Aircraft

B-17 44-8613 of the 100th Bomb Group was shot down by German ME-262s 21 March, 1945. I’ve done a good bit of research on this crew and I believe a German pilot of JG 7 shot it down with the loss of all but one of the crew. Fritz RG Mueller claimed a bomber on 21 March and the details found on the 100th Bomb Group Foundations website concerning Lt Painter and crew loss line up with Mueller’s description. Below is his description.
“I came upon a Boeing flying on an easterly course south of Dresden, separated by about 10
kilometers from the rest of the formation at the same height and escorted by four Mustangs flying above and behind.
I assumed this aircraft had some kind of special duty anddecided to attack it. The radio interference was now so heavy that no communication was possible. I passed close below the Mustangs and although they followed my section trailing black smoke (full throttle), my airspeed indicator showed me that I no
longer had to bother myself about them. The Boeing was now ahead of me in a gentle turn to port and I was approaching it at an angle of about 10 degrees from port and about 5 degrees from
above. At a range of about 1000 meters the rear gunner opened up continuous fire. What now happened took only seconds. At about 300 meters I and my wingman gave a short burst with a little
deflection. We observed about a dozen hits in the fuselage and between the engines of the Boeing and then we passed above it. Flying a wide turn (with the Mustangs behind us, trailing black
smoke and getting ever smaller) we observed the end of the bomber. It spun for some 2000 meters, several large parts broke away from the fuselage and wings and then it literally burst asunder.”
I obviously can’t be certain but it fits. If you look into it let me know what you think.
(Johnny Gressett)