On November 2, 1944, escorting 4th Fighter Group pilots spotted a number of fast-movers pulling contrails and climbing very steeply towards several combat wings of B-17s headed for the refineries at Merseberg-Leuna. The contrails belonged to small but deadly Luftwaffe Me 163 rocket interceptors, one of the advanced "wonder weapons" the Germans were employing in the later stages of the war. The cannons carried by the Me 163s could easily blow a wing off a bomber.
With no chance of matching their speed, the Mustang pilots orbited below and waited patiently for the "Fleas" to glide back down to their base with their fuel mostly expended.
This Me 163 was being flown by Oberfeldwebel Jakob Bollenrath of the Brandis-based I./JG 400. P-51 pilot Captain Louis H. 'Red Dog' Norley made a pass at Bollenrath but overshot. Quickly repositioning, Norley followed the 163 as the jet “used his blower (rocket motor) for a couple of seconds" and made an aggressive left turn. The high-drag turn enabled Norley to get within range and fire. He observed a number of strikes near the tail and watched as the small rocket plane rolled over and went straight down.
This is my study painting of Bollenrath's Me 163 which will be part of a larger oil painting (see A Good Day for Red Dog) depicting the action described above.
Completed 2022
Private Collection
On November 2, 1944, escorting 4th Fighter Group pilots spotted a number of fast-movers pulling contrails and climbing very steeply towards several combat wings of B-17s headed for the refineries at Merseberg-Leuna. The contrails belonged to small but deadly Luftwaffe Me 163 rocket interceptors, one of the advanced "wonder weapons" the Germans were employing in the later stages of the war. The cannons carried by the Me 163s could easily blow a wing off a bomber.
With no chance of matching their speed, the Mustang pilots orbited below and waited patiently for the "Fleas" to glide back down to their base with their fuel mostly expended.
This Me 163 was being flown by Oberfeldwebel Jakob Bollenrath of the Brandis-based I./JG 400. P-51 pilot Captain Louis H. 'Red Dog' Norley made a pass at Bollenrath but overshot. Quickly repositioning, Norley followed the 163 as the jet “used his blower (rocket motor) for a couple of seconds" and made an aggressive left turn. The high-drag turn enabled Norley to get within range and fire. He observed a number of strikes near the tail and watched as the small rocket plane rolled over and went straight down.
This is my study painting of Bollenrath's Me 163 which will be part of a larger oil painting (see A Good Day for Red Dog) depicting the action described above.