At 11.15 hours on the 18th, Spitfire Mk. VIIIs of 92 Squadron escorting A-20s of the 47th BG were jumped by 10 Fw 190s but turned the tables to claim one German machine destroyed and no fewer than seven damaged. MAAF radio monitoring picked up a claim of one Allied aircraft shot down at 11.16 hours but there were no losses among either the Spitfires or the A-20s.

Operations Record Book HQ No. 244 Wing RAF, 18 May 1944:

Shortly before mid-day 92 sighted 10+ 190s climbing up behind Bostons they were escorting. Instead of turning tail, they stayed to fight, with the exception of four which pulled up as top cover. At 17,000 Lt. Lawton [Spitfire JF317] turning inside a 190, followed it down when it peeled off and dived for deck, closing to 300 yards, when he gained strikes on wing roots .. whereupon the pilot decided he’d had it, and pulled up and baled out near Aquila. The chute was not seen to open.

The unfortunate pilot may have been Hptm. Gerhard Walther, Kommandeur of II./SG 4 (Fw 190 A-6, WNr. 470409) who was reported killed in action with Spitfires. The ORB of 244 Wing continues:

But it was really Captain ‘Johnny’ Gasson’s day. Seeing a 190 circling dead ahead of him, he closed, though his sight was u/s, also R/T, nor could he jettison his tank. Pieces fell off the port wing before the e/a dived away. Evading a 190 which was on his tail, Gasson [JF619] then dove on another, getting in a deflection burst which caused an explosion in the fuselage near the cockpit. Pulling up on another, Gasson got in an ineffective burst, but enough to scare the e/a off. Chasing it NE, but unable to close to less than 300 yards as his LRT wouldn’t jettison, Gasson kept on its tail right to Viterbo. Though 8 other 190s were in the circuit as he approached, Gasson followed his quarry right down across the drome at nought feet, skimming right under one which was holding off to land at 20’. This was too much for the Hun who tipped in on one wing and crashed. Continuing after the other, Gasson succeeded in gaining strikes on the starboard wing root .. causing white puffs then broke away when the 190 turned back for the drome. He claimed one probable and four damaged 190s in all.

One was also damaged by Lt. Boy [JF424] and another by F/Lt Wright [JF290].

… our other missions were without incident. But Cassino fell!

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