TSgt. Paul Posti 1913-2002

[TomkinsSP]

Shot down a Me109 with his .38 caliber S&W revolver.

Inducted into the US Army in 1942, 29 year old Paul Posti was a professional chef. Although immediately assigned as the acting Mess Sergeant at a nice safe California base, he wanted to fight and secured a transfer to the Arial Gunnery School.

Assigned to 351st Bombardment Group's 509th Sqaudron in Polebrook England as a Waist Gunner, he flew 5 missions with Clark Gable who was filming the early bombing missions over occupied France for the Army.

On one particularly bad day TSgt. Posti's M2 ran dry and he began firing on a Me109 with his backup, his S&W revolver. Film confirmed that he hit the aircraft and other bomber crews confirmed the crash.

On a later mission T.Sgt Posti lost the use of an eye to shapnel.

After the war Paul Posti returned home and returned to his ordinary life of being a chef, in Hollywood California and Las Vegas, working for Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra and some guy named Elvis.

When Paul passed in December 2002 his family donated his revolver and jacket to the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio.

 

[les.b]

Talk about "Don't make them like that anymore"!!! What a remarkable life. Thanks for sharing with us.

Best Regards, Les

 

[M29since14]

What Les said. That's quite a story.

 

[Redbert31]

TomkinsSP... Thanks for sharing!

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Texas Star]

I've heard this, but never saw the gun. Was it a Victory Model or some other .38?

Did he receive a medal for that feat?

 

[CapnB]

The only photo I was able to locate shows a round butt, top break model of some sort. The picture is taken at an angle and is more of the man's flight jacket than the firearm. Maybe someone with knowledge of those older models can google Mr. Posti and tell us what it is.

According to the USAF news release, Posti received the Silver Star.

 

[Targets Guy]

That was some good shooting. RIP indeed.

 

[TomkinsSP]

I am uncertain, but personally lean towards the Victory being used to down the Me109. A old LA newspaper report republished online said it was his USAAF issued revolver. Which would be a Victory.

A 2003 piece by a Dayton newspaper regarding the family's donation republished by the "Official US Airforce Website" shows a painted leather bomber jacket and a .38 S&W break top revolver.

The Dayton paper tells of TSgt. Posti's exploits, and says the family donated his jacket and revolver. It does NOT say the jacket and revolver in the photo belonged to Mr. Posti, or that the pistol was the one used to shoot down the Messerschmidt.

My father was issued Victorys while in the USSAF during the war. He said that in England they returned them to the armorer after each flight, while in North Africa and Italy they carried them 24/7. I am also assuming that the USAAF would not 'gift' even such a special Victory to an enlisted man, no matter the reason, and that they would not permit a Technical Sergeant to carry a personal weapon on bombing missions.

But I am speculating here.

EDIT: CapnB found a story saying he recieved the Silver Star. I am glad.

(Original post: None of the stories I read said he recieved an award for his marksmanship. I think he should have. I have noticed in my life those who have done truly heroic things are often the last to call attention to the same.)

 

[jtcarm]

Must've been a lot of bogeys that day to run his M2 dry.

I've read that early WWI pilots resorted to shotguns, sidearms, and even bricks for air-to-air combat.

 

[Absalom]

I think we discussed this a few years ago.

The plane he downed was an FW 190, not a Me 109. In his book, Charles Pate reprinted an article from the LA Times from April 2, 1944, detailing the story (p. 268). According to Posti himself, the barrel on his .50 had burned out after 1100 rounds fired. He just talks about a .38 revolver, but there is no reason to assume it was anything but a standard Victory, as commonly issued to aircrews.

This is an article from the Air Force with a photo, clearly a topbreak and almost certainly not what Posti carried in the war:

Family donates historic revolver to museum > U.S. Air Force > Article Display

 

[Texas Star]

I seriously doubt the old top break gun is the one used.

Very interesting to learn that the enemy plane was a FW-190. I suppose the .38 bullet could have cut a vital fuel line, but I bet the bullet slipped through the prop rotation and went through the canopy and killed the pilot.

It was interesting to find that airmen were issued Victory Models. All USAAF guns I've seen pictured were .45 autos. I thought that only Navy and Marine crews got Victory Models, and some other Navy men. I've seen a photo of a landing craft in the Pacific, taking aboard wounded Marines from a beach being assaulted. The boatswain (guessing at his title) is wearing a Victory Model, a MK I knife, and has a 7X50 binocular.

In the 1960's, we had Victory Models in the USAF, but most were Navy marked and I was told we'd bummed them from the swabs, because we couldn't get the new Combat Masterpiece revolvers fast enough to go around.

I know that Navy shore patrols, etc. had .38's and they probably issued them a lot, to free up .45 autos for land forces. JFK had a Victory Model, partly because it was made in MA, his home state. He swam with it on a lanyard after the Japanese destroyer cut his PT boat in half.

OSS had some Victory Models, and I suspect that with time, we'll find added forces who had those guns.

 

[TomkinsSP]

Just guessing (a bunch) here, but the USAAF had to develop the three level interlocking box tactic used later in the war. The first 8th AAF raid was flown 7/12/42 with borrowed RAF Bostons. So this was a really early raid.

The approach speed of a fighter is much greater than the speed of a heavy. TSgt. Posti was a Waist Gunner. His best shot would have been at the pilot of the fighter as it is overtaking the bomber. Aircraft aluminum is thin, fighters tended to have armor behind the pilot, maybe below, maybe armored glass above but not alongside.

Quite a shot however it was made.

 

[Absalom]

No reason to spoil a good story.

But the bombers are flying in a large formation, everybody is firing. The air space is saturated with bullets considerably more lethal than a .38 round. The FW-190 flies past, Sgt. Posti empties his revolver. Other crew members confirm that the German fighter crashes and burns.

I would not be overly confident that one really caused the other