In mid-January the 56th Fighter Group conducted a fighter sweep from its forward bases all the way to Berlin. The Wolf Pack pilots encountered a large force of Focke-Wulfs and Bf 109s and attacked, breaking up the enemy formation. In the large dogfight that followed, nineteen German planes were downed for the loss of two P-47s. At one point in the battle, Major Conger, in his new P-47M Thunderbolt, was jumped by three Bf 109s. He and his wingman were able to evade the attack and downed one of the Bf 109s after a short chase.
