Book Excerpt: Hell Hawks!
How P-47s became the tank busters of World War II
- By Robert F. Dorr and Thomas D. Jones
- AirSpaceMag.com, July 14, 2008
The P-47D carried eight guns and, on some models, rocket launchers. National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
The Ninth Air Force efforts to counter the massive German attack during the Battle of the Bulge are among the most storied close air support missions of all time. The star of the action was the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. In Robert F. Dorr and Thomas D. Jones follow the combat experiences of the 365th Fighter Group, three squadrons of pilots who flew P-47s, from just before D-day, June 6, 1944, to the German surrender on May 8, 1945. The following excerpt demonstrates how the attacks flown by the 365th helped blunt the German winter offensive of 1944-45 and pave the way for the final Allied advance into Germany.
The Hell Hawks pilots and hard-working ground crews faced their biggest combat challenge during Hitler’s last big offensive in the West. A furious attack by 250,000 German troops on December 16, 1944, surprised Allied troops in the Ardennes, a forested plateau on the Belgian-German border that had been the scene of earlier fighting in both world wars. The Germans opened the assault along a fifty-mile front, initially committing twenty-one infantry and armored divisions. They called the operation Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine); the Americans called it the Battle of the Bulge. It was the largest and most desperate battle U.S. forces would fight.
With the German attack in full swing on the 16th, the outnumbered GIs on the Ardennes front needed every plane in the air, putting bombs and bullets on the enemy. But the weather—low clouds, snow, and fog—was with Hitler, grounding every Allied aircraft and making air support impossible.
Morning on December 18, the third day of the Wacht am Rhein offensive, found the Hell Hawks in Belgium blanketed by an icy, opaque fog. In near zero-zero conditions, Maj. Bob Fry led seventeen planes off at mid-morning, but all were forced to return; bad visibility obscured any possible target in the Stavelot, Belgium, area, where German tanks were reported moving up. Only flares lining the runway enabled the pilots to feel their way back to the ground at Chièvres.
According to a report of that day’s action in Yank magazine, Col. Ray Stecker’s phone rang about noon. On the line was Col. Gilbert L. “Gil” Meyers, the operations officer at IX Tactical Air Command, who knew of Stecker’s long experience and success in conducting air-support operations in North Africa. No other IX TAC groups got the call that day, wrote the Yank correspondent, adding that Meyers had long regarded Stecker as a specialist at getting at the enemy under the worst conditions.
“That Jerry column you hit the other day,” Meyers said, “has been reinforced and has broken through our lines to Stavelot [twenty-five miles south of Aachen]. In fact, there is now nothing between it and the English Channel but service troops and cooks and bakers.”
“The weather—” said Stecker.
“I know,” said Meyers, “the weather is down on the deck, and it probably will be suicide, but we’ve got to get something in there or the bastards will be in Liège. If you can just send a four-plane flight, it might help.”
“I’ll see what we can do,” said Stecker. The group commander hung up and called in the 386th Squadron commander, Bob Brooking. His men had been standing by since daybreak. Stecker briefed him on what was at stake, and Brooking returned to brief his men.
Related topics: Aerospace Books Air Force Propeller Aircraft Fighters WWII
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Comments (13)
Magnificent
Posted by MAGNUM on July 15,2008 | 03:05 PM
I'm the co-author, with Robert F. Dorr, of the book excerpted above, "Hell Hawks! The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht."
George R. Brooking, one of the stand-out leaders in this chapter, passed away on April 27, 2008 in Austin, Texas. His generosity in interviews with us gave much information on how the Hell Hawks ran their daily combat missions. Bob Brooking was a man of courage and great modesty, and a natural leader. It was a great honor to know him, and to have the help of the other Hell Hawks we've talked to.
For more information on the book, please see:
www.AstronautTomJones.com.
T. Jones
Posted by Tom Jones on July 16,2008 | 03:18 PM
I enjoyed reading this information about the "Hell Hawks."
My father was Colonel Ray J. Stecker.
Thank you for this wonderful story.
God Bless all the men who served their country.
I hope to order this book.
