22 aprile 1945 - Mosquito XXX Nr. MV564 - Forlì

Il 416th Night Fighter Squadron perse tre Mosquito XXX durante una concitata serie di attacchi al suolo nei confronti di truppe tedesche in ritirata presso San Benedetto Po. Si trattò di missioni diurne e, come storici, subito ci verrebbe da pensare che gli equipaggi, addestrati a volare di notte, probabilmente commisero qualche leggerezza e furono facilmente inquadrati dal fuoco di difesa della Flak.

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Due Mosquito precipitarono a San Benedetto Po, ma la sorte fu diversa per gli equipaggi: 2nd Lt. Wesley E. Kanga e Jack Copeland Herron persero la vita a bordo dell’MT482 che esplose al suolo mentre il Major James D. Urso e 1st Lt. Talmadge F. Simpson a bordo dell’NT248 riuscirono a salvarsi pur restando seriamente feriti. Il terzo Mosquito colpito era l’MV564, con equipaggio Lt. Fuller e Lt. Lander, che effettuarono un riuscito crashlanding presso l’aeroporto di Forlì. Il Mosquito, privo dell’uso dei carrelli e dei flaps, atterrò due miglia oltre la pista, terminando la sua corsa in un frutteto.

War Diary, 416th Night Fighter Squadron, Pontedera Airfield, Italy 22 April 1945: About 0900 hours Major Morrison got a message from XXII Tactical Air command ordering an all-out, maximum day effort against enemy motor transport, reportedly withdrawing in great numbers in the Po Valley. We were given a central Po Valley area to search and Major Morrison searched for signs of enemy movement on the first mission, taking off at 1100 hours. He was followed by Lt. Kangas, who took off ten minutes later.

After this two planes took off together every hour. Major Morrison searched our area thoroughly and saw no traffic at all on the highways. Some P-47's on same mission saw him and were discussing on the RfT as to whether or not he was a ME-410. He overheard them and said: "If it': this plane on deck wagging its wings you are talking about, it's a Mosquito!". They let him alone then. At 1300 hours Lt. Kangas with his observer, Lt. Herron, were an hour overdue. A check through sectors and G.C.I Stations revealed no word had been received from them. At this point wing telephoned that Lt. Fuller and his observer, Lt. Lander, had pranged two miles off the runway at Forli.

Lt. Bruton on the same flight returned and said Fuller had been hit by flak and lost one engine near the Po River at San Benedetto, forcing him to go to Forli for a landing. Lt. Bateman returned from his mission reporting that the Mosquito flown by Major Urso and Lt. Simpson, his observer, had either exploded or crashed near San Benedetto. A P47 was seen coming out of a dive on it. A telephone call from Forli reported Fuller and Lander safe after crash landing in a orchard. A telephone call from 350th Group reported a P-47 pilot observed a Mosquito, hit by flak, made a crash landing near San Benedetto and burst into flames, one parachute seen to open.

Lts. Robinson and Johnson returned after a very successful attach on 2 locomotives, box cars, a steam crane, a barge and 6 MfT destroyed and damaged. Both experienced ground fire and a gas line in Lt. Robinson's Mosquito was hit, all the gas leaking out of the tank. Our daylight missions were called off and we went home to get some rest before a night that promised to be busy. Nothing was heard of Kangas and Urso. Fuller and Lander were home when we got there. Unable to let down wheels or flaps they overshot the runway at Forlì. Nothing was left of the airplane, Fuller suffered only a sprained foot. One shell had gone straight through the cockpit between the pilot and observer.

Elaborazione grafica di Fulvio Casadei

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