were captured by the Germans and were POWs for the remainder of the war.
Much later, Lt Col Sooy discovered that his German friend Karl H. Matt's mother and father lived 300 yards from the crash site. Karl's grandfather had retrieved the bullet scared armored glass from the crash site 70 years ago and said he wanted the artifact displayed in a museum where people could see it. A KC-10 from Ramstein AFB transported the windshield back to the U.S. on in April 2014.
A young Bruce Sooy joined the USAAC as a private in 1939. In June 1942 he entered pilot training and graduated as 2nd Lieutenant. By October 1943 he was in the U.K. ready to fly the B-24 over Germany.
By mid-March 1944, Sooy had completed 22 missions in his B-24 of the 578th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) of the 392nd Bomb Group based at Wendling Airfield on the east coast of England. His 23rd mission March 18th was destined to be his last.
After WWII, Bruce Sooy spent time as a test pilot at Wright Patterson AFB and later at Muroc (now Edwards) AFB. During the his time as a test pilot, Sooy flew the B-29 that took Chuck Yeager's X1 to altitude and then released him for his rocket powered flight.
His final tour of duty was with Military Air Transport Service (MATS), the last 5 years at Travis AFB flying C124's. He finished his career by speeding almost 20 years as a civilian employee at Travis AFB. He is now retired and lives in the local area.
Mission Details
The 392nd Bomb Group suffered its heaviest losses, both in aircraft and aircrew members during the March 18th 1944 mission. Before the mission was completed, (14) aircraft and crews would be lost and (9) other aircraft were damaged by fighters and flak. There were a total of (154) casualties during the mission.
The mission objectives were Friedrichshafen Germany as the primary target and Russleheim, Germany as the secondary target.
Due to a formation delay during the flight to the target the 14th Combat Wing attacked Friedrichshafen without any escort. This allowed the German Fighter Squadron JG-11 to make repeated attacks on the American formation. Many of the FW-190s made four passes unmolested by US fighters. Some P-38s of the 55th Fighter Group did arrive, but the Germans avoided them by staying on the opposite side of the bombers and the Americans were unable to maneuver to intercept. The JG-11 pilots initially claimed 19, B-24s and reported no casualties or reportable damage. It was a rare good day for them. It was yet another demonstration, as if one was needed, of the vulnerability of unescorted bombers to fighter attack and their inability to defend themselves effectively in the face of a determined and skilled attack.
Official Missing Aircrew Report
MISSING AIRCREW REPORT: #03327 AIRCRAFT: #42-99945 "PINK LADY" "0-Bar" 23rd Mission. This report noted the crash site of this aircraft by correct tail number at a location of Mühlenbach near Haslach, (30) kilometers north east of Freiberg/Breiagen at 1500 hours and the ensuing capture of all (10) crew members who had parachuted to safety.
The crew consisted of:
P 1/LT Sooy, Bruce L.
CP 1/LT Mardis, Kenneth A
N 1/LT Jones, Orley R.
B 1/LT Schwartz, Edward S.
R/O T/S Terrell, Paul J.
Eng T/S Serafine, John M.
WG S/S McBrayer, Henry G. Jr
BG S/S McArn, Henry W.
WG S/S Jones, Nixon J.E. Jr
TG S/S Dorgan, William J.
German perspective
South of Freiburg, the Focke-Wulfs of 1st and 3rd JG-11 had intercepted an unescorted formation of B-24s returning from a raid on Friedrichshafen, on the shores of Lake Constance. The FW-190s launched a coordinated, classic '12 o'clock-high' frontal attack on the US bombers. By the time they broke off the engagement they had accounted for 19 of the B-24s. Several of the units' existing aces added to their lengthening lists of kills, while the first of the trio of Liberators credited to Hauptmann Anton Hackl, his 137th victory of the war to date, gave the Kommandeur of 3rd JG-11 his fifth heavy bomber since the Gruppe's conversion to FW-190s."
German Report #KU1231, Air Field Headquarters at Freiberg, dated 28 March 1944, noted the crash site of this aircraft by correct tail number (#42-99945) at a location of Mühlenbach near Haslach, (30) kilometers North East of Freiberg/Breiagen at 1500 hours and the ensuing capture of all (10) crew members who had parachuted to safety. Cause of the ship's downing was described as being "fighter", as obtained from a statement by local inhabitants.
Three possible matches for pilots who claimed to have shot down a B-24, 18 March 1944 in the area of North East Freiburg.
Fw Norbert Schuecking, Unit 1, JG 11, B-24, 9.4 Ost N/DQ: NE Freiburg, 4800m
Uffz Lohmeyer Lohmeyer, Unit 8, JG 11, B-24, NE Freiburg, 6000m, time 1505
Ofw Erwin Laskowski, Unit 8, JG 11, B-24, NE Freiburg, 6000m, time 1505,
FW-190 Aircraft Markings:
During February/March of 1944, JG-11 was experimenting with different cannon systems and camo markings thinking they could get an edge. They used the disappearing swastikas and Balkenkereuz.
Siegrfried Zick's 190 of III JG11 as it appeared on March 23, 1944
I need to know more about it. What was it used for?
The Col got it after he was released from POW camp on his way home.
Story behind it below
Lt. Colonel Bruce Sooy and the Windshield
This battle-damaged armored glass and aircraft instrument have an interesting story to tell. The glass came from a B-24 Liberator that was shot down during WWII and the indicator came from a German FW-190 aircraft that was the same type of aircraft that shot down the B-24.
