Early on the morning of June 26th, 1943, forty-eight P-47C Thunderbolts from the 56th Fighter Group took off from the base at Manston. The three squadrons of the 56th Fighter Group were all up: the 61st, 62nd, and 63rd. They flew across the Channel, into France, and soon spotted sixteen Fw-190s. Before Lt. Robert Johnson could communicate or coordinate with his flight, he was hit by 20mm cannon shells, smashing the canopy, punching holes in the plane, and inspiring in Johnson an overwhelming urge to bail out. More explosions smashed the plane, and fire began to envelope the cockpit.

His Thunderbolt spun crazily out of control canopy frame was twisted and jammed. As he struggled with the canopy, the engine fire went out, but he could barely see, as oil from the battered engine smeared the windshield. He tried to squeeze out through the broken glass of the canopy, but the opening was too small for both him and his parachute. Trapped inside the P-47, he next decided to try to crash-land and evade.

The planes instrument panel was shattered, the wind constantly blew in oil and hydraulic fluid into his cut up face and eyes. He had neglected to wear his goggles that morning, and any attempt to rub his eyes burned worse than ever. He and his plane were battered, but incredibly he was still alive, and his plane continued to fly. He made for the Channel, desperate to escape the heavily defended enemy territory.

His head swiveling constantly, he spotted a plane approaching him, an Fw-190 flown by Hauptmann Egon Mayer. Johnson was totally helpless, and just had to wait for the German to get him in his sights and open up. Egon Mayer took his time with the crippled P-47, as Johnson hunched down behind his armor-plated seat and awaited the inevitable. Mayer opened fire spraying the plane with machine gun fire, Johnson kicked his rudder left and right, slowing his plane and as the Fw-190 sped out in front of him fired back.

Mayer easily avoided the gunfire and circled back, this time pulling level with him. He examined the shattered Thunderbolt, looking it up and down, and shook his head in disbelief. He pulled up behind Johnson again, and opened up with another burst. Again somehow the rugged Republic built aircraft stayed in the air. The German pulled alongside again, as they approached the Channel. As they went out over the Channel, once again Mayer slid in behind Johnson's battered plane and opened up again, but the P-47 kept flying. After running out of ammunition, Mayer pulled alongside Johnson, saluted him and headed for home.

Johnson had survived the incredible, point-blank machine gun fire. After landing, Johnson tried to count the bullet holes in his airplane, but gave up after the tally passed 200 - without even moving around the aircraft. Even though the plane had continued to fly, and made it back to base for a safe landing Robert Johnson's plane, named Half Pint, was so badly damaged it had to be scrapped.