Eight P-47s of 64th FS (57th FG) "Black Scorpions" took off from Caserta and flew up the west coast to make landfall south of Civitavecchia. From there they flew inland and divebombed a rail bridge just northeast of the latter town.

First Lt. Paul Carll’s flight reformed at 8500 feet had just turned for home at 11.15 hours when they were attacked by ten plus hostiles. Two of the Germans got on the tail of 2nd Lt. Loyst M. Towner (P-47D 42-75995) who was flying wing in the flight’s top section and three on Carll’s. The element turned into the attack and the last that was seen of Towner he appeared to be making no attempt to shake off his pursuers.

The 64th's Lt. Mike McCarthy wrote of fighting the Fw 190s he believed were the "Abbeville boys":

"These guys were aggressive, flew excellent formation, climbed quickly to attack out of the sun, maintained two-ship integrity, and avoided the turning dogfight unless they had the advantage. I remember turning with one on the opposite side of the tight circle, 90-degree bank, neither gaining on the other. I saw gun flashes from his airplane, thought to myself, no way, but he actually put three shells on my P-47, one in front of the windshield and two more behind the cockpit. That is the lowest percentage shot in a dogfight, requiring the maximum lead and a full 90-degree deflection. I was impressed."

An hour later, P-47s of the 85th FS (79th FG) were jumped by Bf 109s while escorting bombers over Orvieto. First Lt. Powell A. Schumack was leading Yellow Section, at 14,000 feet, with Red Section above and to the left of them. Schumack was warning them that six Messerschmitts were on their tails when his own section was hit. Before turning into this attack, he noticed that 2nd Lt. Ward T. Pringle’s aircraft (No. 2 of Red Section) was going down pouring black smoke but he saw no more, being preoccupied with continued German attacks. First Lt. Albert K. Benz’s section turned into a pair of Bf 109 coming in from 7 o’clock, causing them to turn away. He reported that the Americans turned back to the right but as they came around a German pulled up behind Lt. Pringle, who started down trailing white smoke. Benz too had to fend off repeated attacks and was unable to see what happened next. It was later learned that Pringle had been found dead in his parachute near the rail bridge at Allerona, north of Orvieto and was buried in the cemetery at Castel Viscardo. The time and location suggest that he had been shot down by Fw. Müller of 8./JG 53.

The third Thunderbolt shot down that day was from the 66th FS (57th FG), whose 1st Lt. David F. Coughlin had the misfortune to be shot down in error by a Spitfire off the Tiber estuary at 16.00 hrs. Thirteen of the squadron’s aircraft had been on a dive bombing mission north of Rome. Upon reaching Rome when a Spitfire attacked the top flight, followed by three more of the same type. Coughlin was flying wing man and used a tight turn to evade but appeared to have been hit and was last seen to hit the water in a vertical dive.

Sources:

USAAF Missing Air Crew Reports

"Air-to-Ground Battle for Italy" by Michael C. McCarthy, Brigadier General, USAF, Retd. Air University Press, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama (August 2004), pages 68–69.