art

On August 18, 1944, Eighth Air Force Command planned a bombing mission against the German Aerodrome at Nancy/Essey, France. There were about 70 aircraft on this airfield, mostly He-111s and Ju-88s, as well as a small number of fighters. Early in the afternoon a moderately sized formation of B-24 Liberators attacked the field with good results on many hangars and buildings, although a large number of German aircraft scattered around the field escaped damage. Immediately following the bombing attack the new C.O. of the 479th Fighter Group, Hubert Zemke of the 56th Fighter Group, led fifty P-38 Lightnings of the 479th in a strafing attack on the remaining German aircraft. The Group's 436th Squadron escorted the bombers home, while the 434th and 435th Squadrons strafed the airfield for about twenty five minutes. Wave after wave of P-38s swept over the field at approximately 100 feet above the ground until there was too much smoke and dust to maneuver safely.


Robin Olds was leading the 434th Squadron in his new P-38J "SCAT III", as depicted in the painting. All of Old's aircraft were named "SCAT", including several P-38's, P-51 Mustangs, and F-4 Phantoms in Vietnam. Robin made a number of passes at the German bombers, setting many ablaze, and also observed some good hits on an Fw-190 parked in front of a hangar. Post mission evaluation concluded that 32 P-38s from the two squadrons had destroyed 43 aircraft and damaged 23, for a loss of one P-38. In combination with the bomber strike, it was a very costly day for the Luftwaffe. On August 25th, Robin shot down three more enemy aircraft and became an ace.

Click to expand...