P-47 THUNDERBOLTS VERSUS ME 109s
On 19 December 1944, 16 P-47 Thunderbolts from the 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group took off at 1435. Capt. Ken Dahlberg was leading the mission to bomb the headquarters of the 116th Panzer Division, near Prum. Enroute they were directed to a large enemy formation, they spotted two gaggles of 30 and 40 each. Outnumbered they jettison their bombs and two flights bounced the e/a, while the two other flights provided top cover. The combat resulted in nine e/a claimed destroyed with three of the Thunderbolts and their pilots lost. Capt. Dahlberg was credited with four destroyed.
About
The History Channel Dogfights Series depicting historical re-enactments of air-to-air combat that took place in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, as well as the Gulf War and the Six-Day War. In this segment, Mustang ace Ken Dahlberg recounts leading sixteen Thunderbolts sent to a bomb the headquarters of the 116th Panzer Division but instead engaged in dogfights with 70 enemy aircraft.