A Mustang Pilot’s Take on Fighting the Me 109

352ND FIGHTER GROUP, 328TH FIGHTER SQUADRON, 8TH AIR FORCE

DONALD S. BRYAN

MERSEBURG, GERMANY, NOVEMBER 2, 1944 Let’s face it, I was never a good pilot. My wingmen were hotter pilots than I was and they could always wax my butt. I did have a couple of advantages over them though: I had better eyesight and I was a flight leader. Both of these attributes came into play for me on a cold November day over Germany as I led a flight of P-51s on a bomberescort mission. As we were passing through 28,000 feet, I spotted a gaggle of Me 109—about 50 of them, coming in from the east. As the 109s dove onto our bombers, I led my flight of four Mustangs into the center of the German fighters. In an instant, the whole scene turned into a melee, with…

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Flight Journal (Digital) - 1 Issue, September/October 2023

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