They were there
by Gary Eason
Title
They were there
Artist
Gary Eason
Medium
Digital Art - Digital Picture
Description
The first aerial combat victories on the Western Front in World War II were claimed by French Armee de l'Air pilots in their US-built Curtiss Hawk 75A-1s of the SPA 160 "Red Devils" squadron of GC II/4 on 8 September, 1939. Six Hawks had come under a barrage of anti-aircraft fire in the Landau-Sarreguemines area and were then attacked by four Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3s from I./JG53.
In the ensuing dogfight, Adj Pierre Villey and Sgt Chef Antoine Casenoble each claimed to have downed a 109. In the event it seems only one was damaged - but it was quite a coup. The pilot was no less than Oblt Werner Molders, who crashed landed in a meadow, injuring his back. Molders, already a Spanish Civil War ace, went on to become the first pilot to claim 100 aerial victories.
Uploaded
April 5th, 2014
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