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^{Saturday 13th January 1945 was a day that saw
typical British winter weather, the sort that is particularly poor for flying;
bad icing, thick cloud and snow storms. The fighter groups of the 8th
Air Force were nonetheless tasked with escorting the heavy bombers that were to
attack German bridges and rail marshalling yards. This resulted in the deaths of
six fighter pilots as their Mustangs crashed within the space of about an hour
in East Anglia that morning. Very probably all the crashes were the result of
the pilots suffering from vertigo – severe disorientation while relying on
instruments, something that was difficult to train for in the clear skies of the
American mid-west.}

Mustang Bridge Farm, Grundisburgh, Suffolk

P51D-15NA, serial No 44-15305, PI-N 360^th Fighter Sqn, 356^th Fighter Group based at Martlesham Heath

Lt Wendel J.A. Nelson, of Fremont, Nebraska had volunteered to fly with the RCAF whilst America was still neutral. He flew with the RAF in the desert at the time of the battle of El Alemein, later transferring to the USAAF after America had joined the war. His aircraft crashed shortly after take off from Martlesham Heath, Lt Nelson was killed. With the 360th Fighter Sqn since November 1944 he had flown 10 missions with them by the time of his death.

This crash site was originally investigated in the 1970’s when the engine was recovered. It was re-dug about twenty years later, when it was discovered that many finds on the original dig had been discarded. The complete instrument panel, control column, pilots goggles, engine cowlings and many small items, discarded on the first dig were re-discovered.

A 'Fairburn-Sykes' fighting knife of the type commonly known as a commando dagger had been found on the first dig, at the time this was believed to belong to Lt Nelson. However research has shown that the 356^th FG had a policy of having a knife taped to the control column on most of their aircraft, this was to aid the pilot if he became entangled while trying to exit the aircraft in an emergency. When the control column (left) was recovered and cleaned, remnants of tape could still be seen on the shaft.

Above left, the control column after a wash in the nearby stream, above, the complete instrument panel, which had been discarded on the first dig. Left, the pilots 'Polaroid' goggles, the plastic lens has turned orange with age.

P51K-5NT Mustang Moat Farm, Ashill

Serial No 44-11686 IV-N 369^th Fighter Sqn, 359^th Fighter Group based at East Wretham

The pilot of this aircraft (left) had already done a tour as a lead pilot on B24 Liberators with the 453^rd Bomb Group flying from Old Buckenham. Able to return home, he instead opted for a transfer to fighters. Although an experienced pilot, Capt. Karl Shearer, of Vandalia, Ohio, had only 39 hours flying time on Mustangs. After take off he was to climb through the overcast in formation as the number four man of a flight of four. On reaching the top of the clouds the two and four men were missing; after number two appeared, attempts were made to contact Shearer via his radio callsign, 'Tinplate 50'. These were unsuccessful, eventually a crashed Mustang reported by another airfield was proved to be his and his body was found deep in the wreckage.

The land-owner, a young boy at the time, had been at home from school when it crashed and recalled it vividly, he was convinced however that the unfortunate Capt Shearer was still buried in his field. He was to be proved wrong, the wartime recovery crew had been very thorough in removing everything of the plane to get him out with the exception of what would have been below his body, therefore effectively everything forward of the instrument panel was found. When the Packard Merlin was recovered it could be seen from the angle that it laid in the ground that the aircraft had impacted almost vertically.

Right, the panel and instruments, left, the engine had to be freed using spades to prevent unnecessary damage by the digger.

P51D-20NA, serial No 44-63181, WZ-C.

84^th Fighter Sqn, 78^th Fighter Group based at Duxford

Lt Herbert Elin was almost certainly was the victim of vertigo. His wingman Tom Bendorf gave his account of what had happened. 'As we climbed up through the overcast after taking off from Duxford, I concentrated on keeping in position on Elin's wing. All I could see was my wing and about half of his after that it was just invisible in the thick cloud. As I glanced at my instruments I realised that we were in a tight downward right-hand spiral. Pulling out, I called a warning on the radio. I saw an orange glow below but flares were being fired off in all directions as people got separated. I didn't see Elin for the rest of the mission. When I got back I found out that the orange glow had probably been his plane exploding as it hit the ground.' His mustang had impacted at Wimpole Hall, about 12 miles to the WNW of Duxford. Right, Herbert Elin with his previous aircraft, a P47 'Thunderbolt'

The excavation here revealed only small remains of the aircraft, the largest item was a propeller blade that would have laid down the side of the crater after the crash. It was left where it was when the crater was filled in, and after the field was returned to farming, it was hit by a plough, evidenced by a deep gouge through the tip of the blade.

