Virtual 352nd FG Citations

Knight’s Cross was awarded to BBGN   A killing machine he shot down more a/c in one series than most players do in a lifetime. BBGN flew in 4 frames and destroyed 20.5 enemy a/c, at least 10 of which were reported to be bombers. He assisted on 5 kills by fellow members of JG 352 and never lost an aircraft. His score is the new S3 benchmark at 24.25 pts!

BBGN is hereby promoted to Captain for his performance in this series.

Submitted: December  11, 2004 by S3 HQ

Iron Cross 2^ND Class awarded to Foxtwo for impeccable S3 performance.

For their performance in the S3 "Pony Boys" the following pilots are awarded the Bronze Star.

1st Lt. -whwk-: Whwk flew in all 5 frames scoring 5 kills (1 Bf-109G6/R6, 1 FW-190A4, and 3 FW-190D9) with 1 bail and scored 2 assists.

Major Todzla: Todzla flew in 4 frames scoring 6 kills (1 Bf-109G6/R6 and 5 FW-190D9) with 1 assist.
 

For his performance in the S3 "Pony Boys", 1st Lieutenant Juice is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.  Juice was the leading ace in this S3 but was ineligible to receive any awards from the S3 HQ because of S3 rules technicalities.  However, the 352nd command staff definitely recognizes his command of his airplane in the virtual skies over Germany and honors him with this medal. 

For achieving S3 Series "Ace" status, 1st Lieutenant -whwk- and Major Todzla are awarded the Silver Star.

For achieving S3 Series "Double Ace" status, 1st Lieutenant Juice is awarded the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster.

For his sustained performance in the recent S3's and skill and leadership in the WWII arena, Juice is awarded the Aerial Achievement Medal.  With this medal he is hereby promoted to 1st Lieutenant and given the CO position of the 328th Fighter Squadron.

For performance in the S3 "The Gazala Races" the following pilots are awarded the Silver Star.

Col. Dune: As group commander Dune displayed great leadership skills and directed the group in an honorable manner. While directing the group Dune also accounted for 6 enemy aircraft while losing one of his own a 6:1 kill ratio.

Captain YT: Capt. YT flew in 4 frames and sortied 10 times losing 1 aircraft, Capt. YT was able to down 6 enemy aircraft in his four frames a kill ratio of 6:1.

Lt. Col. DG: As commander of the 328th FG DG was able to lead the 328th while also achieving a fantastic 9 kills during 17 sorties over 4 frames while only losing one, for a 9:1 K:D ratio. In the last frame, DG took over the 352nd after Dune was forced to bail and was able to destroy 6 enemy aircraft over 7 sorties without a loss, while commanding the Group!

Captain Joemac: As the 328th FS XO Capt. Joemac was tasked with communications and support of the 328th CO. Capt. Joemac performed these duties flawlessly while accounting for 6 enemy aircraft while losing only 2 of his own, but managed to bail safely each time resulting in a 6:0 kill ratio.

2nd Lt. Todzla: Lt. Todzla flew in 3 frames and sortied 10 times loosing 1 aircraft. Lt. Todzla was able to down 7 enemy aircraft in his three frames a 7:1 kill ratio.

For heroic actions in support of the 352nd Fighter group during the S3 "The Gazala Races" these pilots the are awarded the Aerial Achievement Medal.

For performance in the S3 "The Gazala Races" 1st Lt. Wicked is awarded the Bronze Star.

In the final and decisive frame of TGR, Lt. Wicked downed 4 enemy aircraft and safely returned home.

I would like to nominate 1st Lt Skybax for the Silver Star for his outstanding performance in frame 4 of the S3 "The Gazala Races".

At the same time he was covering my six, he was there every time I turned my head, he was accounting for five kills. Two Maachi's, two Ju 88's and one Me 110 fell to his guns. And at the same time he covered me well enough for me to score two kills of my own without ever having an enemy aircraft get behind me.

