Junkers Ju 52 transports caught by P 47 Thunderbolts over Gardelegen on July 7th 1944

Frederick Joseph Christensen Jr. (October 17, 1921 April 4, 2006) was an American fighter pilot and flying ace who flew with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. A member of the 56th Fighter Group in England, Christensen scored 21 aerial victories. He later served 24 years as a command officer with both the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. On July 7th 1944, leading the 62nd Fighter Squadron flying P47 Thunderbolts, Christensen was returning from a bomber escort mission and overflew Gardelegen Airfield, assessing it as a possible strafing target. Christensen noted numerous parked aircraft dispersed on the field, but then observed a flight of Junkers Ju 52 transports in trail at very low altitude, approaching to land. Christensen dove on the landing pattern from 10, 000 feet and shot down the nexttolast transport with hits on the left side. He quickly overtook and fired at a second target, which burned and crashed. A third