USA - BLANCHARD Merle E

Grade	Date	Unités		Arrivée	Départ	Fonction	Secteur
Slt	194?		USAAF	01/42	03/43	Elève Pilote	Etats-Unis
Lt	31/01/44		USAAF	03/43	1943	Pilote	Etats-Unis
Cpt	09/08/44		338 FS / 55 FG	1943	08/44	Pilote	Grande Bretagne
			USAAF	08/44	05/45	Instructeur	Grande Bretagne

Officier de l'USAAF, le Capitaine Merle E Blanchard est né le 16 novembre 1919 à Campbell, en Californie. Diplômé de la Haute Ecole de Santa Cruz en 1938, il est employé par la société Lockheed à Burbank, en Californie où il travaille sur les chaines d'assemblage du P-38, appareil dont il tombe amoureux. Il rejoint l'Army Reserve en janvier 1942 et débute la formation de Cadet à Lemoore (Californie) avant de suivre l'entrainement avancé à Williams Field, en Californie. Il reçoit ses ailes en mars 1943 et se trouve affecté au 338th Fighter Squadron / 55th Fighter Group. Envoyé en Grande Bretagne, il sert avec cette unité jusqu'au 9 août 1944. Au cours de sa période d'activité au sein de l'unité, il remporte 2 victoires confirmées en combat aérien. Le 10 août 1944, il est transféré au 496th Fighter Training Group en tant qu'instructeur. Merle Blanchard est décédé le 23 octobre 2006 à Placerville, en Californie.

Avion assigné : P-38 CL- "Big Nick"

55th Fighter Group

338th Fighter Squadron

Traducteur / Translator / Traduttore / übersetzer / vertaler

BLANCHARD Merle E (Cpt) O-740137

European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal

Objectifs terrestres
.

Avions détruits au sol

On my original bounce I was forced to break into an Me 109 alone and lost my leader. I tried twice unsuccessfully to join other flights, but each time was bounced by more 109's coming down. I saw an Me 109 on a P-38's tail, both planes being in a gentle turn to the left. They were about 1,000 feet below the main group of P-38's and about 300 feet below me. I closed on the E/A and got in a good burst at about 300 yards from nearly dead astern. I observed hits on wing and fuselage of the 109, and he went off in a shallow wing-down dive to the right, trailing white and dark smoke, unquestionably out of control. He was in a steep spiral and was smoking heavily when I last saw him as he went into the overcast. I fired several short bursts at other Me 109's but did not observe results.

While leading Red Flight at 20,000 feet I saw 8 P-38's bouncing 4 FW 190's at 10,000 feet. I started down to give them immediate top cover, when I noticed a single engine a/c approaching 5 P-38's from 8 o'clock. I called White Flight for cover and came out of the sun in a 420 mph. dive on the a/c, which I identified as a FW 190, and started firing at about 450 yards. The e/a saw my tracers and broke left, and as he did so, I noticed strikes on both wing and fuselage. I racked my plane in and out-turned the e/a getting hits at a 15 degree deflection in the bank. The e/a started what appeared to be intended as a split "S", but as he rolled on his back he released his canopy and started leaving the plane. I fired another short burst as he was getting out of the ship, hoping to get a picture of him before pulling up to avoid a collision. When I had completed my pull-up and looked back, the e/a was out of sight in the cloud, so I do not know whether or not the pilot succeeded in getting out of the plane, but he was making every effort to do so when I last saw him. I claim one FW 190 destroyed.

While leading Red Flight at 8,000 Ft. I observed two ME-109s on a P-38 tail at 9 o'clock. I broke left with my flight and made a head on pass at one of them and observed a few strikes. Then I covered my No. 4 man, Lt. Schank as he followed the other ME-109 to the deck and in a 5 minute flight at 0 altitude shot him into some trees.

While leading Acron Red Flight at 15,000 feet we spotted 5 plus ME-109's on the deck directly over Laon, France. Acorn Squadron bounced these aircraft and at first they tried the old trick of circling the airdrome 1 mile east of Laon. Our boys drove in through the light flak of the airdrome and they headed for the wide open spaces below tree top level. I spotted one ME-109 without a P-38 on his tail heading east, about 4 miles from Laon and dove in to attack from 5,000 feet at about 420 mph with my four ship flight. At about 10 degrees above, dead astern, I opened fire at 200 yards getting many hits on fuselage and wing roots. As I was over running the E/A, I was forced to pull up in a wing down loop and could not see the E/A after that. He was smoking heavily when I broke away. Engagement lasted 5 seconds.