It is my honor as CO of the 486th to award the Aerial Achievement Medal to 2nd Lt. Dewolf for meritorious conduct during the 486th squad night. Capt. ==yt== nominated him with the following writeup and puts it better than I could.

Capt. YT wrote:
Dewolf did a GREAT job of sticking to me. but what is REALLY important is that after we talked about the wing tactics i'd rather see him use. he SHINED! YOU ALL SHOULD SEEN THAT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE! loose deuce to the max! wolf seperated himself from me just a few yards more, and was able to make some GREAT guns passes after my initital pass. all the while staying within range of me to make us a very effective wing pair. {Salute} wolf! for his change in tactics, thorough and immediate understanding of the situation and responding to cons perfectly, I'd like to nominate 2nd Lt. dewolf for the: Aerial Achievement Medal awarded for sustained meritorious achievement in flight.

I would like to nominate 2nd Lt Foxtwo for the Bronze Star.

Foxtwo showed excellent air combat abilities last night as he downed 2 enemy fighters in a decidedly undergunned plane.

I would like to nominate 1st Lt Firefox for the Distinguished Flying Cross.

When I made an ill-advised chase of an enemy plane, Frfx stayed to cover me. Then, knowing I was out of ammunition, he kept my tail clear of a Hurricane II until he himself was overwhelmed by numbers. He also shot down 1 enemy plane.

I would like to recomend that Capt Totentanz and 2nd Lt Foxtwo recieve the Air Medal for thier outstanding Wingmanship, combat formation and overall excellence in flying in the Target for Tonite Battle for Bismark Sea. Without their direct contributions, I would not have been able to survive and score the 9 kills. They were truely Second to None in the air.

I would like to ask that firefox be nominated for a Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions tonight in the historical arena/target for tonight event. When I arrived, firefox, foxone, and tequiza had all come up and were headed north on a fighter sweep in light P38s. I rapidly jumped in a plane and managed to catch up with them about halfway to their destination, an enemy airbase about 20 miles north of us.

We orbited the enemy airbase for some time, and seeing nothing below, we responded to a radar contact to the south, back along our original route. We doubled back and ran head on into a mixed bag of ki's and zekes, the engagement started at around 15k, with us slightly under them on the merge. I saw them first, way to late. We managed to dispatch all of them in a rolling fight that took us fairly low. As usual, I ended up being the dragee (something i want to train out of myself soon pls btw) and the three other pilots cleared me repeatedly.

just as the first wave was cleared and we began to claw for alt, a second group arrived. Same scenario, same results. At the end of the 2nd fight, 1st Lt. Firefox had downed 5 enemy aircraft, making him an ace-in-a-day. One of the opposition it should be noted was trainer =Nash= . I believe foxone acounted for 1, and teq and I took pieces on 2 more. Unit cohesion and decision making was excellent throughout.

I would like to recommend Foxtwo for the Air Medal for there excellent flying last night.

Here's the way it played out, us 3 in 190s come into 3 from the west at about 16k. We spot dots are hi 12 and coalt 2. I call wep engage to get some E. As we get closer to icon range I count 7 coalt or higher cons. I imediately call GRAB to the north, Teq and F2 are no less than d8 on each one of my wings. As we grab the 2 hi spits come into the battle, I look back and see 2 hi f4us comin with some smash. The other 3 cons where below us now. I call in and blast a spit who was trailin F2...splash 1....I then see teq with a spit about d20 from us..BOOM...splash 2 by teq. Now at this time the 2 hi spits have jumped on F2. I call im OMW to f2 drag west, Teq is coming back into the battle I call clear the F6f (that just showed up) on my 6...bout 10 secs latter BOOM...splash 3 by Teq..... I continue on at hi rate of speed for f2 who is about d25 ahead of us runnin from those 2 spits. Then i see on the buffer CHK 6...I look back I got those 2 f4us on my 6. I firewall the eng hit wep put the nose dwn. But keep headin for f2, F2 sees the dilemma and makes a slow right turn to force a HO with 1 of the f4us. I look back i see Teq bearing down on there 6 as well. Im doin 650 KMh and start hearing pings. I go into a scissors, which allowed Teq to gain, F2 catches 1 of the F4us...BOOM...Splash 4 By F2......other f4u breaks off. Those 2 spits are still on f2, I pull in BOOOM splash 5 my jammie Last spit is firin at f2 from like d6 desperate to kill one of us...BOOM splash 6 by jammie. The f4u that was on me tight ends up ditching........WHAT A RUSH. man I tell ya I have never had my heart pumping liek it was last night.

