Narrative - Official Air Force Mission Description
Mission 264: Aircraft plants and airfields in Germany are targetted; enemy fighters attack in force and AA fire is heavy; the bombers claim 45-10-17 Luftwaffe aircraft; 43 bombers and 13 fighters are lost:
1. 284 of 290 B-17s dispatched bomb the aviation industry at Oberpfaffenhofen, air depots at Lechfeld and Landsberg, Memmingen Airfield and targets of opportunity; 8 B-17s are lost and 102 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 9 WIA and 80 MIA.
2. 196 of 221 B-17s dispatched bomb Munich, the aviation industry at Oberpfaffenhofen, Lechfeld air depot and targets of opportunity; 7 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 80 damaged; casualties are 3 KIA, 4 WIA and 70 MIA.
3. 227 B-24s are dispatched to aviation industry targets at Friedrichshafen/Lowenthal (77 bomb), Friedrichshafen/Manzell (38 bomb) and Friedrichshafen/Zeppelin (52 bomb), the city of Friedrichshafen (22 bomb) and 9 hit targets of opportunity; 28 B-24s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 60 damaged; casualties are 6 KIA, 9 WIA and 286 MIA
Escort is provided by 113 P-38s, 598 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 214 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s. Details are: P-38s claim 11-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 are lost and 1 damaged; 4 pilots are MIA. P-47s claim 2-1-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 6 damaged; 2 pilots are MIA. P-51s claim 26-2-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 6 are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 3 damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 6 MIA. The fighters also claim 3-2-2 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground.
Mission 265: 6 of 6 B-17s drop 300 bundles of leaflets on Cambrai, Lille, Paris, Amiens, Rouen and Caen, France at 2115-2139 hours without loss. | |
Source: THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945 by Carter / Mueller, the Office of Air Force History, |
Mission Reports
303BG Mission Report - Target: Group A - Lechfeld Airdrome, Augsburg, Germany Group B - Memmingen Airdrome, Germany. Crews Dispatched: 36 (358BS - 7, 359th - 7, 360th - 7, 427th - 8). Crew Members Lost or Wounded: 1 crewman wounded. Length of Mission: 8 hours, 50 minutes. Bomb Load: 38 x 120 lb Fragmentation bombs. Bombing Altitude: 22,700 ft & 23,600 ft. Ammo Fired: 2,810 rounds. Major Cole took off in #42-38168 Dear Mom, 358BS-M, but had to return shortly due to mechanical difficulties. He left again in a spare 358BS B-17, Ole George, and joined the Group before it departed the English coast. Colonel William L. Travis (C/S 41 CBW) flew as co-pilot with Capt. W.H. Bergeron in the lead ship of the low 360BS formation. Capt. Bergeron completed his tour of 25 missions. Twenty-two aircraft of the 303BG-A main formation took off. Seven aircraft of the 358BS flying in the low Squadron of the 41 CBW high Group took off with no abortions. The 303BG-A formation attacked the primary target, the airdrome at Lechfeld, Germany with 732 120-lb. fragmentation clusters from 22,700 feet with good results. One aircraft dropped 50 bundles of leaflets on Freiburg, Germany. The 358BS formation dropped M41 120-lb. fragmentation clusters on the Memmingen, Germany Airdrome, a target of opportunity, from 26,700 feet. One aircraft jettisoned its bombs in the English Channel and another dropped its bombs on a target of opportunity. Visibility was good at both targets. The 303BG-A Fortresses encountered meager, inaccurate flak at scattered points along the route. Flak was moderate and accurate at Lechfeld. One aircraft sustained major damage and five, minor damage. The 358BS experienced flak at various points and six aircraft sustained minor damage. F/O Heibert 358BS navigator, suffered a flak wound in his knee cap. Both formations found enemy air opposition to be weak – only a few enemy aircraft were seen with no attacks or claims. Fighter coverage was excellent and effective. All aircraft returned to Molesworth. The extremely complicated set-up of targets and formations for the mission made it difficult to execute smoothly, especially in view of its 8 hour, 45 minute length. The take-off delay of one hour added to crew tension and contributed to mission difficulty. Pvt. Edward W. Flannery, 358th BS Ground Personnel, was killed in a accident involving a cletrac, which is a tractor used to tow aircraft. More info on this mission at the 303BG website | source: 303rd Bomb Group web page http://www.303rdbg.com/ | 306BG Mission Report | source: 306th Bombardment Group website www.306bg.org/ | 351BG Mission Report - 21 aircraft were sent on this mission. 