The typewritten combat report of
Lt. Col. Jacobson on December 5, 1944, in which he
claimed his first two aerial victories.
"I was flying Newcross White Two, 1
Section A on a bomber escort mission to the
Berlin area. Just northwest of the target, in the
vicinity of Neuruppin, we were at 27,000 feet,
heading northeast, when Major Arthur F.
Jeffrey, Newcross Section A leader, called in
a formation of Fw 190s and Me 109s 2,000
feet below us driving northwest. On orders
we dropped tanks and turned to attack.
"We dived right through a gaggle of about
15 Me 109s, scattering their formation, and
then closed on 40 plus Fw 190s slightly
below the first formation. We moved in
from dead astern and Major Jeffrey, whose
wing I was flying, attacked one, so I moved
out to the right and positioned myself on
another 190. I opened fire from six o'clock,
slightly highside, at 300 yards, and gave
him about a two-second burst, observing a
few strikes in the left wing.
"The German didn't take any evasive
action at all, and I was surprised when he
jettisoned his canopy almost at once. I cocked
up on one wing and watched him roll over to
the right and bail out, but I didn't see his
parachute open.
"I was still in formation with Major
Jeffrey and I saw him move over toward me
so I moved out to the right again and
positioned myself for an attack on an Fw 190
which had broken off from the enemy
formation in a gentle left turn.
"I closed to 300 yards and opened fire
from dead astern just above his contrail. All
my guns were not firing and I had to hold
right rudder to keep the ball centered. I fired
a two-second burst and didn't notice any
strikes, but the pilot popped his canopy at
once and tumbled out the right side. The
canopy almost hit me as it sailed past. I
didn't wait to see if his chute opened but
followed Major Jeffrey, who had done a
wingover to the left.
"I claim two Fw 190s destroyed. "Ammunition expended: 632 rounds 50- caliber
API [Armor Piercing Incendiary]."
In a radio-interview broadcast from London when the interviewer asked Lt Col.
Jacobson about the "excitement" of combat, he replied: "Well, of course there
is the tenseness of contesting with your target with yourself as the premium."
Lt Col. Jacobson flew in the 434th Squadron in the 479th FG based out of Wattisham,
England. Base number F377.