První úspěch letounů Hawker Typhoon proti německým stíhacím bombardérům
Letoun Hawker Typhoon Mk IB náležející 486 novozélandské stíhací squadroně RAF, 27 říjen 1943.
V sobotu 17. října 1942 se nad Hastings vydala formace letounů Focke Wulf Fw 190 od 10 (Jabo) Staffel./Jagdgeschwader 26, která zaútočila na město. Do vzduchu šly okamžitě Typhoony 486. novozélandské stíhací squadrony a na útočníky narazily během jejich ústupu zpět do Francie. Dvojici novozélandských pilotů Sgt Arthur Norman Sames a P/O Gordon. G. Thomas se podařilo dostat za jednoho z útočníků a přesnými dávkami ho poslali do vln kanálu. Jejich obětí se stal Fw. Hermann Niesel (nar. 29.3.1915, Niedersalzbrunn - dnes Szczawienko v Polsku), který v kabině svého Fw 190 A-4 (W.Nr.2403, černá 14+< puma) našel smrt. Nasazení squadron vyzbrojených stroji Hawker Typhoon Mk.I k obraně britského pobřeží před útoky nízko letících letounů bylo pro německé piloty velkým překvapením a proto útočící letouny identifikovali jako Tomahawky.
Záznam z combat reportu P/O Gordona Thomase a Sgt Artie Samese z "A" Flightu No.486 (NZ) Squadrony (AIR50/160):
P/O G. G. Thomas (Yellow 1) and Sgt. A. N. Sames (Yellow 2) airborne 13.15 hours for Coastal Patrol Beachy Head - Dungeness.
At 13.25 hours when flying East to West at 500 feet about half a mile inland they observed two Fw 190's flying roughly NE over the sea at 20/30 feet and about one and a half miles ahead. Yellow 1 saw a bomb burst in the town. The enemy aircraft then turned port due South and out to sea where they split up, one flying SE at sea level and the other continuing South at about 20/30 feet followed by Yellow Section flying at 345/350 a.s.l. Yellow 1 opened fire at long range with several short bursts of cannon fire and noticed slashes in the sea short of the enemy aircraft which immediately started to weave. Yellow Section closed to within 500 yards and enemy aircraft began a spiral weave. Yellow 1 opened fire again with several short bursts and observed strikes on the side of the fuselage. The enemy aircraft pulled up violently and then winged over to port and down to sea level right across Yellow 2's line of fire, then straightened out and climbed up slowly.
Yellow 2 fired three more short bursts striking fuselage and engine. A jet of flame burst from the starboard side of the engine, the hood was jettisoned and parts of the enemy aircraft fell away and it turned over and fell burning into the sea, disappearing immediately. In the meantime the other aircraft had escaped in the direction of France. Yellow Section returned to the English coast and on approaching Hastings at about 6/700 feet were fired upon by coastal guns without effect but several bursts were within 30 yards of Yellow 1. Landed safely at West Malling at 14.35 hour’s. 1 Fw 190 destroyed by P/O Thomas and Sgt Sames. No camera gun fitted.
Jediným stíhacím leteckým esem na letounech Hawker Typhoon v boji proti V-1 se stal Flg Off Arthur ‘Artie’ Sames.
Novozélandští piloti z 486. stíhací squadrony. Zleva doprava: Arthur 'Spike' Umbers, Gordon Thomas, Keith 'Hyphen' Taylor-Cannon a Frank 'Spud' Murphy.
Feldwebel Karl Hermann Niesel.
Letoun Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB, MN134, SF○S Flg Off Arthura N. Sames v době, kdy sloužil u 137. stíhací squadrony, Manston, červen-červenec 1944.
[1] Caldwell, Donald: Válečný deník JG26 1939-1942, Silverbird 1999.
[2] Shores, Christopher: Aces High, Volume 2, A Further Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII, Grub Street, London 1999.
[3] Shores, Christopher: Those Other Eagles: A Tribute to the British, Commonwealth and Free European Fighter Pilots Who Claimed Between Two and Four Victories in Aerial Combat, 1939 - 1982 (Companion Volume to Aces High), Grub Street, London, Jul 14, 2004.
[4] Thomas, Andrew: V1 Flying Bomb Aces, Aircraft of the Aces 113, Osprey Publishing, September 2013.
[5] Thomas, Chris - Shores, Christopher: The Typhoon & Tempest Story, Arms and Armour Press, 1988.
[6] http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.co.uk/styled-15/styled-19/styled-134/index.html
[7] https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/64020/Sames-Arthur-Norman