42-31966 Lt. P. Martin - Shot down by fighters. POW 1, KIA 9. 42-37825 Lt. G. W. Mears - Landed in Switzerland. Crew interned. 42-37832 Lt. W. R. Illies - Shot down by fighters. POW 4, KIA 7. 42-38032 Lt. R. E. Neuberg - Shot down by fighters. POW 5, KIA 5. | source: 351st Bomb Group web page http://www.351st.org/ken.harbour | 384BG Mission Report - Five aircraft of High Composite Group, led by Capt J M Merritt, bombed an airfield in vicinity of Memmingen, Germany as a TOO. On primary bomb run had to maneuver to avoid dropping on low sq, unable to drop on primary. | source: 384th Bomb Group web page http://384thBombGroup.com/ | 384BG Mission Report - 384th BG Mission Number 76. Five aircraft of High Composite Group, led by Capt J M Merritt, bombed an airfield in vicinity of Memmingen, Germany as a Target of Opportunity. On primary bomb run had to maneuver to avoid dropping on low sq, unable to drop on primary. Primary Target: Aircraft Assembly & Repair Works - Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Target Attacked : Primary (Visual) 32 aircraft assigned to this mission: Completed Mission - 23. Failed To Return - 2. Aborted - 1. Spare, Returned As Briefed - 3. Ground Spare, Unused - 3 42-31871 LaSeur, William Veryle - Failed to Return - MIA; at 1445 hrs called Grp Leader saying he had two engines out and would try for home; had escort of four friendly fighters; f/l Dubendorf, Switzerland; MACR 3485. 42-37793 Smith, Roger Clement - Failed to Return - MIA; at 1440 hrs he turned from formation; at 1455 he called Grp Leader that two engines were out and he was heading for Switzerland, escorted by P-38s through a mountain pass to the south; flak; c/l Altenrhein, Switzerland. 42-38208 Bennett, Phillip N - dropped 21 M47A1s, 10 parcels of G-26, 20 parcels of G-19 'Nickles' 42-39888 Yokie, John O - Aborted at 1246 hrs b/c #3 supercharger went out and a/c could not maintain position in the formation | source: 384th Bomb Group web page http://384thBombGroup.com/ | 388BG Mission Report - The 388th was called upon to furnish one Group of 21 a/c plus three spares to fly in the low position of the 45th Combat Wing which was led by the 96th BG. The 1st and 2nd Air Divisions were assigned targets in the same general area. Our 24 a/c were airborne between 0920 and 0956 hours, and the three spares returned to base as scheduled. Formations were effected without difficulty and all but two a/c proceeded to the target on the briefed course. The two a/c aborted over France because of mechanical problems after the spares had returned to base. Finding the briefed targets covered by clouds, it was decided to make a visual bomb run on Oberfaffenhofen, a target of opportunity. Bombs were away at 1431 hours from 20,000 feet on a 30 degree mag heading. Strike photos show poor results. Meager flak was seen at the enemy coast and at Amiens. A moderate barrage was encountered at Ausburg which was good for altitude but off course. At Munich very accurate flak was encountered, both barrage and tracking type at which time most of our planes suffered some damage. Enemy a/c attacked the high squadron just south of Strasbourg on the return route. The Me 109's made head-on attacks from the high position passing under the squadron. On these attacks, the diamond plane of the second element (Lt. Caffee) was hit by a 20mm shell with Lt. Robb, Bombardier and Lt.Mundy, Navigator, being wounded. All of our planes returned to base by 1906 hours. | source: 388th Bomb Group web page http://www.388bg.info | 392nd Bomb Group Mission Report | source: 392nd Bomb Group web page http://www.b24.net/missions/ | 401BG / 613BS Mission Report - The 613th put up