Combat In Normandy (5)

COMBAT CARNAGE LITTERS THE LANDSCAPE
Knocked Out Sherman literally sits dead in its tracks. Note the front of the hull has been pierced by a projectile and the treads at right side of photo have been damaged by another shot that left gouges in the side of the tread housing area. (Courtesy of Rex combs collection)		Lts John P. Foley and Hank Lefebvre inspect aircraft wreckage. Note poles in the background, some of the thousands erected by German troops. Nicknamed "Hitler's Asparagus", they were placed to damage Allied gliders trying to land. (Photo courtesy Capt. Rex Combs collection)	Lts Foley and Lefebvre sit on wreckage of downed aircraft first thought to be a German ME-262 in this shot taken near Vindefontaine, Normandy. (Photo courtesy Capt. Rex Combs collection)	Unique Nose Gun Ports confused identification of this aircraft. The ME-262, world's first combat jet aircraft, had 4 nose mounted cannon - 2 with with 100 rounds and 2 with just 80! (Photo courtesy Capt. Rex Combs collection)
Comparative Photo of this ME-262A and its nose cannon draped in camouflage netting seemed to prove that the subject aircraft was an ME-262. Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_262	Closer Inspection and Analysis by Matthias Radu pointed out the outline of the U.S. "Stars and Bars" and a "7Y" indicating the 429th Fighter Squadron (474th Fighter Group), an 9th AF outfit. He further postulated that what looked like Me-262 gun ports were actually empty slots from the P-38 Lightening after the guns had been scavenged.		Lightening Nose close-ups show detail of P--38 gun ports with cannons in place	Rotated and Cropped segment from the same shot appearing above enables the comparison of the gun ports and a final conclusion that this wreckage was a P-38 and not an Me-262! Note 5th center gun port that is also visible in photo at lower left Thanks for setting us straight, Mathias!
FINAL PROOF - Monday 10/26/2009 8:19:pm : Gary Koch wrote: "As historian of the 474th FG, I was very interested to come across the photos of a crashed 474th FG P-38 near Vindefontaine, France in the photo section "Combat Carnage Litters The Landscape". This is indeed P-38J-15-LO, serial no. 42-104319, from the 429th FS flown by 1Lt George C. Knox Jr. Knox was on his way back to base from his primary target near Angers on 23 May 1944 when he was hit by flak guns mounted on railroad cars southwest of St. Mere Eglise. He made a successful belly landing near Vindefontaine, but was taken POW shortly thereafter."