Crashed at Kralupy on 17 Apr 45 in P-51 #44-72367, Prisoner of War (POW).



19th March 1945 is noted in the Duxford Fighter Group’s History as being a day that would never be forgotten. On that day one of the most intense and successful air battles of WW2 was fought by Duxford’s 78th Fighter Group. Consequently detailed records and combat reports are preserved. 1st Lt. A. A. Rosenblum was flying with Duxford’s 82nd fighter squadron.



The aerial battle of March 19 was the toughest and at the same time most successful the group has ever fought. It lasted for an hour, with waves of German fighters joining the battle until the group, numbering 46 Mustangs, was engaging a force almost three times its size. The fighting was so confused that when the three squadrons landed at Duxford they reported they had encountered the same group of Nazis, estimated at about 50. Later they compared notes and found the total number of enemy planes involved was around 125.



In the Osnabruck area at 1230 hours the 82nd Fighter Squadron engaged four Me 109’s. This was the beginning of the battle which engaged the entire group. There were roughly 45 Me 109’s in four gaggles at altitudes from 14,000 feet to 7,000 feet, and in addition at the beginning of the flight there were about 25 FW 190’s above a thin layer of cirrus which was at 14,000 feet. These came down and joined the battle some fifteen minutes after it started.



Combat Report 1230 hrs 19th March 1945 1st Lt. A. A. Rosenblum 82nd FS (0560)

I was flying Surtax Red 3 on a fighter sweep to Berlin, when we encountered 3 Me-109s in the Osnabruck area. Surtax White flight tailed one, Surtax Red leader tailed another and I picked the third. I followed him down to 400 ft. over an a/d and fought with him for about ten minutes, finally breaking off because of intense accurate 20mm and 40mm flak and because I did not have a wingman. I claim this 109 as damaged, as I scored several strikes on his wings. I then climbed up and joined Surtax Yellow flight until we sighted 2 Ar-234s. We then split up, Lt. Parker and I taking on one of them. I opened fire at maximum range, but first shots fell short, so I pulled through him, seeing many strikes around the left jet unit and cockpit. Lt. Parker closed in and scored more hits and the pilot jettisoned his canopy and prepared to bail out. I over ran him and chandelled up, completing it in time to see the plane crash into a farmhouse and explode. Yellow flight then reformed and we spotted two bogies at 9 0’clock low. Yellow leader and Yellow 2 bounced them, not noticing 10 others at 9 o’clock to the first ones. The bogies were identified as 109s and all of us closed in for the kill. They broke up into us, making head-on passes at us when my tail warning unit sounded off. I looked back and we were being bounced by 12 Fw-190s. I called a break and we broke into them, making head-on passes at them. I fired at one and he passed thru my line of fire. After the pass, I broke right, watching him crash into the ground. Yellow 3 was out of ammo, so we poured the coal on and climbed up and headed for home, joining Yellow leader.

I claim 1 Fw-190 destroyed, 1 Ar-234 shared destroyed with Lt. Parker and 1 Me-109 damaged.

1st Lt. A. A. Rosenblum 0-678943 82nd FS.





Eye witness accounts of Rosenblum’s crash 17th April 1945



We were flying in Surtax Red flight, led by Lt Rosenblum, on a bomber escort to Dresden. After the target, we slew south to Czechoslovakia and hit the deck to strafe an airdrome north of Prague. Surtax Red leader tried to drop his tanks, but his left one would not come off. On the run toward the field, while on the deck, Lt. Schneider called him, but he never did get it off. As we neared the field, on the deck, flak began to come at us. I saw it was being concentrated on Red Leader. We were line abreast and I saw Rosenblum’s prop and tank hit the ground before reaching the field as he was on the field. He then said “I got to belly in here, so long fellows.” We passed him just as he was bellying in and did not get another look at the aircraft.” (1st Lt Edwin O Schneider O-713584 / 2nd Lt Harry L Roe Jr O-830318



“I was Cargo (83rd Fighter Squadron) Yellow leader on bomber escort in the Dresden area when Nuthouse reported jets in the area. I took my section south of target to investigate some Bogies which turned out to be Surtax White and Red flights. They were positioning themselves to strafe an airdrome, so I circled to observe results. As Surtax Red flight went over the drome, so I circled to observe results. As Surtax Red flight went over the drome, I saw one aircraft lagging behind and going very slow, and at that time Surtax Red leader called and said, “I’ve got to belly in here, so long fellows.” He cleared the west edge of the airfield, but hit something with his left wing just as he bellied in, which spun the aircraft around and tore off his right wing as he cartwheeled. From the time he reached the edge of the field until after the aircraft came to a stop, I observed hits on and all around his aircraft from small caliber arms. The aircraft did not burn, and no one got out as I circled.”

Peter W Klaassen O-708695 1st Lt., Air Corps