B-24 Liberators from the USAAF
2nd Air Division come under attack from Fw190D-9s of III./JG54
Green Hearts over Koblenz, 31 December, 1944.
As the Fw190s broke cloud above the area of Koblenz they sighted
a formation of nine 2nd Air Division B-24 Liberators and formed
up for an attack. Some 6000 feet above, top-cover P-51 Mustangs
had watched the Fw190s climbing through the banks of clouds,
and turned 180 degrees to position behind the Luftwaffe fighters.
Diving in from their height advantage, the Mustang pilots entered
the fray and within seconds the sky was filled with swirling
dogfights.
In the forefront, a menacing yet beautiful long-nose Fw190D-9
rips through the B-24 formation with massive closing speed, yet
the 453rd and 735th Liberators plough stoically onwards, unwavering
in the face of such peril. |