Sad Ending For a Flying Fort

[Jack Cook]

B-17F s/n 42-29807 "Liberty Lady" 364th BS 305th BG.
Shot down by a FW-190 flown by Obstlt Josef Priller JG 26.
8 KIA and 2 POWs

[mustangdriver]

True heroes.

[Tulio]

Shot down by a FW-190 flown by Obstlt Josef Priller JG 26.

Priller together with another pilot whose name I don't remember, were the only two Luftwaffe pilots to fly and attack the landing troops in Normandy on 6 June 44.


Saludos,


Tulio

[Firebird]

B-17F s/n 42-29807 "Liberty Lady" 364th BS 305th BG.
Shot down by a FW-190 flown by Obstlt Josef Priller JG 26.

Only confirmed ID of a 305th B-17 on Priller's victory list was his 93rd on 19th Aug '43, so pressume this is the one...??

[John Dupre]

Pips Priller is also one of the few German aces to get all his victories (101)against the western allies. He supposedly kept a map of Northern France to Southern England and marked every claim he made. The RAF studied his map against known losses by date and area and confirmed most of his claims as legitimate. I believe he shot down something like 50 Spitfires!

[Firebird]

Pips Priller is also one of the few German aces to get all his victories (101)against the western allies. He supposedly kept a map of Northern France to Southern England and marked every claim he made. The RAF studied his map against known losses by date and area and confirmed most of his claims as legitimate. I believe he shot down something like 50 Spitfires!

68 of Pips Priller's total of 101 were Spitfires, making him the most successfull Luftwaffe pilot against Spit's.

Anyone have any markings of Priller's FW190's?

[Holedigger]

Google up his name and Fw190, there are lots of pics. Bf109 as well as the Fw190. Here is a pretty good overview of his "Career"
http://www.luftwaffe.cz/priller.html

Ah yes!!! .... how could I have forgot good old 'Google' ... thx. good stuff ...

[Elroy13]

The man had a list didnt he...sheesh! Spitfires, Hurricanes, Blenheims, a curtis ??, 17's, 24's , 25's & 47's, 51's, 38's & a Ventura! Looks like several kills were in the evening and night hours.

[Holedigger]

Did anyone take notice of the interesting "different" AF markings on the B-17? Was this one with the yellow bars and red surround? Or is it the white with white and red around?

[Elroy13]

Dang proxys here at work, I cant see the pic..have to wait till later.

[Django]

Only 2 P-47s and 2 P-51s, and 1 P-38.

Pretty impressive tally.

[Firebird]

Only 2 P-47s and 2 P-51s, and 1 P-38.

Not unusual for the few ‘early war Channel Front vs. RAF’ veterans that managed to survive in combat long enough to do battle with the USAAF formations, or indeed fell victim to the USAAF, such as Sigi Schnell, Walter Oesau, Sepp Wurmheller, Egon Meyer, Emil Lang etc. Priller was already JG26 Kommodore by the beginning of ’43 and had scored 77 of his final 101 before claiming his first USAAF a/c in Dec 42, and was likely not flying as much combat sorties by then. Contrast, Priller’s record with Georg Peter-Eder’s Channel Front tally of almost 70 scored in his two years from early 43 to early 45, virually all being USAAF a/c, and who was the leading Luftwaffe pilot against the USAAF.

One of my collection of wartime personally signed Hoffmann/Verlag portrait photopostcards, and probably the best condition one, is one of Pips Priller.

[Steve Nelson]

Was this one with the yellow bars and red surround? Or is it the white with white and red around?

Looks like the standard summer 1943 red-surround insignia to me. The only instance I ever heard of with yellow bars was on a C-47, and I understand that was somebody misinterperating a tech order.

The fuselage codes are bizarre looking, though. Not sure if it's an attempt at "low viz," or new codes painted or old ones.

SN[/quote]