This was Schuck’s second kill. Schuck’s third kill simply started burning and winged over toward earth. His fourth kill was a B-17 named Moonlight Mission, which lost a wing due to his accurate fire. Most of the crew had left the aircraft before it exploded at over 15,000 feet.{3} Schuck had scored four bomber kills in one mission, adding to JG-7’s laurels, although Schuck would not escape unscathed:
“I was now out of ammunition and searched the sky in vain for any signs of my comrades. ‘Right, let’s get out of here,’ I thought. ‘That ride along the bomber stream had certainly paid off,’ I was just thinking to myself, when suddenly a line of bullets stitched themselves across the surface of my port wing and into the front of the engine nacelle. As I wrenched the Me 262 to the right to get out of the line of fire, a Mustang hurtled past me, all guns blazing. A hasty glance at the instruments told me I was at eight thousand two hundred meters, but the left hand engine was losing power’…. At least there was no sign of the Mustang, but the bad news was that smoke was pouring from my port engine. While I was still weighing up the chances of reaching Jüterborg, the panels of the engine cowling started to peel back as if somebody was opening a tin of sardines.”{4}
Schuck was forced to bail out, only suffering two sprained ankles. JG-7 had suffered many losses, and this day was known as Black Tuesday. Schuck’s victor was a P-51 pilot, 1st Lt. Joseph Anthony Peterburs, and in 2005 the two former adversaries, with the gracious assistance of Kurt Schulze, met for the first time at Kurt’s house in 2005. They have been great friends since that day. Peterburs never knew that he had scored a “kill,” as this extract from his report states:
“I saw one Me 262 hit at least two B-17s and I proceeded to attack it. I had about a five-thousand-foot altitude advantage, and with throttle wide open and fifty-caliber machine guns blazing I engaged the jet from the six o’clock position and was getting some hits and saw smoke. The jet headed for the deck with me in hot pursuit and Capt. Dick Tracy close behind me. We chased the jet to an airfield. As I approached I could see the airfield was loaded with all types of German aircraft. I called Dick and said, ‘Do you see what I see?’ He said, “Yes—let’s go!’ The Me 262 had entered a bank of low stratus clouds, and we broke off the chase and started to strafe the airfield.”{5}
Peterburs and Tracy soon fell victim to the flak that had claimed so many Allied pilots, and both had to bail out. They were prisoners at the same POW camp, but soon escaped and joined a Russian tank unit until the end of the war. Schuck the pragmatist and true gentleman stated in his book: “The insanity of war had almost brought us to the point of killing each other. Today Joe and I, former adversaries in air combat, have become inseparable friends.” This comment has long been shared by many pilots who fought each other, who after meeting, often gathering at the annual Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger reunions, enjoy each other’s company, far removed from the days of their dangerous work and remembering the adventures of their youth.
On April 17, 1945, every jet unit was involved in the action against the Eighth Air Force bombers and escort fighters. The U.S. 1st Air Division headed toward Berlin were attacked by seven jets from III./JG-7, where one B-17 from the 305th Bomb Group, The Towering Titan, was confirmed as a kill, and was ironically the last B-17 lost by that unit during the war. The escort fighters were from the 357th Fighter Group. One went down when it was shot up by 1st Lt. James A. Steiger, who snapped in behind a jet, fired, and ripped a wing off. The jet spiraled into the ground and there was no parachute.{6} Of interest, one of the 1st Bomb Division wing commanders, Brig. Gen. William Cross, was flying the mission to observe when his B-17 was hit by a fast-moving Me 262, and before the coup de grace could be administered, he managed to join the protection of the box formation.
This jet pilot was more than likely Oberfeldwebel Heinz Arnold, who at the time of his death was credited with forty-nine victories, with forty-two victories over the Eastern Front and seven on the Western Front (all in the jet), of which five were four-engine bombers. Heinz Arnold was not flying his normal jet that day, which was Me 262 (work number 500491) “Yellow 7” bearing his personal victory marks. This aircraft was captured by U.S. forces at the airfield in May 1945 and is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
The 20th Fighter Group was well represented when Lt. Col. Jack W. Hayes claimed a damaged Me 262, which was probably flown by Leutnant Grünberg of I./JG-7, who bailed out safely. Flying Officer Jerome Rosenblum and 1st Lt. Robert M. Scott claimed damaged jets, while Capt. Robert J. Frisch and Capt. John C. Campbell of the 339th Fighter Group each claimed a jet kill. Frisch’s target bailed out of his jet, which was already visibly damaged (probably from bombers’ defensive fire or the random fighter hits, which would explain one of the “damaged” claims).
Campbell finally caught his jet at Prague/Ruzyne as he tried to land (Unteroffizier Fick being killed), and the 357th claimed two destroyed on the ground. It is interesting to note that the identities of four of the five pilots shot down near Ruzyne are not known (only Grünberg and Fick being so identified); four were from I./JG-7 with one (Fick) belonging to III./JG-7. All of the jets led by Grünberg were shot down while trying to land under fighter attack.
The 4th Fighter Group Mustangs chased a jet that was not shot down, the aircraft was crash-landed by the pilot, while the 364th Fighter Group, also on escort duty had Capt. R. W. Orndorff claimed a 262 over Prague, with Capt. W. L. Goff claiming one over Pilsen. First Lieutenant W. F. Kissel claimed one destroyed on the ground. The 324th Fighter Group had Lt. Kenneth E. Dahlstrom and Lt. J. V. Jones claim a “probable” each; Lt. R. Pearlman claimed a “damaged”; Lt. D. L. Raymond and Lt. T. N. Theobald shared a damaged jet claim. First Lieutenant T. R. Atkins also claimed a “probable” while Lt. E. E. Heald and Lt. F. C. Bishop also shared a damaged claim. Major Hewitt of the 78th Fighter Group claimed an Me 262 destroyed while landing at Kalrupy, but the kill was not confirmed.{7}
Also on April 17, the scope of the Allied effort was amplified by the B-26 formations from the 17th and 320th Bomb Groups of the 1st Tactical Air Force. The 354th Fighter Group of the Ninth Air Force scored a kill when eight P-51s jumped a lone Me 262 near Karlsruhe, with Capt. Jack A. Warner claiming the kill. However, the records do not support the known jet losses, or even pilot casualties for this date, despite the confirmation.{8} It is more likely that Warner shot down an Ar 234, which was operating and recorded as lost during this timeline, although the unit designation is unknown.
The 371st Fighter Group, Ninth Air Force, encountered an Me 262, when 1st Lt. James A. Zweizig dropped his P-47 onto a jet at 6,000 feet, fired and had strikes, and claimed a kill. This again must have been an Ar 234, given the known loss records and reports of damaged aircraft.
The Americans did not have it all their way. Major Wolfgang Späte and Oberleutnants Bohatsch and Stehle each claimed a B-17 for I./JG-7, while four more bombers were claimed by Leutnant Müller, Oberfeldwebels Pritzl and Göbel, and Unteroffizier Schöppler of III./JG-7. April 17, 1945, was a big day for all concerned, yet the week was not over.{9}