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From: FZC Publications UK

To: andrew.tiplady@ntlworld.com ; APOLLO ; AQUILA ; BLU ; BO ; BRUNO ; BUC ; CGHome ; CGWork ; CHICCO ; COBRA ; dave.mann ; DEAN ; DIABLO ; DICK ; DISCUS ; DUG ; duhuntertb@yahoo.com ; ef011a6664 ; FATMAN ; FOX ; HAWK ; HEYWHAT ; HITTY ; HUGHBART ; HUMBER ; LUIS ; JJ ; MAC ; MAGIC ; MANX ; Martin ; MRX ; NUNO ; PEGASUS ; PRIZM ; RANGER ; RAP ; RIDER ; SHADES ; SHARK ; SIOUX ; SKOGGERS ; SN1PA ; SNOOPY ; SPUTNIK ; SWEEP ; TORNADO ; VAUCHEZ ; VIKING ; WARRIOR ; Wedge ; WILL ; ZAC ; ECAFOX

Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 5:28 PM

Subject: EURO_Sqn Gazette #171 ** BATTLE OF THE BULGE ** GREAT PIX ** PROMOS ** NEW ARCHIVE CDs **

Pilot Officers Diablo, Blu and Pegasus have received their Flying officers' wings. Congrats to all 3. Please add the FO to your callsign.

7 Oct: CFS 1 Week - Great Discussions held so far. Watch out for Saturday Nights Bomb Run.

14 Oct: IL-2 Week - Underway Now! Have some fun with lots of vodka and powerful machine guns.

At last - by public demand - no expense spared.... we introduce to you the EURO Group Archive CDs.

They have been produced with 2 objectives in mind - supplying all our files to members ( which is extrememly useful after reformats, and also for dial-up Members ) and to aid sustaining the domain names which we own. As such - there obviously has to be a small charge for each item.

Still in progress so give me a few days AMHeywhat..... LOL. Have reinstated our public counter ( which has always been in situ - just not always visible - as we approach the magic MILLION hits.... Comments welcome...

How can we introduce FS2002 to the Group with a bang? ( considering there are no guns... LOL )

A Round the World flight. That was it. But not just in a 747 or Scarebus A320. No. This would be in a King Air 350, by Beechcraft.

In automobile terms, it's like driving around the world in a Nissan Micra - not particularly exciting in itself - but the combination of numerous short haul legs and exotic destinations made it a little more attractive.

I spoke first, with CRViking - fellow real world Pilot and 3D Dinosaur Constructor.

He offered to plan the route and make the self install flight plans, which was no small task. Clearance had to be obtained from several "non-cooperative Governments" and only last night, the Indian Air Force buzzed the Spirit with their Dassault Mirage defence aircraft ( see picture ).

The flight has been very successful otherwise, so far. The reluctance of the Bulgarian Defence Minister to allow us to use their air space rapidly receded with our offer of a dozen pairs of Levi 501s for the flight controllers....

Flying under real world weather conditions, we are actively seeking routes which avoid the worst of the Worlds weather at this time of year.

Leaving at this time of year makes for a more difficult return leg, but the routes to the southern hemisphere are at least in summer conditions.

Several very interesting legs approach - let's hope we maintain our good weather omens!

On December 16, 1944, three German armies — more than 140,000 men, 1,025 corps artillery guns and rocket launchers and some 642 tanks and assault guns—devastated Allied lines. Led by Obersturmbannführer Joachim Pieper, the offensive—named "Wacht am Rhein"—moved forward in the predawn, bitterly cold air. The plan was to crush U.S. resistance from Monschau to Krewinkel, race across the Meuse River on both sides of Liège and then turn northward to capture Antwerp. The plan appeared to be working: German forces quickly overran the inexperienced U.S. forces and formed a large bulge in the Allied lines.

On the December 18, a change in the weather allowed 800 American bombers and 750 fighters to attack German transportation targets. Meanwhile, on December 17, Germany had committed 650 fighters to the Ardennes battle and 849 joined them on the 18th. As a consequence, many of the 1,300 Allied fighters were unable to intervene in the battle.

