At dawn on the morning of 1 January 1945 approximately 900 low-flying Luftwaffe fighters carried out a daring attack on Allied air bases on the continent of Europe. It was called Operation Bodenplatte. The Nazi plan called for a simultaneous attack on all of the enemy bases at exactly 0920 hours. According to German records 1,035 individual sorties were flown, 400 Allied aircraft were destroyed on the ground, 79 destroyed in the air and 100 damaged. Post war estimates put Allied losses at approximately 290 aircraft destroyed and 180 damaged. The cost to the Nazis was dear. At the end of the day, 143 pilots were killed or missing, 70 were captured and 21 wounded. These losses included many seasoned veterans which the Luftwaffe could ill afford to part with. Operation Bodenplatte was a last gasp and the Nazis final large scale air operation of the war.Probably the most fantastic performance put on by Allied fighters that day was by the 487th Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group over a 5,000 foot Advanced Landing Ground simply known by its security code Y-29. The little strip had been carved out of the bush by Engineer Aviation Battalions near the village of Asch, Belgium in November 1944. The epic air battle that took place between Mustangs of the 487th and Focke Wulfs and Messerschmitts of JG 11 over that temporary airstrip in full view of ground crew and pilots became known as the “Legend of Y-29”.
Mustangs of the 486th FS at Y-29. One of them has been scavenged for parts possibly it was damaged in the New Year's day attack by JG 11. Photo 352nd FG Association.
Led by Oberstleutnant Günther Specht, approximately 65 fighters of JG-11 arrived at Asch on time at 0920, just as Colonel JC Meyer was leading the 487th down the runway. Despite the fact that they were outnumbered three to one and taking off into the teeth of the Nazi attack Meyer’s plucky pilots managed to shoot down 23 enemy fighters while suffering only 2 damaged Mustangs. JG 11 lost 21 pilots either killed or missing with four pilots captured. Oberstleutnant Specht was among the missing as was Gruppenkommandeur Hauptman Horst Günther Fassong.
O
Oberstleutnant Günther Specht on left, seen here with Professor Kurt Tank, the test pilot who led the design department at Focke Wulf from 1931 to 1945. Specht did not return from the 1 January sortie to Y-29. Photo: Bundesarchiv
One of the pilots watching the air battle over Y-29 from the ground was 328th FS ace Captain Don S. Bryan. His P-51D was damaged beyond repair by strafing Nazi planes during the attack. Photo: 352nd FG Association
For their performance the pilots of 487th FS earned themselves the only Distinguished Unit Citation that was awarded to a fighter squadron in the ETO during WWII.
When veteran 352nd FG pilot and Group historian Bob “Punchy” Powell sent me the story of the New Year’s Day air battle I was inspired commemorate the event with a couple of paintings. After several discussions with Punchy I decided on two engagements which we both agreed were the most exciting of the day. I titled them “New Year’s Bash” and “The Legend of Y-29” featuring two-war ace Captain William T. Whisner and 487th CO Colonel JC Meyer respectively.
RSS Feed