Those cannons on them 190s are absolutly absurd, if we where in 51s against the same amount I think we would have ran out of ammo before we killed the all those guys. All I kept saying on chl 100 was, "190s this is 2 easy"......

As CO of the 352nd, I would like to nominate two members for the Bronze Star.

2nd Lt. Tanz
After a long lay-off, Tanz got a taste of flying S3's on a deep escort mission tonight. Not only did he bring his ship home, but flew a fantastic wing-man position.

2nd Lt Whwk
Whwk scored his first S3 kill as a member of the 352nd today. He has shown an ability to maintain his position with the Group and protect the bombers.

Major Rhino has been awarded the 457th Meritorious Executive Officer of the 457th BG (H) for meritorious acheivement during frame 2 of operation The Soft Underbelly.

I would like to recommend Major Rhino for the Aerial Achievement Medal, for sustained meritorious achievement in flight.

Maj. Rhino was the FL in tonight's Decoy flight. Rhino, flew in constant contact with the myself to make sure that he appeared on radar just at the right time. Once on radar he took his flight right down the gauntlet and effectively pulled the LW to the South East and out of position to effectively hit the inbound bombers of the 457th BG when they finally appeared on radar.

Today, the 352nd flew an escort mission for a group of P-38J's deep into Germany (F31).

On the way in, Lt Col DGoose spotted several cons parallel to the -38's. He swooped in and smoked one and killed another. The mission continued to be uneventful until the way out.

We were on the way home when we spotted several 190's behind us. We dove on them and begun a descending fight to the ground. We lost Teqiza but DGoose and I started running. DGoose and I scored two more kills.

As our engines heated up, more 190's dropped in behind us. At one time there were 6 190's behind us. When our WEP ran out we began a Thatch Weave and then just fighting for our lives. Suddenly we looked around and we were the only thing in the air. Goose and I had both scored 3 kills and we couldn't believe we were still alive. (JG 2 is going to be pissed)

We climbed up to 10,000 feet and started home. About 40 miles from the coast we spotted several dots at our 12ok. We decided to blow through them and kept going as 4 or 5 190's went flashing past us. It was then we looked up and saw several more dots over us. "Oh no.".

Nose down and running again. 190's turning to chase and 109's diving down from 5,000 feet over us. DGoose picked up two and ran under me so I could clear him. It was then that my WEP ran out with several cons on me. DGoose went high and most of the LW chased him. There was one 109G6R6 on me, but I was just keeping out in front of him. He finally closed on me and removed my aileron and rudder. Then a 190 dove in on me and I knew I was gone. But DGoose came diving in and spooked the faster 190 and shook off the 109. Suddenly Goose was swamped with 190's and 109's and I was barely in control of my plane.

As I crossed the Channel and the Cliffs of Dover appeared, I looked back to see a furball of twisting planes behind me. Goose scored one more maneuver kill before he was shot down.

On the egress Dune and I got separated from the rest of the group and into a running battle with JG2 and JG51 as well as an assortment of other LW squads. The Lw kept us pinned to the deck for most of the fight. However, due to some great wing work Dune and I managed to knock down no less then 10 of them.

One engagement really stands out in my mind : Dune and I were on the deck being pursued by at least 5-6 Fw 190's. We were flying about d45 apart, but abreast of each other. Knowing that they would catch us, we commenced a thatch weave and the resulting dogfight scored LW: 0 Bluenosers : 4 with the remaining two 190's bugging out. Several times during the fight Dune could have bugged out and did not.