Jacquelyn Stecker Shupe
Posted by Jacquelyn S. Shupe on July 27,2008 | 03:03 PM
I have been waiting for a book like this for the last several years, over which I developed a curiosity about the exact tactics and manuveurs the P-47 pilots used to "bust" tanks in France and at the Battle of the Bulge. I had never heard of George Brookings before, but look forward to reading about the man and his accomplishments and the accomplishments of the P-47 units in this chapter of history.
Thanks for the excerpt.....
Posted by Jack Gerard on July 27,2008 | 10:23 PM
I am related to Lt. Roy Wayne Price and have been searching his family for some time for genealogical research. I know he passed on in 1980 but any help would be appreaciated.
Posted by Lysa Nabours on August 2,2008 | 09:42 PM
My father was in the HellHawks (as an armaments officer). He passed away a good number of years ago, and I recall they used to have regular reunions.
This actually (I think) is the *second* book on the HellHawks. There was another book (I have a copy of it somewhere) that was the "History of the Hell Hawks" (or similar title). Very low printing, I'll have to find it tonight! That book went into great detail (including descriptions of life I found fascinating). There's one story I recall of a mission call - where the transportation office was not to be found, so they had no transport for the pilots. Not a good career move...
Posted by Pat Viebey on August 13,2008 | 02:47 PM
To whom it may concern:
Fighter Pilot First Lieutenant John H. Wallace, Jr. was killed in action on 23 th March 1945 near Much/Eckhausen, Germany.
He was flying a P-47 D-30. The address of his father Mr. John H. Wallace was 79 Butler Street, Dorchester, Massachusetts and of his sister Mrs. Alice M. Carroll was 72 Franklin Street, East Milton, Massachusetts.
Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and Citizens of Much inaugurated a Memorial in Much, Germany on August 2008 for the American Soldiers killed in action liberating our community Much from tyranny in World War II on 11 th April 1945. First Lieutenant John H. Wallace is named in the inscription of the Memorial. Therefore I am trying to contact family members of First Lieutenant Wallace and am searching for photos of him. www.much-heute.de you can find a report and pictures of the American Memorial in Much.
Can you help me in this respect.
Sincerely,
Thomas Anschütz
Colonel M.D.
German Air Force Reserve
Arzt und Zahnarzt
Birkenweg 6.
53804 Much
Tel: 0049- 2245 - 713
Germany
Posted by Thomas Anschütz Germany on October 18,2008 | 11:11 AM
On the binding side of the book jacket for the book,
"Hell Hawks," there is a picture of my father, Colonel
Ray J. Stecker, looking at a map, I believe, with his
fellow fliers.
Would it be possible for me to order this picture of
my father?
Please advise.
Thank you so much,
Jacquelyn S. Shupe
Posted by Jacquelyn S. Shupe on December 21,2008 | 04:15 PM
Ray is my great great uncle and it is facinating about all of the information on him and the good pictures and i'am doing my report on him
Posted by Samson Walton on February 24,2009 | 09:56 PM
My dad was in the 387th and is in the book. Never said a word about his experience till the day he passed away into history. Thank you authors for revealing it all to me. I
flew the Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam, not knowing
we had done the same mission in different wars. He did better!
Posted by Dan Matusiewicz on August 5,2009 | 08:38 AM
A reply to Thomas Anshutz:
I am aware of John Wallace as he is the uncle of my former wife. We thought him missing for many years. Patricia Cornetta Van Dyke is the daughter of Katherine Wallace Cornetta John's sister. Katherine passed back in the late 1980's.
Patricia's address is can be obtained by emailing editors@si.edu.
Posted by Peter Van Dyke on June 14,2010 | 07:19 PM
Ray Stecker was my father. I just ordered this book because the excerpts I read made me feel like I knew my dad better. He died when I was young. Thanks so much for writing this, Michelle Stecker
Posted by Michelle Ros Stecker on December 8,2010 | 07:23 PM
My father Father Edward H. Snyder flew a P-47 and was a Hellhawk. He wouldn't talk about it much but a very loving and beautiful man, mom said he was very quiet when he returned from the war.
He refused to take her to see Europe later years; he said he saw it and the way he saw it he never wanted to see him again.
He died when he was 65 and I was 21. Now at 54 does anyone remember my dad? I'd love to hear about him.
Steve Snyder
Posted by Steven W. Snyder on January 3,2011 | 07:06 PM