Led 17 B-24s on the low level attack at Ploesti whilst with the 389th Bomb Group.

Founded and commanded 2nd Scouting Force. 1 B-24 tour, 2 P-51 tours.

Flew P-51D 44-14309 YF-X "Calamity Jane" (L) "Punkin" (R). See Little Friends website for a photograph: http://littlefriends.co.uk/gallery.php?Group=sf&Style=searchItem&Item=1…

Destroyed 2 Me 109s SE of Magdeburg on 9 February 1945.

Awards: DSC, SS, DFC (2OLC), LOM (OLC), AM (5OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.

John A. Brooks III

Lead Pilot, 2nd Scouting Force, Steeple Morden, England

Late in WWII, the 8th Air Force realized that it would be beneficial to have a reconnaissance force precede a bomber strike. There were many reasons for this, including weather changes, changes in the position/number of flak batteries, and visibility at the target which was sometimes cloaked by smoke from fires set for that purpose. Of these, weather was the most important.

What was briefed in England often didn’t match what was present over the continent. At times, the bomber groups would suffer heavy loses fighting their way to a target that they couldn’t bomb.

The 8th Air Force Scouting Force was primarily composed of lead bomber pilots who had volunteered for a second tour in fighters. For many, it had to have been a dream-come-true to fly the fast, agile P-51 Mustang after 25 or 30 missions in bombers. Eventually, each of the 8th Air Force’s three Air Divisions would have its own Scouting Force.

Although the Scouting Force’s P-51s were armed with their usual compliment of six, fifty caliber machine guns, attacking German fighters was not their mission. However, on occasions they would jump into that role when the opportunity presented itself.

On February 9, 1945 Lt. Col John A. Brooks, commander of the 2nd Air Division Scouting Force, was leading a flight of eight P-51s on a mission near Magdeburg, Germany. He spotted a formation of an estimated 100 German fighters in two large “Vs” heading for the bomber stream.

One would have to question the wisdom of attacking such a huge force with a handful of P-51s. Lt. Col. Brooks took a calculated risk. He knew that the attrition among German pilots over their years of war and the extreme shortage of fuel caused by Allied bombing meant that many of the German fighter pilots were inexperienced and had very little training in their Me-109 fighters. The veterans would be at the head of the formation in the lead element. In a daring move, John, taking only his wingman, Lt. Whalen, flew up the “V” of German fighters and shot down most of the front element where their leaders would be.

The German formation was immediately thrown into chaos. Multiple mid-air collisions were observed and some of the panicked German pilots appeared to be dogfighting each other. John and Lt. Whalen escaped the melee unscathed. They were credited with five confirmed victories, and likely accounted for several times that number. Meanwhile, the B-24 formation slipped by with only a few enemy fighters getting through to press their attack.

We’ll never know how many American lives were saved that day, surely a force that size could have inflicted significant losses on the 2nd Air Division bombers. John was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on 9, February 1945.

Sources: I met and spoke with John at two Scouting Force reunions, but most of the facts here were gleaned from Dick Atkins’ definitive book on the subject “Fighting Scouts of the Eighth Air Force 1944-1945” Taylor Publishing Company 1996.