Captain Harry R. Ankeny's Combat Diary
Page 23
16 July, 1944.
Today's mission was deep down in Southern Germany
to Munich, always a hot spot for enemy action and it
proved the same today. Flew as element leader in Capt.
R.D. Brown's Green flight with Lt. Holmberg on my wing.
The group didn't form up very well after flying up through
a solid overcast as by the time we crossed in over enemy
coast our flight was a little behind, Just then R. D.
decided to turn back so I took over the flight with Lt.
Holmberg on my left wing and Lt. Schlossberg on my right.
Being far behind I gained altitude and tried to cut the
group off and finally lost track of them but continued on
sticking alongside the B-17's whom we were escorting.
At Strasbourg, France we turned east into Germany and
hit bad weather immediately. Was instrument weather clear
up above 30,000 ft. but we continued, the three of us, on
in with the big friends clear to Munich. Over Munich the B-17
started to circle around and I spotted a lone bomber which
I thought needed some help. I called him but got no ans-
wer and even followed him around so he would recognize us
but he just wouldn't cooperate so I started home at 23,000
feet. Just 50 miles northwest of Munich we rode right smack
over Augsburg and they really pumped the flak at us. At
first thought it was stray flak but two seconds later
they hit my ship in the wing and prop. All I could think
of was to dive straight down and change my altitude, but
fast. Lt. Schlossberg in the meantime had dropped slightly
and then turned his plane straight up. Well, we passed each
other, myself going straight down, he going up, and missed
wing tips about a foot. I pulled out of my dive on instru-
ments at 15,000 while he went up to 28,000 ft. and spun
clear down to 10,000 ft. before recovering. Naturally we
were all alone and I jig jogged all the way back to France
hoping my plane would keep flying. Later on I joined up
with Lt. Schlossberg and all of us got back OK. Picked
up 5 hrs. and 5 minutes and was lucky to get home. Even
had a hole in my after-cooler which holds coolant. About
a quart leaked out and then stopped when I was hit . Other-
wise I would have never got back--lucky me!!
18 July, 1944.
Logged five hours and thirty-five minutes today on
a long bomber escort to Anklom, Germany, just a few miles
north of Stettin. Had the surprise of my life, just as
we were about to take off Major Broadhead, who was leading
the squadron, dropped his belly tanks on the run-way. Well,
Copyright © 1996, Harry R. Ankeny