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Upstarts
I have said that the planes cruised parallel to the front lines, but this probably
gives an over-simplified picture of routine repetitive movement. Actually there was a lot
of variety in their flight pattern. Vic Rizzo describes it well:
We flew our aircraft in an unorthodox manner to confuse flak units and
other ground fire. Never in a straight line if we could help it. Always
gaining or losing altitude, turning or slipping left or right. Even throttling
down to a strong, proper directional headwind that would move the plane
BACKWARDS. Any move that would confuse enemy gunners was
warranted. As noted, our altitude was never fixed. Ranging from
hedgehopping after take off to the service altitude necessary to the
mission. A hundred feet to check a supposedly "freed" village, two
hundred, five, a thousand, infrequently higher than 1500 feet. If higher, it
was either to evade flak bursts or increase their range, or both. Any move
that would favor us and give us time to retaliate with our very accurate
artillery. But important as any mission was just flying the thermals up
front. Just thumbing our propellers at the enemy kept them from firing
artillery into our troops. If they fired, we'd fire back-at once! Meanwhile
we'd search for targets.
From the above, it should be clear that a pilot was plenty busy flying the aircraft,
so that it was asking a lot to expect him to conduct firing on targets at the same time. So
although a pilot often was called upon to do just that, it was better for him to have a
passenger along as an observer. Our battalion commander at the time we entered combat,
now Lt Col Costain, made me as S-2 responsible for coordinating our forward observers,
assuming that that included assigning one or another of them as air observers. I did not do
a very good job of it, since the rifle infantry company commanders wanted FO's at their
sides and it was hard to keep up with the demand.
By mid-June, both our planes were with us: Rizzo's had come in crates a few days
after D-Day and been assembled at the Div Arty airstrip. Lt George Kilmer flew the other
one across the Channel. The observer shortage had become acute, but we were rescued by
the arrival of a replacement officer, Lt George Peszat. He had washed out of pilot training
but he still had a love affair with aircraft. Next to piloting himself, he wanted nothing
better than to ride in an airplane all day, talking on the radio to call for fire or report what
he saw. Both our pilots, Rizzo and Kilmer, took to him at once. Here was someone who
spoke their language and understood their problems. All three got along famously.
Eric Peach commanded the battalion now, and he approved letting Peszat do
virtually all the observer duty. Since normally we had only one plane in the air at a time,
the other being gassed up and serviced while the pilot stretched his legs, one observer
could do it all.
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