Aircraft lost to arty?

[Huib Versloot]

Not lost to arty and certainly not accidentally but interesting enough to note here:

"... In the next attack, a Thunderbolt was shot down at close range (the explosive shell detonated right in the airplane, about 60 meters from the barrel of an 8.8 flak gun). There was a tremendous explosion; scraps of aluminium flew everywhere."

This was from an 88 of the Flak unit of FJD 5. protecting the Roth bridge over the Our during the Ardennnes battle.

Source: R. Gaul, The battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg Vol I. p 223.