B-24 pilot Bruce Sooy recalled the incident when he was shot down over Germany during World War II over 70 years later. It was March 18th 1944; the squadron of Lockheed B24's had completed its bombing run when…
"The fighters came through the formation in 5 airplanes abreast…you cannot move right of left as you have airplanes on both sides of you…so when he knocked out my three engines and knocked off my rudder I was completely out of control. So we bailed out…"
The 10 crew members parachuted and landed safely. All were captured by the Germans and were POWs for the remainder of the war.
Much later, Lt Col Sooy discovered that his German friend Karl H. Matt's mother and father lived 300 yards from the crash site. Karl's grandfather had retrieved the bullet scared armored glass from the crash site 70 years ago and said he wanted the artifact displayed in a museum where people could see it. A KC-10 from Ramstein AFB transported the windshield back to the U.S. on in April 2014.
A young Bruce Sooy joined the USAAC as a private in 1939. In June 1942 he entered pilot training and graduated as 2nd Lieutenant. By October 1943 he was in the U.K. ready to fly the B-24 over Germany.
By mid-March 1944, Sooy had completed 22 missions in his B-24 of the 578th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) of the 392nd Bomb Group based at Wendling Airfield on the east coast of England. His 23rd mission March 18th was destined to be his last.
After WWII, Bruce Sooy spent time as a test pilot at Wright Patterson AFB and later at Muroc (now Edwards) AFB. During the his time as a test pilot, Sooy flew the B-29 that took Chuck Yeager's X1 to altitude and then released him for his rocket powered flight.
His final tour of duty was with Military Air Transport Service (MATS), the last 5 years at Travis AFB flying C124's. He finished his career by speeding almost 20 years as a civilian employee at Travis AFB. He is now retired and lives in the local area.
Mission Details
The 392nd Bomb Group suffered its heaviest losses, both in aircraft and aircrew members during the March 18th 1944 mission. Before the mission was completed, (14) aircraft and crews would be lost and (9) other aircraft were damaged by fighters and flak. There were a total of (154) casualties during the mission.
The mission objectives were Friedrichshafen Germany as the primary target and Russleheim, Germany as the secondary target.
Due to a formation delay during the flight to the target the 14th Combat Wing attacked Friedrichshafen without any escort. This allowed the German Fighter Squadron JG-11 to make repeated attacks on the American formation. Many of the FW-190s made four passes unmolested by US fighters. Some P-38s of the 55th Fighter Group did arrive, but the Germans avoided them by staying on the opposite side of the bombers and the Americans were unable to maneuver to intercept. The JG-11 pilots initially claimed 19, B-24s and reported no casualties or reportable damage. It was a rare good day for them. It was yet another demonstration, as if one was needed, of the vulnerability of unescorted bombers to fighter attack and their inability to defend themselves effectively in the face of a determined and skilled attack.
Official Missing Aircrew Report
MISSING AIRCREW REPORT: #03327 AIRCRAFT: #42-99945 "PINK LADY" "0-Bar" 23rd Mission. This report noted the crash site of this aircraft by correct tail number at a location of Mühlenbach near Haslach, (30) kilometers north east of Freiberg/Breiagen at 1500 hours and the ensuing capture of all (10) crew members who had parachuted to safety.
The crew consisted of:
P 1/LT Sooy, Bruce L.
CP 1/LT Mardis, Kenneth A
N 1/LT Jones, Orley R.
B 1/LT Schwartz, Edward S.
R/O T/S Terrell, Paul J.
Eng T/S Serafine, John M.
WG S/S McBrayer, Henry G. Jr
BG S/S McArn, Henry W.
WG S/S Jones, Nixon J.E. Jr
TG S/S Dorgan, William J.
German perspective
South of Freiburg, the Focke-Wulfs of 1st and 3rd JG-11 had intercepted an unescorted formation of B-24s returning from a raid on Friedrichshafen, on the shores of Lake Constance. The FW-190s launched a coordinated, classic '12 o'clock-high' frontal attack on the US bombers. By the time they broke off the engagement they had accounted for 19 of the B-24s. Several of the units' existing aces added to their lengthening lists of kills, while the first of the trio of Liberators credited to Hauptmann Anton Hackl, his 137th victory of the war to date, gave the Kommandeur of 3rd JG-11 his fifth heavy bomber since the Gruppe's conversion to FW-190s."
German Report #KU1231, Air Field Headquarters at Freiberg, dated 28 March 1944, noted the crash site of this aircraft by correct tail number (#42-99945) at a location of Mühlenbach near Haslach, (30) kilometers North East of Freiberg/Breiagen at 1500 hours and the ensuing capture of all (10) crew members who had parachuted to safety. Cause of the ship's downing was described as being "fighter", as obtained from a statement by local inhabitants.
Three possible matches for pilots who claimed to have shot down a B-24, 18 March 1944 in the area of North East Freiburg.
Fw Norbert Schuecking, Unit 1, JG 11, B-24, 9.4 Ost N/DQ: NE Freiburg, 4800m
Uffz Lohmeyer Lohmeyer, Unit 8, JG 11, B-24, NE Freiburg, 6000m, time 1505
Ofw Erwin Laskowski, Unit 8, JG 11, B-24, NE Freiburg, 6000m, time 1505,
FW-190 Aircraft Markings:
During February/March of 1944, JG-11 was experimenting with different cannon systems and camo markings thinking they could get an edge. They used the disappearing swastikas and Balkenkereuz.
Siegrfried Zick's 190 of III JG11 as it appeared on March 23, 1944
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