For these exceptionally valorous actions, I recommend dune for the Air Force Cross.

You just have to look at our scores in the last S3 to know that we've been making some serious progress here. While P-47C's v. Ki 61's might not be the most challenging of scenarios, a ratio of over 60 kills to less than 20 losses is huge. It is even more impressive when you realize how many new pilots we've gained in the last two months.

So I would like to say thanks to two men who've been most responsible. And give them the recognition they deserve.

I award the Legion of Merit. This is the highest award that can be given for service to the group in a non-combat role.

Sir,

It is with great honor and gratitude that I award you and your Group, the 352nd Fighter Group the Outstanding Unit Award for actions in combat during OPERATION Clash at Rabaul.

Major LB and I were Allied CO for 4 of the 5 Frames. During this conflict the performance of the 352nd Fighter Group greatly contributed to the eventual Allied Victory. The fact that the 352nd Fighter Group brought down 57 of our enemies for a loss of only 16 is truly an amazing accomplishment.

The professionalism and dedication demonstrated by your unit brings great credit upon yourselves and the United States Army Air Force.

I have to say that =frfx= has proved to be 1 AWESOME addition to our squad from the begining.

This is the 2nd straight S3 I have seen him clearin' guys six left and right... gettin kills and stayin alive. This is the 2nd frame in a row he was right there with me bailin BASTARDS out with ki61s on their six!

After another successful S3 mission, several Bastards have earned the following awards:

Lt. Col. DGoose
DGoose scored 3 kills for the second straight frame. In just two frames he's scored 6 kills and been essential to the success of the Group. I hereby nominate him for the Silver Star.

1st Lt Audi
Audi scored three kills during tonight's mission. Along with the kill he scored in the first frame, he now has accounted for 4 kills in just two missions. I hereby nominate him for the Bronze Star.

For actions of bravery above the call of duty, I award the Bronze Star to two of the Group's newest Bastards.

2nd Lt Smithr not only flew a fine wingman position, but scored what I believe is his first S3 kill as a Bastard. He flew smart and aggressively.

2nd Lt Foxtwo was the epitome of the wing-tactics the Bastards preach. He was never caught out of position, was always protecting his wing-leader and landed safely. The mark of a good wingman is the success of his wing-leader and during this frame BBGun scored 2 kills.

It is with great honor that i nominate 2nd LT. bizket for the Air Medal.

I'd like to nominate DGoose for the Bronze Star for his performance in the Fourth frame of the S3 "Turning Point".

I would like to recommend these pilots for the Aerial Achievement Medal for their sustained meritorious achievement in flight.

I would like to recommend the following pilots for the Air Force Commendation Medal:

Audi for his help during squad training activities and the Midway preparation training.

I recommend Maj. DGoose for the Meritorious Service Medal, for his single-handed effort to organize, acquire and present the boxes for shipping the "Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney" book to the 352nd Fighter Group Association. He also collected the money from the Virtual FG to pay for the boxes so that the money from the sale of the book ear-marked for the boxes could be donated to the Preddy Memorial Foundation.

I would like to recommend 2nd Lt Skybax and Capt. Joemac for the Meritorious Service Medal for their efforts on behalf of the 352nd FG.

In the short time Lt Skybax has been with us, he has always been eager to help the Group in any way possible. Specifically, he was instrumental in creating the fantastic looking plates that we use as our planes. Without a doubt, due to his efforts, we have the best looking planes in WB or anywhere else.

Dgoose and SD did the 352nd proud in the first frame of the Battle of Britain scenario. Each pilot got 2 confirmed kills.

I hereby award Dune the Legion of Merit, for exceptionally meritorious conduct or superior service in either a combat or non-combat role.

For valor in the face of superior enemy numbers, I nominate Foxone, Skybax and Absnth for the Air Medal.

