Date:	Thursday 19 November 1942
Time:	15:00
Type:	Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4
Owner/operator:	9./JG 26 Luftwaffe
Registration:	5623
MSN:	gelbe 4
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	North Sea 16 km SW of Vlissingen, Zeeland -   Netherlands
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Maldeghem airfield, Belgium
Destination airport:

Narrative:
On 19 November 1942, bad weather and low cloud brought Rhubarbs flown by a number of RAF and USAAF squadrons. It was a risky business and this day two Spitfires were shot down by Flak (one KIA, one POW) and three other damaged, but the Allied pilots claimed two victories, a Bf 110 and a Fw 190, and also attacked ships, railways, vehicles and military positions, killing a gunner of 1./847.

In the afternoon the 9./JG 26 scrambled from Maldegem and was directed to intercept a "squadron of Spitfires" that had strafed the airfield at Flushing. Actually the Allied aircraft were a pair of Spitfires of 335th FS, 4th FG USAAF, the sole American fighter unit in England at this time. Uffz Edgar Dörre's wingman, Uffz Heinz Müller, was trapped by Spitfires after some maneuvering and was killed when his Fw 190 A-4 WNr 5623 "yellow 4" was shot down by 2nd Lt Frank J. Smolinsky at around 1500 hrs in the sea 10 km north of Zeebrugge and 16 km southwest of Vlissingen. Müller was a new pilot, who joined JG 26 on 18 October from Erg/JGr West. It was Smolinsky first and only victory.

Dörre claimed one Spitfire shot down at 1458 hrs 10 km north of Zeebrugge as his third victory, but actually none was lost in this battle.

"Fighter Command War Diaries Volume Three: January 1942 to June 1943", by John Foreman. ISBN 1-871187-39-7
"The JG 26 War Diary, volume 1: 1939-1942", by Donald L Caldwell. ISBN 1-898697-52-3
http://wingstovictory.nl/database/pdf/202-story.pdf
http://www.cieldegloire.com/014_smolinsky_f_j.php
https://www.defensie.nl/binaries/defensie/documenten/brochures/2008/04/08/verliesregister-1942/verliesregister-1942.pdf
http://www.maplandia.com/belgium/vlaanderen/west-vlaanderen/zeebrugge/
https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T1912B&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

10 October 1943	150937	3./JG 1 Luftwaffe	1	'De Veldmaat' 2 km northwest of Haaksbergen, Overijssel		w/o
1 January 1945	960659	7./JG 1 Luftwaffe	1	missing near Ghent, East Flanders		mis

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Dec-2008 11:45	ASN archive	Added
20-Nov-2015 06:55	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
18-Nov-2017 10:55	TigerTimon	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
12-Dec-2019 16:37	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
03-Nov-2020 18:28	TigerTimon	Updated [Cn, Location, Departure airport]
13-Jun-2022 13:59	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]