CAPT. HEIDEN'S VIEW
".... Actually our squadron (the 79th.,) on withdrawl escort run, had run head-on into this gaggle of Me-109s. Neither side had seen the other until both formations were intermingled. All made a hard break into the other invoking a big fur-ball. Everyone trying for shots and a whole lot of covering his own tail. Our squadron CO, Jack Ilfrey shot one down immeadiately. Then, warned of one under him, rolled his wing down and stuck it into the cockpit of that 109. Spinning out and recovering, he had a slow trip home with a shredded wing-tip.
"My flight had gotten into a stupid Luftbery with a flight of four 109s hard on our tail. There just isn't enough room in a Lufbery for eight airplanes. Someone will quickly get into trouble and it looked like my wingman (Blue 4) was it. Having already asked Blue 1 (James Bradshaw,) and 2 (Jesse Carpenter,)to suck it in, the lead 109 was about to hose Blue 4. I told Webb to go to combat flaps and shove his throttles through the wire (War emergency power) and he and I would go for altitude and a tighter turn. The old P-38 could climb and out turn anything.
Now at the same time I was watching our tails, an FW-190 made an appearance diving at us from above. Thinking he was after us made for a whole lot of discomfort. Then there were more 190s. Hot on their tail was a flight of Mustangs. Score: Two Me-109s destroyed, many more with holes in them; one P-38 missing, several with holes...."
--Capt. Arthur W. Heiden, as quoted in "The Fly Over"
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