The Allies soon realized that they needed more effort if they were to halt Luftwaffe activities. The German armies approached the Meuse on December 23, but the "soupy" weather suddenly changed dramatically and in a clear sky, the sun rose over a bright, frosty landscape. Within two hours, the air over the Ardennes swarmed with Allied planes. For the first time in a week, Allied airpower was able to intervene in the German counteroffensive. Hitler's luck had run out ( on Nordlicht perhaps? LOL Ed )

More than 3,100 Allied planes, including squadrons of Martin B-26 Marauders, P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts, flung themselves at the German incursion. But Germany threw Fw 190s, Bf 109s and especially Me 262 jet fighters into the fray in unprecedented numbers, so the Allies' light bombers and fighters were really up against it. In his book, "The First and the Last Stand," Adolf Galland states, "Doolittle and Tedder now demanded decisive measures to prevent … the operations of German jet fighters."

Allied ground and air commanders decided that on December 24, 1944, the Allies would strike all German airfields with maximum effort. On the evening of December 23, 1944, every 8th Air Force squadron was put on alert. I saw the usual red flag (alert) on our commanding officer's bulletin board. Military policemen switched on red lights in our group bars and the local pubs we frequented; after that, we knew we wouldn't be served alcohol. Whenever the red flag appeared on bulletin boards, we were limited to the camp. The group operations message center received a telephone message on its secret "scrambler" line; military police stood at the door of our operations war room, in which detailed mission information was received via teleprinter.

The war room was the hub of S-2 intelligence activities. There, the duty officer was given the cipher book he needed to decode the target identification. He then assembled a folder of information that would provide target-briefing data for our crew presentation. We were awakened at 3 a.m., allowed 30 minutes to wash, shave, visit the latrine and get to the mess hall. To avoid oxygen-mask discomfort and to help it seal properly, shaving was essential. Some of our living quarters were half a mile or more from the mess halls. Transportation—usually weapons carriers—was available, but those billeted nearby walked or cycled.

Cooks and kitchen staff had to rise an hour before us and aircraft mechanics at least three hours before our takeoff. Armorers installed the bombs, the size and type of which were predicated by the mission's purpose. Tanker-vehicle crews topped off the bombers' gas tanks; both B-17s and B-24s held approximately 2,800 U.S. gallons, which represented nearly one quarter of their gross takeoff weight. At the same time, oxygen truck crews checked every bomber's oxygen supply and replenished it as needed. We arrived at our bombers at least an hour before our scheduled takeoff time; gunners had time to carefully inspect, clean and remove any surplus oil that might freeze at altitude. To avoid accidentally firing a gun, we did not charge them with ammunition until we had left the coast of Britain. Then our squadrons dispersed and fired their guns to ensure that they operated properly.

We started our engines 25 minutes before the scheduled takeoff and 10 minutes before taxi time. A green flare was the start signal. We pilots had time to run up our engines and check the instruments and controls—a repeat of the checks done by the crew chief two or three hours earlier.

Taxiing a B-17 demanded much more skill than a B-24; we couldn't see directly ahead over the nose. Marshaling and taxiing was a noisy business, as the roar of 192 or more powerful, open-exhaust engines was accompanied by the frequent squealing of brakes. Every bomber consumed about 60 gallons of fuel during this period.

We took off after seeing a second green flare from the checkered, flying-control van. Depending on its gross weight, a battle-bound B-17 or B-24 was airborne in about 3,000 feet but, to gain as much airspeed as we could to sustain liftoff, we kept main wheels on the ground until we were near the end of the runway. At this point, if all were well, we would be at 110 to 120mph. While the undercarriage retracted, we began a shallow climb toward our scheduled group assembly area at an assigned altitude of between 5,000 and 10,000 feet. At 10,000 feet, our navigator or copilot told us to use oxygen, and every 15 minutes thereafter, while at altitude, our bombardier or pilot called each of us to ensure we weren't suffering oxygen deprivation. Faulty equipment could lead to unconsciousness in minutes and death in as few as 20 minutes. We had to stay alert to this possibility because a victim was rarely aware of what was happening to him; drowsiness just took over.