On a P-40B sortie in the Generation One WW2 Arena, Absnthe, Foxone, Skybax and BBGun flew from F17 to F27 in search of some trouble, and they found it. After Skybax and BBGun engaged and dispatched a couple of low E/A, they found themselves set upon by several new E/A who had lifted from F27. Foxone and Absnth, who had remained high cover, engaged those E/A, allowing BBGun and Skybax to escape but in turn picking up their own draggers. BBGun and Skybax returned to clear the E/A off Foxone and Absnth, and in the fight that ensued, the four Bastards quickly found themselves surrounded by 2-1 or worse odds. They used the P-40's superior speed to repeatedly clear each other of the pursuing E/A. In several instances, any one of the above Bastards had the opportunity to duck and run home safe, but each time, they all returned to clear their fellow squadmates, resulting in all returning to base, empty ammo, and flush with kills. Only Foxone suffered any damage, a holed fuel tank. We claimed approximately 10 E/A to no losses to ourselves.

From Frame 3 of the S3, Rommel's Last Stand:

From Frame 3 of the S3, Rommel's Last Stand:

From Frame 2 of the S3, Rommel's Last Stand:

For extreme courage and nefarious behavior in landing on enemy carrier, and not only planting explosives, but stealing their last drop of whiskey, I hereby award Lt. Col. Dune the Distunguised Flying Cross. EXCELLENT work dune!

I would like to nominate the following three pilots for the Bronze Star.

These three pilots demonstrated superior flying and fighting skills during the S3 missions flown during Operation Overlord. These three pilots all achieved "ace" status by shooting down five or more enemy aircraft in air to air combat during Operation Overlord.

I would like to nominate Capt Pnus for the Bronze Star.

I would like to nominate the following Pilots for the Bronze Star:

DGoose
Once again, when I had computer problems and YT was unable to fly, DG took control and did a great job keeping the Group together. Later, when I did get back on, I found I my radio wouldn't tune the squadron channel. So I would send private signals to DGoose who would then send them on to the squad. He kept everyone together and after our initial engagement, made his way back to the buffs with Rhino.

Rhino
By the end of the frame he was the highest ranking Bastard in the air. And where was he? He was leading the three remaining Bastards who were all covering the buffs. He stayed with his wingman until DGoose went down and then assumed command. He did a great job.

Joemac
Like the above two pilots, Joemac stayed with the buffs all the way to the target and back. Displayed his usual discipline and dedication.

Gentlemen of the 352nd Fighter Group "Blue-Nosed Bastards of Bodney": I would like to recommend a member of the 352nd for the Bronze Star. Col. YT, on March 19, 2000, destroyed an Me109f with which I was engaged. This 109 was and was near to shooting me down when Colonel Whitehead came to my aid.

The 78th Fighter Group was escorting the 457th BG (H) to its target of Regensburg. Just after the bomber lead called "bombs away," and we were turning for home, the group was engaged by a large number of Fw 190's. I counted at least 12. Outnumbered, we became heavily engaged with the enemy force and were totally defensive. I and my wingman managed to escape for the moment, but unfortunately my wingman was killed a few moments later. Pursued by 4 190's I proceeded to the deck at full WEP. Eventually, the 190's gave up the chase, but I had burned much fuel. Still deep in Germany, I throttled back and hugged the deck. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make it back.

Somewhere southeast of Brussels, I encountered an Me 109f. A member of the 78th Encountered us and dove in for the attack. I scored several hits on the 109 and again the other member of the 78th was killed by a burst of fire into his canopy. My situation was desperate. I was out of energy, nearly out of fuel, on the deck, and in a knife fight with a superior turning plane. I began to think of home, and the loved ones I would never see again. The 109 was near to a firing solution, when out of the sun, guns blazing, came Colonel Whitehead, in his beautiful blue-nosed P-51D. With a sustained burst, Colonel Whitehead destroyed the 109, then turned to engage another inbound enemy fighter, allowing me to escape. The scene was something out of Hollywood. The cavalry came in the nick of time.

