Most flights are fairly ad hoc but the Geschwader does get together for larger formation operations when able. Below are some of the exploits of JG 53.
After Action Report
8th January 2021
Mission date 18th July 1944, AM
Words by Burrito.
An almost full squad took off from England and France (we were flying Red) to hit axis targets just east of Caen. The target was identified and multiple bomb and rocket attacks were made, resulting in a good number of targets destroyed but minor damage on a number of our own aircraft. The squadron returned to land at Beny-sur-Mer and Burrito and Plush were ferried by bus to Cardonville to grab some fresh P47s, while Paddy and Dusty grabbed fresh spits. While the P47s were warming up, Dusty and Paddy bravely departed Beny and returned to the target area, hoping to locate the second of the two panzer divisions there. As the P47s cruised past Longue-sur-Mer running east, the spitfire flight located some likely bombing candidates and commenced bombing and strafing runs. They avoided receiving any damage and caused massive carnage before being autokicked for killing a friendly column. There endeth the report. We're all very sorry. It wasn't me guv'nor, I wasn't even there. It was early, ad no one had woken up yet. We think we saw an Anton strafing, and he did them all in. Honest.
After Action Report
23rd January 2021
Mission date 22nd June 1944, PM
Words by Burrito, Images by Trueno.
A fighter patrol through the AO was planned for later in the afternoon so a small flight went about some shaping operations on the Cotentin Peninsula. Burrito and Plush took trusty Antons from Lessay while Dusty and Paddy ferried two 109s from Argentan complete with 500kg presents for Beauzeville. Burrito placed a very tactical bomb on the edge of the runway allowing space for someone else to place a second crater in the middle of the runway, and then continued greeting the AAA positions with some 20mm handshakes. With the rest of the flight’s arrival over Beauzeville he retired to Lessay to rearm. 3 more bombs on the runway from the Dusty, Paddy and Plush combine severed the western and eastern ends of the runway and a few more 500kg ferry runs from Lessay with 20mm and 30mm donations to the AAA reduced the threat from any aircraft using Beauzeville somewhat. With the arrival of the rest of the squad, the shoreboat ferried the pilots back to Argentan to grab fresh aircraft ready for the fighter sweep.
A 5-ship launched out of Argentan ready to engage the many Red aircraft that normally inhabit the server on a Saturday morning (UK time). Fris had recklessly started a badly timed disk optimisation process so was a little delayed and followed behind a little later. Unfortunately, seeing so many JG 53 tags on the server seemed to cause a flurry of hairdressing appointments amongst the Red pilots, or they were clearing out their handbags or some such, so pickings were pretty scarce. A sweep from Argentan to St Lo to Lessay revealed no contacts bar one crazy fool floating around above 9K, probably hypoxic, and we really couldn’t be arsed to climb all the way up there. Instead, Trueno spotted one possible low contact low to the north east of Cherbourg and we headed off in pursuit. What followed can only be described as a 150 km wavetop tailchase from Cherbourg to the south east English coast, never coming within 1 nm of the bandit. After all that way and as we were finally closing slowly towards guns range we were delighted that the cockwomble decided to disappear in front of our eyes just as we reached the coast of Blighty, probably never aware that there were 5 109s breathing down his neck. Such was the delight that Plush decided to go for a swim on the way back after dipping his wing in the water to test the temperature (it must have been lovely because he went right in).
A 3-ship of Trueno, Burrito and Dusty landed at Maupertus for a refuel while Paddy flew south to hook up with Fris and Plush who were making their way up from Argentan. They picked up a couple of spitfires near to Lignerolles that developed into 2 fights running north west towards Carentan. As the 3 ship reinforcements from Maupertus approached the fight, Plush’s and Fris’s bandit decided to blow itself up after a small machinegun tickle, while Paddy remained engaged low with the second. It temporarily escaped so Milan formation headed for Lessay to rearm. Plans for a nice formation approach were shelved with the wise words “Fuck that formation shit…” as a timely radar return pointed the way back towards the bandit. 3 109s descended on a hapless bandit trying to return to the north west and a short fight ensued. The spitfire lost his engine after some more vigorous 30mm tickling and descended towards a field. Burrito dove in pursuit but got distracted by the rare pixelated tree warblerpecker and went in for a closer look (or did he forget the 109 doesn’t recover from dives quite as quickly as an anton…?). Shortly afterwards he started up a nice shiny new 109 at Argentan, while the remainder of Milan refuelled, rearmed and replanned at Lessay and Maupertus. While taxying for take off, Trueno was briefly heard to make the now familiar Milan radio call…”Oh no!..”, as a hastily erected windsock suddenly appeared in front of him and damaged his wing (the groundcrew needed the practice anyway).
The short delay allowed further tasking to come in as a formation of JU88s requested escort from Guernsey via Alderney to attack shipping north east of Cherbourg. With equal buckets of curiosity and heroic enthusiasm, Milan volunteered and headed off to the west. Milan dropped into formation on the bombers as they lumbered towards their unsuspecting foes. Unfortunately, their foes didn’t stay unsuspecting for long and very heavy flak make the ride a bit more interesting. “Eels in the water…” and 3 ships were left smoking after the ‘88s torpedo runs and some near suicidal strafing runs by Dusty. Returning back towards the Cotentin Peninsula a bandit was spotted to the south and one more Red fell to earth more abruptly than he had planned. Meanwhile Burrito picked up a second moving target to the south and trotted off to investigate. A lone Thunderbolt heading up towards Cherbourg found two formations converging on him and threw himself on top of a Cherbourg flak burst in desperation. Ever concerned for the bandit’s wellbeing, Dusty gave his engine a machinegun massage for not such a happy ending as the ‘bolt bailed and crashed into a field.
Thus ended another heroic patrol by JG 53. The author makes zero claims of accuracy in writing this report.