The giant formation stretched for 300 miles from the English coast near Norwich to the German border. As our 3rd Division bombers entered Germany, the 1st BD was just leaving Norwich; the 2nd BD was somewhere between. Our bomber forces were in three divisions, as follows:

Led by our 3rd Bomb Division, with 1st and 2nd trailing, each squadron had a maximum of 12 or 13 bombers. Rarely would all the groups have all their bombers simultaneously airborne. Up to three percent were held on reserve to replace "aborts" and those that hadn't been able to get all engines operating properly on the ground.

More than 2,000 bombers and 900 fighters formed into squadrons and then groups and then wings and then an air force; the logistics are mind-boggling. In the hours before dawn, in foggy weather, each group fired color-coded flares at three-minute intervals and many expressed wonder that collisions weren't frequent.

Over the English Channel, each group, on order, dispersed to harmlessly clear its guns. Numerous splashes could be seen as .50 caliber rounds fell into the Channel. No system is perfect, of course. I recall that, on one mission, a trigger-happy tail gunner didn't allow ample time for dispersal and put four rounds through my Fort's right wing. Nothing vital was damaged; my rugged aircraft shook off the abuse, and we completed the mission.

To fly through a full bomb group of planes firing more than 620 .50-caliber guns, German fighter pilots had to be brave. Interviewed later, they spoke confidently of U.S. B-17 and B-24 "flak cruisers" that didn't carry bombs but had extra armor and guns to guard the front, flanks and rear of bomber formations. In 1943, the 8th Air Force experimented briefly with seven converted B-17s in this role, but these aircraft were significantly heavier and slower than the usual bombers once the latter had released their bombs, so the idea of using them was soon dropped. Yet "flak cruisers" were mentioned in German reports for the rest of the War—a definite tribute to U.S. bomber firepower.

After the guns had been cleared, all our squadrons closed up in tight formation and began a long climb to 26,000 feet. At that altitude, the German's standard 88mm "ack-ack" gun lost much of its accuracy. That didn't mean much, however, as on missions such as that to the Merseburg oil refineries, we were shot at by flak-saturation antiaircraft fire.

The sun had barely risen when our 3rd Division turned from the English coast and headed southeast across the English Channel towards Dunkirk, Belgium. U.S. bombers turned east about 10 miles west of the Luxembourg border, and the route was clear of the usual deadly antiaircraft fire at the battle lines. By this time, our 3rd Division lead was at 26,000 feet. At this altitude, the snow-covered ground and forest were distinguishable. Down there, we knew that Allied Sherman tanks, artillery and men were being pounded by German Tiger and Panther tanks, guns, troops and Fw 190, Bf 109 and Me 262 fighters.

But our thoughts were suddenly interrupted; radio silence was broken by one of our crewmen asking, "Where the hell are our fighters?" A voice from command answered quickly, "Let's keep radio silence, except for bogey reports; our fighters will be here shortly." And seconds after, an excited voice exclaimed: "Bogeys, eleven o'clock high!" I recall thinking, "That guy must have good eyes"—it took me several seconds to make out the tiny dots on the horizon ahead. We were involuntarily tense—braced for exploding 20mm cannon shells at our stations. Most of us in our 837 BS saw the many white flashes on Gen. Frederick Castle's Fort and on the B-17 on his left wing. I saw an engine cowl and another object from the Fort being swept through the slipstream, and when his number-three engine started to trail smoke, smaller pieces of debris followed. Our squadron flew to the left of and low off the general's Fort; the 838th flew right and high, while the 839th flew in the "slot," behind and low. I imagined seeing the brave general at the controls (although he actually didn't take control until later, when his bomber was in dire trouble).

In seconds, I saw fire streaming from the general's B-17 number-three engine and right wing root. Flames reached its horizontal stabilizer and burned the fabric off the right elevator. The left wingman's bomber was also smoking, but it didn't show any fire as it turned slowly to the left and disappeared from my view. Then I saw the general turn his Fort down and to the left, and the Fort to his right also turned away from its position, leaving a slim trail of smoke. I don't recall seeing it again. I watched as the Fort's landing gear was lowered—an accepted indication that you were out of the fight.

