Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
4 min of reading 
0 comments 
While modern pilots respect a minimum altitude of 300 meters over cities, a P-51 Mustang fighter flew under the Eiffel Tower at just 50 meters above the ground chasing a Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109 in 1944.
According to a report by The Aviation Geek Club, pilot William Overstreet Jr. performed the unprecedented maneuver.
For this reason, Overstreet entered military history as the only pilot of World War II to fly under the Eiffel Tower.
-
Scientists warn that the AMOC ocean current could collapse, trigger extreme events in various parts of the planet, weaken monsoons that sustain food production, and even affect Brazil.
-
“Good” mosquito against dengue has already reduced cases by up to 89% in Brazil and could change the fight against the disease in the coming years
-
Science issues a concerning warning about a common bedtime habit: using your phone at night may affect your mind much more than you think.
-
Eos Energy will build the world’s largest zinc battery with 1 GWh in Mojave and eliminates lithium for AI data centers.
The chase began at an altitude of 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) over occupied Paris.
The P-51 was pursuing the German Bf 109 in an aerial duel that lasted 7 minutes.
According to military records, the Luftwaffe pilot tried to escape by flying low between Parisian buildings to avoid the Mustang’s 6 Browning M2 machine guns.
Lieutenant William Overstreet Jr. commanded the 363rd Fighter Squadron
William Bruce Overstreet Jr. was born on April 10, 1921, in Clifton Forge, Virginia.
In 1942, at the age of 21, Overstreet enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was trained in Texas and Arizona as a fighter pilot.
According to records from the 357th Fighter Group of the US Air Force, Overstreet joined the 363rd Fighter Squadron in Leiston, England.
For this reason, he participated in 100 combat missions in Europe between 1944 and 1945.
Overstreet received 4 Distinguished Flying Cross medals and 12 Air Medals for his service.
How the P-51 Mustang outperformed the Luftwaffe Bf 109
The P-51 Mustang was manufactured by North American Aviation starting in 1940.
According to data from Boeing, successor to North American, the fighter weighs 3,465 kg empty and reaches 700 km/h at altitudes above 7,620 meters.
For this reason, the Mustang outperformed the German Bf 109 in maximum speed by 50 km/h and in range by 1,300 km.
The engine was the Packard V-1650 Merlin, licensed by Rolls-Royce with 1,490 horsepower.
According to the National Museum of the USAF, 15,586 P-51 Mustangs were manufactured between 1940 and 1945.
The Eiffel Tower under Nazi occupation for 4 years
The Eiffel Tower is 330 meters tall and was built in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel for the Universal Exposition in Paris.
According to the Memorial of the Liberation of Paris, the tower was under Nazi occupation between June 14, 1940, and August 25, 1944.
For this reason, during the occupation, the monument displayed the German flag at the top for 4 consecutive years.
The Eiffel Tower’s elevator was sabotaged by the French themselves in 1940 to force Nazi officers to climb 1,665 steps on foot.
When Overstreet executed the maneuver in 1944, Paris was still under German control.
The combat that lasted 7 minutes over the Champs-Élysées
The aerial combat began at 2:32 PM on June 22, 1944, over the Champs-Élysées.
According to the book The Mighty Eighth by Roger Freeman, Overstreet was on a mission escorting B-17 Flying Fortress bombers.
For this reason, upon spotting the German Bf 109 attacking the bombers, Overstreet immediately pursued it.
The German fighter tried to escape by flying low between Parisian buildings and dived towards the Eiffel Tower to use the structure as a natural obstacle.
Overstreet followed the Bf 109 in an unprecedented passage under the main arch of the tower, at 50 meters above the ground.
- P-51 Mustang: 11,279 m ceiling, 700 km/h, 6 Browning M2 machine guns, 1,490 hp
- Messerschmitt Bf 109: 11,500 m ceiling, 650 km/h, 2 cannons 20 mm + 2 machine guns
- Spitfire Mark IX: 13,106 m ceiling, 657 km/h, 4 machine guns + 2 cannons
- Focke-Wulf Fw 190: 12,000 m ceiling, 685 km/h, 4 machine guns + 2 cannons
- P-38 Lightning: 13,410 m ceiling, 666 km/h, 4 machine guns + 1 cannon
According to the National Museum of the USAF, the P-51 Mustang was the best long-range fighter of World War II.
For other historical aviation curiosities, see the SpaceX orbital data center and the Singapore solar park.
The fate of the German Bf 109 after passing under the Eiffel Tower
After passing under the Eiffel Tower, the Bf 109 still tried to escape through the Boulogne forest.
According to records from the 357th Fighter Group, Overstreet shot down the German fighter 12 km from the Eiffel Tower with a machine gun burst.
For this reason, the victory was Overstreet’s 12th in World War II.
The German pilot parachuted and was captured by the French Resistance in Saint-Cloud.
Overstreet received his fourth Distinguished Flying Cross from the American armed forces for this mission.
Why William Overstreet only told the story in 2009
Pilot William Overstreet Jr. kept the story a secret for 65 years after the war.
According to the newspaper The Roanoke Times, Overstreet only shared the details of the flight under the Eiffel Tower in an interview in 2009.
In 2009, the French government awarded Overstreet the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest civilian honor.
The pilot passed away on December 4, 2013, at the age of 92, in Roanoke, Virginia.
Overstreet was buried with military honors in a ceremony attended by 200 World War II veterans.
Overstreet’s story entered the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in 2018 and is on permanent display in Washington.
The flight under the Eiffel Tower became one of the most daring episodes of military aviation in the 20th century.
However, modern aviation authorities consider the maneuver an extreme example of risk that should never be repeated.
Nevertheless, according to the Smithsonian, Overstreet’s feat remains an example of individual courage in aerial combat in world history.
Be the first to react!