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Step into the cockpit with Lt. Colonel Frederic C. Gray as he leads the 78th Fighter Group on a harrowing D-Day mission over Nazi-occupied France. This gripping firsthand combat report reveals the raw intensity of aerial warfare on June 6, 1944—locomotive hunts through cloud breaks, dogfights with German fighters, and split-second decisions that determined life or death above the battlefield.
COMBAT REPORT
JUNE 6, 1944
PLAN "STUD"
A. Type of Action: Combat
B. Date: June 6, 1944
C. Unit: HQ 78th Fighter Gp (Flying with 83rd F Sq)
D. Time: 1540
E. Place: Le Hutte and Alencon
F. Weather: 8-9/10 cloud, base 3000 Ft.
G. Type of Target: Locos and FW 190
H. Enemy Casualties: 3 Locos damaged 1 FW 190 Destroyed shared with LT Massa, 83rd Fighter Sq.
ACCOUNT OF COMBAT:
I led 78th Group to Alencon area with the mission of destruction of lines of communication. Arrived over area 12,000' and stooged around a couple of holes in the overcast. My wing-man sighted a train and I sent him down for it, following on his wing since I had not seen it. We broke out at about 3, 000' and dropped our bombs at the train with poor results, getting only near misses and a few on the track. We then strafed it and allowed it to blow off steam. While the rest of the section were working it over, iI moved in on it and got a considerable number of strikes all over it. It practically blew up. While my wing-man Lt Massa was strafing it, I found another in the other end of the yard and got it also. I got dozens of strikes, as did Lt Massa, but it was cold.
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I then took my flight up the line to Alencon and out each rail line from the city for perhaps twenty miles without sighting any rail traffic other than two locos in the M/Y at Alencon which I passed up due to the presence of many civilians in the immediate area who were waving at us.
At this time my Red Leader sounded off on a gaggle of FW 190's on the desk moving south near the city. I finally saw them and tagged on, passing him and coming up on tail end Charlie. I was catching him without water until he threw his souped up charge in when I had to hit mine. I caught him easily and he started turning. All those boys I taught back at Matagorda would have got a kick out of my sorry deflection shooting. I finally got him going straight and got four pretty good bursts into him. He jettisoned his canopy as his engine cut our and started out. I was about to overshoot him and skidded out to the side when Lt. Massa gave him a burst. He overshot him and eased up along side and watched him laboriously crawl out, his jacket and helmet on fire. He got out about 600' and his chute worked beautifully.
I then broke for another but just as I was about to try my deflection shooting again my 2nd element leader Lt. Caulfield beat him up. He turned into me and snapped into the ground making one hell of a beautiful explosion which I caught in my camera --- only now they tell me the damned thing jammed.
CLAIMS AS FOLLOWS: 3 locos damaged shared 1 FW 190 destroyed shared with Lt Massa
I confirm the destruction of one FW 190 by Lt Peter A Caulfield.
I think these were the ones Spicer referred to when he said "They fly like Basic students".
F.C. GRAY
Lieut. Colonel
Air Corps