About three more gaggles of Fw 190s pressed to attack again. Our crew agreed that this left four more B-17s on fire and trailing smoke; they left the formation. I saw one Fort dive almost vertically without smoke. Cannon fire had likely killed or critically wounded the pilot and copilot. Helpless, we watched as one B-17 after the other was chewed up by cannon fire. As we endured another frontal attack, white flashes over front surfaces indicated the next Fort to go down. On the last sweep, a group of Fw 190s flew right through the narrow space between the 836 and 837. The right wingman was so close to the 837 right number-three Fort that I recall thinking, "The Fw 190 pilot looked back at me; I bet I could identify him in a police lineup."

Now the flames from the general's Fort streamed backward about 200 feet, and I saw a bright flash as the right main tank blew. The Fort's right wing was entirely blown off, and the B-17 nosed straight down. Gen. Castle took over the controls and ordered all his crew to bail out, but his navigator was so badly wounded that he couldn't leave. The general's main concern was the safety of his crew. Today, I still have a clipping from the Armed Forces newspaper "Stars and Stripes": "Castle Died to Save Crew—Brig. General Frederick Castle, an 8th AF Bomb Wing Commander, rode voluntarily to his death in his burning, bullet-riddled B-17 over Liège, while keeping the plane under control long enough for its crew to bail out."

Gen. Castle, leading his third mission on Germany, refused to salvo the plane's bombs when seven Nazi fighters attacked because Allied soldiers and civilians were below. At our interrogation, we reported that seven parachutes were seen leaving the general's plane. In view of the enemy's persistence in attacking it, many of us were convinced that German intelligence had found out that a general was on board.

Then there were cheers! Nine hundred P-51 and P-47 escort fighters—just dots swiftly approaching from the rear—were identified by sharp eyes. A few minutes later, the air around us swarmed with "little friends." The enemy fighters disappeared as though a magician had tapped his wand. Our 487th Bomb Group then turned northeast toward Giessen. Three miles past Giessen, we made a sharp 90-degree turn, and about half an hour later we arrived at the initial point (IP), about five miles south of Ansbach. There we made another 90-degree and lead bombardiers lined up their Norden bombsights on the Babenhausen airfield. In minutes, thousands of demolition bombs devastated operations buildings, maintenance hangars, airplanes, communications facilities and runways. It was precision bombing at its best.

The 8th Air Force lost some good men, including Gen. Castle, but the December 24, 1944, mission may be considered a success. The biggest armada in the history of aviation had achieved its primary goals. Frontline German airfields, highways and rail tracks had been destroyed. In the ensuing months, the resulting inability of Germany to move many of its airplanes, tanks and troops to the Front was apparent. Germany unconditionally surrendered on May 8, 1945.

Gen. Castle was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. A colorful personality, who had left a desk job, he was the highest-ranking officer in the 8th to be awarded this medal.

Forces of tremendous proportions had been prepared by Germany to thwart the Allies' strategic bomber raids. In his book, "Luftwaffe, A History," Harold Faber states in reference to the Ardennes offensive:

"This ambitious operation had been carefully prepared. With Göring's concurrence, plans had been made to withdraw the (German) day-fighter units from action long enough for their personnel and materiel strength to be restored. As soon as this point had been reached and weather conditions were favorable, a force of 2,000 single-engine fighters was to be sent up in aerial combat against the enemy in hope of inflicting such heavy losses that the Allies would refrain from strategic air operations. As a tentative goal, the destruction of 400 to 500 four-engine bombers and at least as many enemy fighters had been established. The Luftwaffe had completed its preparations by the first week in November, and Göring had addressed a personal appeal to the fighter forces (November 7). Then, in contradiction to these plans and in spite of vigorous protests on the part of Galland, Hitler ordered the fighter forces to be transferred to the Western theater for employment in the Ardennes offensive. Hitler's order, without a doubt, was the salvation of the 8th Air Force mission on December 24, 1944. If Galland had prevailed, there would have been mass slaughter on that date, at the Luxembourg border."

The Luftwaffe showed what it could do on January 1, 1945. In its Operation Bodenplate (ground plate) it attacked 15 Allied airfields in France, Holland and Belgium. The surprise attack cost Germany 150 fighter aircraft and their crews, but the Luftwaffe destroyed 800 Allied machines on the ground. It referred to as "… a victory paid for by the destruction of the last reserves of the Luftwaffe." The Luftwaffe had, however, another "born-again" experience on March 18, 1945—very late in the War.