[1914 - 1918]	[1918 - 1939]	Liens	Mon ciel de Gloire		Exploits	[1939 - 1945]	[1945 - 2006]
Grades	Décorations	Contact	News	Forum	Musée	Unités	Batailles

Victoires	2	.	o	Collaboration
Probables	o	.	o	Collaboration
Non confirmées	o	.	o	Collaboration
Endommagés	2	.	o	Collaboration
Objectifs terrestres .
Avions détruits au sol	-	.	-	Endommagés au sol
Blindés	-	.	-	Véhicules
Locomotives	-	.	-	Bateaux

VICTOIRES
Date	Heure	Revendic	Type	Unité	Avion d'arme	Unité	Lieu		Référence
31.01.44		Détruit	Me 109		P-38	338 FS / 55 FG	Goch	-	(xx) x x
On my original bounce I was forced to break into an Me 109 alone and lost my leader. I tried twice unsuccessfully to join other flights, but each time was bounced by more 109's coming down. I saw an Me 109 on a P-38's tail, both planes being in a gentle turn to the left. They were about 1,000 feet below the main group of P-38's and about 300 feet below me. I closed on the E/A and got in a good burst at about 300 yards from nearly dead astern. I observed hits on wing and fuselage of the 109, and he went off in a shallow wing-down dive to the right, trailing white and dark smoke, unquestionably out of control. He was in a steep spiral and was smoking heavily when I last saw him as he went into the overcast. I fired several short bursts at other Me 109's but did not observe results. I claim One (1) Me 109 destroyed.
22.05.44		Détruit	Fw 190		P-38	338 FS / 55 FG	Neumunster	-	(xx) x x
While leading Red Flight at 20,000 feet I saw 8 P-38's bouncing 4 FW 190's at 10,000 feet. I started down to give them immediate top cover, when I noticed a single engine a/c approaching 5 P-38's from 8 o'clock. I called White Flight for cover and came out of the sun in a 420 mph. dive on the a/c, which I identified as a FW 190, and started firing at about 450 yards. The e/a saw my tracers and broke left, and as he did so, I noticed strikes on both wing and fuselage. I racked my plane in and out-turned the e/a getting hits at a 15 degree deflection in the bank. The e/a started what appeared to be intended as a split "S", but as he rolled on his back he released his canopy and started leaving the plane. I fired another short burst as he was getting out of the ship, hoping to get a picture of him before pulling up to avoid a collision. When I had completed my pull-up and looked back, the e/a was out of sight in the cloud, so I do not know whether or not the pilot succeeded in getting out of the plane, but he was making every effort to do so when I last saw him. I claim one FW 190 destroyed.
11.06.44		Endommagé	Me 109		P-38	338 FS / 55 FG	Beauvais	-	(xx) x x
While leading Red Flight at 8,000 Ft. I observed two ME-109s on a P-38 tail at 9 o'clock. I broke left with my flight and made a head on pass at one of them and observed a few strikes. Then I covered my No. 4 man, Lt. Schank as he followed the other ME-109 to the deck and in a 5 minute flight at 0 altitude shot him into some trees. I claim One (1) ME-109 Damaged.
06.07.44		Endommagé	Me 109		P-38	338 FS / 55 FG	Laon	-	(xx) x x
While leading Acron Red Flight at 15,000 feet we spotted 5 plus ME-109's on the deck directly over Laon, France. Acorn Squadron bounced these aircraft and at first they tried the old trick of circling the airdrome 1 mile east of Laon. Our boys drove in through the light flak of the airdrome and they headed for the wide open spaces below tree top level. I spotted one ME-109 without a P-38 on his tail heading east, about 4 miles from Laon and dove in to attack from 5,000 feet at about 420 mph with my four ship flight. At about 10 degrees above, dead astern, I opened fire at 200 yards getting many hits on fuselage and wing roots. As I was over running the E/A, I was forced to pull up in a wing down loop and could not see the E/A after that. He was smoking heavily when I broke away. Engagement lasted 5 seconds. I claim One (1) ME-109 Damaged.

[1914 - 1918]	[1918 - 1939]	Liens	Mon ciel de Gloire		Exploits	[1939 - 1945]	[1945 - 2006]
Grades	Décorations	Contact	News	Forum	Musée	Unités	Batailles