Special: Air Battle over the Ore Mountains

Pilots!

The history of World War II is rife with notable events. One of the lesser-known, but no less interesting, examples is the air battle that took place right on the border of the Czech Republic over the Ore Mountains in East Germany on September 11, 1944. Involving over 100 aircraft, this encounter turned out to be one of the biggest confrontations between American and German aircraft over continental Europe.

This battle is highlighted in this week's event, described below:

Event Begins: 22:30 PDT September 9, 2013

Event Ends: 23:00 PDT September 12, 2013

30% Credit Discount and 50% Experience Boost for the Following Aircraft:

VII North American P-51D Mustang

VII Messerschmitt Bf 109 G Gustav

The story of the Battle of the Ore Mountains is a dark one due to the losses suffered on both sides in this memorable clash. What went on to be known as “Black Monday over the Ore Mountains” began as a regular mission of the 100th Bomb Group division called “The Bloody Hundredth” on September 11,1944. In the morning, a formation of 36 US Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress heavy bombers took off from their RAF base station in England and began to make its way south. Their target was the Schwarzheide Synthesis Factory in East Germany as well as a fuel factory in the mountains of the Czech Republic.

Initially everything seemed quiet. The bomber formation was supposed to proceed unnoticed deep into enemy territory and then rendezvous with a group of supporting P-51 Mustangs over the crest of the Ore Mountains before descending on their main target. However, the Germans noticed the approaching group of U.S. planes and quickly dispatched a fleet of 60 Focke-Wulf Fw 190A and Messerschmitt Bf 109 G fighters to intercept the intruders. Their timing was perfect, striking before the scheduled rendezvous and catching the defenseless bombers in the midst of their long-distance approach.

Jagdgeschwader 4 made contact with the B-17’s right above the German village Schmiedeberg and attacked with full force. A total of 14 U.S. bombers were shot down, some crashing over the area and others a little further off in the hills of the Ore Mountains close to the Czech border. The losses would have been even greater if it hadn’t been for the squad of P-51s which finally arrived at the scene and quickly forced the German fighters into an aggressive dogfight allowing the remaining heavy bombers to escape.

Although the Bf 109 G fighters could have been more than an even match for the incoming Mustangs, the Germans ended up drawing the short straw in this encounter. Many of their pilots were inexperienced in battle and were flying their first operational mission. This allowed the U.S. fighters to cause heavy damage on the Germans and let their initial group of heavy bombers carry out the rest of their mission successfully, dropping a 53 t bomb-load on the Schwarzheide Synthesis Factory.

In the end, although the Allies managed to turn the fate of this encounter around, this simple bombing run took its toll on both factions. 19 U.S. aircraft were lost as well as 32 German fighters, leading to almost 80 casualties and an equal amount of imprisoned American airmen who were captured on the crash sites.