media-400787.jpg FRE 2900 A P-47 Thunderbolt (LH-T, serial number 42-74665) nicknamed "Fatty Patty II" of the 353rd Fighter Group flown by Captain Charles W Dinse shoots down a BF 110 during a mission. Gun camera image. Printed caption on reverse: '50416 AC - Discovering an Me 110 below him, Capt. Charles W. Dinsa, 304 Touhy Ave., Park Ridge, Ill., dove down and destroyed it. The pictures were taken by his automatic camera as his bullets found their mark. Credit for the kill was shared with Lt. Richard A. Stearns, Jr., 102 Forest Hills Apts., Augusta, Ga., who was also firing at the plane. The Nazi fighter dives towards the ground in a vain attempt to get away. U.S. Air Force Photo.'

Pipeful Red flight, led by Capt Charles. W. Dinse, reported:

‘At the same time Col Duncan started his attack on 4 Me110’s, my wing man, Lt. Winder, reported one twin engine ship flying directly beneath me. I tipped up on a wing, saw the e/a and immediately started down, calling my flight to follow. I opened fire at about 800 yards and held my burst until breaking off at about 20 yards. I observed numerous strikes on the fuselage and wings. Large pieces came off of the right engine. The a/c was on fire when I broke off the attack’.

2nd Lt. Richard A. Stearns then closed in to finish the attack and share an Me110 destroyed with Capt Dinse:

‘As Capt Dinse made a pass at this e/a, pieces started falling off and pretty soon the left engine caught fire. By this time I had closed to firing range and gave him a burst from about 200 yards and saw strikes around both engines and along the cockpit. I broke off around 75 yards. The e/a was trailing very black smoke and continued to move or less glide down in a straight line, when just before reaching the cloud layer, which was around 2000ft, it seemed to roll on is back and went into the clouds going straight down’. Roger Freeman Collection

353rd Fighter Group Archive Records