"The German capital, Berlin, was attacked by 1,200 8th Air Force bombers. They had an escort of 14 full squadrons of P-51s. Despite being outnumbered 100 to one, Me 262s easily and repeatedly broke through the U.S. fighter screen and shot down bomber after bomber. In addition to those shot down by flak, the Americans had to report a loss of 25 bombers and five fighter planes. Sixteen bombers were so heavily hit that they had to make emergency landings behind the Soviet front line. The enemy [8th Air Force] suffered much greater losses at the hands of the jet fighters of the JG 7. The next day (March 19), the U.S. again suffered losses inflicted by our jet fighters (Me 262), while our piston-engine fighters could achieve nothing against the mass of the Allied fighter escort." (German Adolf Galland, in his book, "The First and The Last").

Checkers, the cute cocker spaniel that saved Richard Nixon's political career in 1952 -- and by extension caused Watergate and a profound period of national funk -- is buried along with 50,000 other dogs, cats, chimpanzees, etc. in Long Island's Bide-a-Wee Pet Cemetery.

Checkers touched the hearts of a nation when then-VP candidate Nixon was accused of setting up a secret slush fund. Nixon appeared on television and said the only gift he'd received from his political cronies was Checkers. His children loved that dog, Nixon said, and he wasn't going to give it back -- even if it was a crime. America wept. Nixon went on to become Vice President under Eisenhower, and you know the rest of it.

Since Nixon never lived on Long Island, and only buried Checkers there because it was convenient, some locals look upon the dog as an unwelcome outsider. Suffolk County Historical Society President Wallace Broege has been quoted as saying "I think it does Long Island a disservice."

That doesn't stop the visitors from coming. And while patriots still plant small American flags next to the dog's granite tombstone (Plot #5), no one from the former first family has ever visited.

Note: Rumors that Checkers was to be exhumed and reburied at the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, CA, are false. However, the Library does have a topiary Checkers.

(Bide-a-Wee Association Pet Cemetery Memorial Park: Exit 28 south from the Southern State Parkway to Wantagh Ave. Bear right, go to the fifth traffic light [Beltagh Ave.], make right. Opposite Wantagh High School.)

CRWarriors' family album includes this picture of his Uncle Sergei.... presumably taken on a Sunday..... LOL

DONT FORGET you can visit the Gazette Archive at http://www.cfspilots.com/ , courtesy of our very own LtCSnoopy.

THE GAZETTE IS AN FZC PRODUCTION FOR FZC ENTS ©1997-2002. CONCEIVED WRITTEN & PRODUCED FOR, AND ON BEHALF OF THE EURO ADVANCED COMBAT AND TACTICAL GROUP - THE NUMBER ONE AIR COMBAT OUTFIT. ALL IMAGES ITEMS AND ARTICLES ARE SUBJECT TO INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAWS, NO ITEMS SHALL BE REPRODUCED OR STORED IN ANY FORMAT WHATSOEVER WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS. PERMISSION WILL BE GIVEN ON REQUEST WITH THE APPROPRIATE CREDITS, SO THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO USE OUR WORK WITHOUT ASKING WILL BE PROSECUTED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAWS AS THEY APPLY. EURO AND ALL ITS MEMBERS HOLD NO POLITICAL AMBITION OR PREFERENCES - WE PLAY ONLINE FOR FUN AND FOR THE BROTHERHOOD THAT MEMBERSHIP OF THIS GROUP GIVES US. THE EDITOR ( ACBrit1 ) IS NOT ON THE PAYROLL OF ANY GAME MANUFACTURER OR DESIGNER AND THE THOUGHTS HELD WITHIN THESE PAGES ARE THEREFORE PERSONAL AND NOT INTENDED FOR QUOTATION WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION. REPRODUCTION OF ©GAZETTE ARCHIVE MATERIAL WITHOUT CONSENT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE...AND BESIDES...WHAT WOULD YOUR MOTHER THINK? LOL

ROUND THE WORLD

in a King Air 350

BATTLE OF THE BULGE