Left, digging the propeller blade out.

P51D-5NA serial 44-13319, YF-O

358^th Fighter Sqn, 355^th Fighter Group based at Steeple Morden

Lt Thomas Ksanznak crashed shortly after take-off. His aircraft came down in front garden of a cottage in Rose Lane, Melbourne. The lady occupant and her baby inside were lucky to escape uninjured as the plane impacted just feet from the front of their home.

The Mustang engine was carefully removed from under the immaculate front lawn of the cottage. As the turf was being removed the pilots lighter and a coin were found just below the surface of the ground.

P51D-5NT, serial 44-11343

350^th Fighter Sqn, 353^rd Fighter Group based at Raydon

The aircraft which came down in front of Folly Farm, Lindsey at around 11:00 was that of Lt George S.H. Lee, an American of Chinese descent, he had taken off on a mission to escort B17 Flying Fortresses of the 3^rd Air Division on an attack on railway bridges over the Rhine and railway marshalling yards in the same area. The weather was poor with light drizzle and overcast from 800ft to 3500ft, cloud cover was 8/10 with scudding cloud below the overcast.

Lt Lee was seen at 4000ft, when for unknown reasons he had to return to base. During the descent through the cloud he lost control of the aircraft and came out at high speed. At a low altitude the left drop tank was seen to detach, causing the right wing to drop. The aircraft impacted into a small stream almost vertically and exploded. The drop tank landed approximately 25yds behind the aircraft. The crash was about 6 miles NW of Raydon in Suffolk.

The 353^rd had flown their last mission with P47 Thunderbolts on 10^th November 1944, from then on flying P51 Mustangs. At the time of his death Lt lee had a total of 420 hrs, 184 of them on P51’s. Unusually he had 6hrs night flying in the previous 6 months, a rare occurrence in a ‘normal’ Eighth Air Force unit.

This had crashed in a ditch but had not penetrated the ground to any great degree, however several recognisable parts were found including a rudder pedal, (above right) propeller blade and part of mainwheel rim (above left).

P51D-10NA, serial No 44-14245, G4-B 'Floogie II'

362^nd Fighter Sqn, 357^th Fighter Group based at Leiston

Lt Robert L. Schlieker was another who disappeared as he was climbing up through overcast. He crashed about 15 minutes after he taken off as the Fighter Group were still forming up. Flying in the #4 position of his flight, he was in formation just prior to starting the climb through the overcast. His leader reported that 'the air was very unstable in the thick overcast' and that upon breaking out of the overcast at about 2,500ft, Lt Schlieker was not in position.

Sgt Leslie Dunnett, a local policeman reported that his Mustang had crashed about 1/2 mile north east of Butley Church, this lies about 3miles east of RAF Woodbridge airfield and to the south of Leiston, where he had taken off from. The plane was reported to have been completely burnt out and pilot killed, he was initially identified from a piece of his shirt with his name on it.

As we searched the field the spread of parts suggested that the Mustang had hit the ground at a shallow angle and had cartwheeled across the field. The ground in the Butley area is particularly sandy and what little was left of the wreckage was badly corroded, as can be seen from state of the propeller blade found (below left), but items found also included a set of individual exhaust stubs off one bank of the engine compressed into one piece, a large section of mainwheel tyre, a rudder pedal, bomb or drop tank release levers (below right), and the crash pad off of the K14 gunsight (below centre).

'Floogie II' (above), this was formerly the regular aircraft of 357th ace Lt Otto Jenkins. It had been belly landed on 22nd December 1944 at Leiston, as a result the engine was changed and by the time of the aircrafts destruction it had a total of 4:35hrs. The photos of Lt Schlieker and Floogie II were kindly supplied by Merle C Olmsted, who was this aircrafts' armourer and is now 357 FG historian.