The story
1st Lieutenant Urban Drew, flying a P-51 fighter, shot down two Me 262 fighters (flown by Oberfeldwebel Heinz Arnold and Leutnant Gerhard Kobert) as they were taking off from Achmer Airfield. The only witness to the town victories, his wingman 2nd Lieutenant Robert McCandliss, was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and captured before the end of the mission, so Drew did not receive credit for these two downings until after the war when McCandliss was released from captivity. This was the first and only time in the war a pilot scored two jet victories in one mission.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.