I landed at Martlesham a few minutes later, out of ammo and out of fuel, but with 2 kills and a magnificent story to tell. It was one of the most intense experiences I've ever had in Warbirds. My hands were actually shaking. Without YT, I would never have made it home.

During last nights escort mission I was extremely busy attempting to find bombers. Once they where found, I had to coordinate getting the rest of the bastards in for cover. During this time hygame covered the buffs, and vectored me back to them when I went off course.

Then over the target of Rabau, hygame stuck to my wing without thought of his life. With hygame covering me we downed 2 KI84's, and egressed from area while being attacked repeatedly, with no damage to our aircraft. Without hygames exemplary performance, both covering the buffs AND being my wingman, I feel that our mission would not have been as successful as it was.

I would like to recommend Bonger and DGoose for the Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding efforts to execrate and train the abilities of the 352nd Fighter Group.

Sunday, on a flight from f16 to f12, Joemac and Yt engaged a gold 190. Taking care to keep passes separated to leave one at high cover, we had said 190 beat when out of nowhere a 109 comes in and makes a high speed pass at me. I was in a 3 notch flaps down profile dispatching the 190 and the 109 got a snapshot at me, disabling my flaps. while I was low, I still had some speed. But I couldn't climb at all due to flaps deployed. Joemac came in and ran interference the entire time i tried to regain alt. When it became apparent that i was not going to get much altitude, Joemac advised me to RUN for home. He continually made himself a target for this 109, who was trying to get at me. The 109 would turn to Joemac, and Joe would manuever enough so he'd miss. We both RTB'd f17.

It is with great pride that I announce that, with the agreement of YT, DGoose is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

DGoose has been nothing short of superb during the Sedan Breakthrough S3. When I was unable to make the first two frames he ablely lead the Group. During the last two, one I had to leave early and the other I was forced to bail, he again took over the reigns. This last frame we were forced to fly Me-110's along with Me-109's and he did a great job of leading the Me-109 flight.

The best indicator of a leader's ability is how his unit performs. While this is still preliminary, my numbers show that the 352nd shot down 30+ RAF planes to the loss of less than 7 of our own. This is something that we should all be very proud of.

I would like to recommend that 1st Lt. Alsail of the 487th FS be awarded the Bronze Star for his actions on the 13 of February, 2000. Alsail was my wingman Sunday night and he covered me like a guardian angel.

I have had the pleasure and honor to fly with Alsail many times in the past. And Sunday, just like every time before, I have found Alsail to be a wingman of incredible talent along with being a great stick in his own right.

Three times on Sunday I felt no hesitation about diving into a group of Spitfires. The reason why is because I knew that when I exited the other side, Alsail would be right behind me. He is incredibly unselfish and does his job with style and aplomb.

Over the last several S3's and SL's he has lead the flight with accuracy and determination, while flying very impressively himself. For example: on 7 Feb 2000 during an S3 event, Dune tallied 4 kills, including two high ranking allied aces while keeping the flight together and clearing my and rhino's six several times.

Rhino flew my wing and savagely kept it clear of hurricanes. Repeatedly taking the brunt of an allied attack so I could extend away and come back with the advantage. It was during one of these egresses that a hurricane managed to smoke rhino's engine. That hurricane died a few seconds later when I was able to turn him and dune finish him.

bbgun, lost his wing man early as tin had to rtb for a mechanical, yet he maintained solo high cover for dune and absnth, as well as myself and rhino during several engagements which allowed us to egress at the right time to avoid being badly out numbered while lackign the advantage. Both pilots repeatedly cleared both me and dune of enemy aircraft during the various attacks.

I would like to recommend Foxone for the Aerial Achievement Medal for his display of skill and courage in single handedly scoring two aerial victories in last night's S3 event. Foxone got separated from me and Dgoose (which is not difficult to do) during our initial merge with the enemy. Goose called for an egress and Fox took down two while fighting his way out. Scoring victories during these scenarios is not easy and Foxone deserves recognition for this a