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. Lt I.H.Keatley 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. I.H. Keatley 82nd FS (0561)

I was flying Surtax Red leader on 19 March 1945 on a fighter sweep to Berlin. At about 1230 hrs. and 11,000 ft., we were being slightly bothered by jets when White leader sighted three bogies and bounced them. I went after two more that were about to bounce White flight. I took one and my element leader took the other. They were definitely identified as Me-109s, so I fired a long burst, observing hits on cockpit and engine. As the pilot levelled out, his coolant was streaming and I fired another long burst as the canopy came off and the pilot bailed out. I did not see his chute open, but the a/c went into a vertical spiral dive and crashed and burned in some trees. I looked around and saw that my wingman was no longer with me. He had called a break that I didn’t hear. I then saw 10 plus Me-109s at 11 o’clock high, getting ready to bounce the boys below. They were at approximately 12,000 ft., so I started climbing up into them. The first one was a brave boy and peeled off into a head-on pass at me. I fired at him from 600 yds. To 50 yds., stalled out and broke left as he went over the top of me and, when next I saw him, he was streaming coolant. I fell in behind and gave him another short burst. The pilot bailed out and the a./c went into a vertical dive, crashed and burned. I found my wingman with two other P-51s and, since my ammo was exhausted, we started home. I claim 2 Me-109s destroyed. 1st Lt. I.H. Keatley 0-665815 82nd FS