Fw 190 A-6(?)

[Terror_6]

I mentioned this in my previous thread briefly.
Apparently this is gun camera footage of Egon Mayer's final moments. Honestly seeing such a skilled pilot go down like this is quite eerie. Really puts things into perspective. 

 

 

Source that includes Walter Gresham's short description of the event : https://acesofww2.com/USA/aces/gresham/
Seems to be accurate.
 

By the way, Egon Mayer's wikipedia page  mentions his plane's factory number too, yet I could not find any pictures about it. Only his A-5 in 1943. Is there really none?

 

 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by Terror_6

[Bremspropeller]

The guncam-footage does not support the combat-report observations of impacts around the cockpit.

Also, #2 reports the aircraft in a gentle turn at 12000ft and making it forthe clouds (reported 3/10s culumus) - the guncam footage seems to be below clouds (looks like a stratus overcast) at low altitude.

There's an explosion happening at the left rear wing-root (possibly the fuel tank, droptank seems to be still onthe aircraft) and there's no right wing-root flash.

 

One thing I seem to make out is the pitot-tube being on the left wing (indicating a reversed film), but that could also just be dirt.

 

There's also conflicting claims in terms of who shot down Mayer. Some have Maj. Robert Coffey (365th FG / "Hell Hawks") as the victor. I have made a cannonball into all the books I have, covering the topic, but there's no conclusive lead as to who really did shoot down Mayer. "Thunderbolts of the Hell Hawks" has the fight take place in the Bastogne area and calls out II./JG 26 as the opponents, which seems more fitting according to Prien.

 

Maybe @Gambit21 has some more info of what the 365th was doing this day and if they are at all to be considered in the dogfight that claimed Mayer's life. The Robert Dorr book is - unfortunately - a bit light on reserach here.

 

Consulted:

Am Himmel Frankreichs vol.6 1944 (Operational History of JG 2) - Eric Mombeek

Hell Hawks - Robert Dorr

Thunderbolts of the Hell Hawks - Barnes, Crump, Sutherland

Our Might Always - Bill Marshall

Jagdfliegerverbände vol. 13/III - Jochen Prien

...several books of Don Caldwell about JG 26

[dbuile]

I think it's a different gun camera footage, considering the combat reports...  this one here at 1:49:54 into the movie, taking the wing off:  https://youtu.be/yyUgqk6z7rY?t=6594

I believe the reports say the left wing, and the film shows right wing, but you can never know if the movie reversed the film for directorial reasons (for example, I believe the movie shows Terror_6's clip twice, but reversed).

 

[Gambit21]

@Bremspropeller

 

No idea, but I'm in touch with Don Barnes and can drop him a line about it.

 

 

 

 

[Terror_6]

23 hours ago, Bremspropeller said:

The guncam-footage does not support the combat-report observations of impacts around the cockpit.

Also, #2 reports the aircraft in a gentle turn at 12000ft and making it forthe clouds (reported 3/10s culumus) - the guncam footage seems to be below clouds (looks like a stratus overcast) at low altitude.

There's an explosion happening at the left rear wing-root (possibly the fuel tank, droptank seems to be still onthe aircraft) and there's no right wing-root flash.

 

One thing I seem to make out is the pitot-tube being on the left wing (indicating a reversed film), but that could also just be dirt.

 

There's also conflicting claims in terms of who shot down Mayer. Some have Maj. Robert Coffey (365th FG / "Hell Hawks") as the victor. I have made a cannonball into all the books I have, covering the topic, but there's no conclusive lead as to who really did shoot down Mayer. "Thunderbolts of the Hell Hawks" has the fight take place in the Bastogne area and calls out II./JG 26 as the opponents, which seems more fitting according to Prien.

 

Ah, thank you for the correction and additional information.  Actually, after zooming on the footage I think the outer MG151s seem to be missing aswell, so I guess it couldn't be Mayer's A-6. And as far as I know standard A-6s didn't get these field modifications? I might be wrong about that too.

 

Then again, Im still curious as to how his plane looked like at the time. Seems to be no picture/drawing of it, which is strange because he is quite famous.

[CUJO_1970]

5 hours ago, Terror_6 said:

 

Actually, after zooming on the footage I think the outer MG151s seem to be missing aswell, so I guess it couldn't be Mayer's A-6. And as far as I know standard A-6s didn't get these field modifications? 

 

All A-series FW-190 including the A-6 had the ability to remove outer cannons. This was a common configuration, even with later series A-8/A-9. 
 

[JG7_X-Man]

These WWII Docuseries TV shows are notorious for using "stock footage" to try and tell a story.

The problem is some viewers have a problem distinguishing "fact" from "fiction".