the following crew which flew as a spare: Lt. C.F. Hess. Both photos and crew observation verified that the bombing was excellent, several hits being on the hanger and buildings on the north side of the airdrome. Persistent enemy fighter attacks from about 20 to 30 Me-109's and Me-110's were experienced. Flak was encountered intermittently during the mission and was described as being meager but fair for altitude and deflection. Each mission into Germany propaganda leaflets are loaded into our aircraft and are dropped on the target at the same time as the bombs. | source: 613th Bombardment Squadron History | 401BG / 614BS Mission Report - The attack on 18t March was to another German airdrome, Landsberg Am Lech. The mission was led by Captain Carl C. Hinkle, flying as co-pilot with Lt. V.K. Cammack and crew. The twenty 401st aircraft were the High Box of the 94th Combat Wing formation. The crew observations and the strike photos showed that the bombing was excellent, with hits on the hanger and the buildings on the north side of the airdrome. Besides bombs the 401st were now dropping propaganda leaflets on each mission over the target area. The Luftwaffe put in an appearance again on this mission and 20 to 30 Me-109's and Me-110's put in continuous and hard pressed attacks on the formation. Some flak was also encountered intermittently throughout the way in and out and although meager, was fairly accurate for altitude and deflection. The seven 614th crews on the mission were: Cammack (w/ Capt. C.C. Hinkle as co-pilot and Air Commander), Weber, Wilson, Stine, C.L. Wilson, Dawes, Ksieniewicz. | source: 614th Bombardment Squadron History www.401bg.org | 401BG / 615BS Mission Report - Quick thinking by the 401st Bomb Group Deputy Leader who took over when the Group Leader moved in the Wing Lead position after the abort by the assigned Wing Leader, made it possible to drop on a target of opportunity when he encountered bomb-release mechanism difficulty on the briefed MPI. He held his bombs until a favorable target presented itself, and the strike photo's later disclosed excellent results. Hence, the Wing hit the assigned target and the 401st bombed Memmingen. Me-109's, Me-110's and FW-190's - about 25 to 35 in number - were encountered in non persistent attacks. Intermittent flak was observed en route. 21 crews were briefed and 20 aircraft eventually took off at 1010 hrs, 5 hours and 10 minutes after briefing time. This was due to the airfield being declared Red through bad weather. The Group was led by Capt. C. Hinkle with the 615th Squadron flying in the High Squadron position of the wing. The following crews of the 615th were on the loading list: Byrd, Kaminski, Post, Ferdyn, Dempsey. Lt. William W. Dolan, the bombardier,had a confirmed damaged enemy aircraft to his credit on this mission. | source: 615th Bombardment Squadron History www.401bg.org | 401BG / 612BS Mission Report - Crews: West, Hershey, Sellers, Dunaway, Currie. | source: 612th Bombardment Squadron History | 44BG Mission Report - The mission today was to the Manzell Air Armaments at Friedrichshafen and it was a black letter day for the 44th Group. The entire Group lost eight aircraft, due primarily to enemy A/A fire. Nearly all aircraft sustained damages that made it quite difficult for them to reach home base. The results of the bombing were quite good, with the Manzell FW 190 Components plant bearing the brunt of the 44th bombs that formed an excellent pattern on the assigned target. The seven 67th aircraft took off at 0930 hours with one returning early. Six were over the target, but only five returned to England. Four officers and seven of our enlisted men are MIA. Both enemy fighters and enemy flak were much stiffer than the previous mission brought forth. The enemy planes centered their attacks in the target area, with at least one of them being shot down by 68th's gunners. Of the eight planes lost this day, six of them landed in Switzerland, and the 67th plane was one of these, piloted by Lt. Lacombe. 66th A/C #42-7618 C piloted by 1st Lt. G.D. Telford - Interned 68th A/C #42-100112 Q piloted by 1st Lt. H.R. Nichols - MIA 68th A/C #42-109800 T piloted by 2nd Lt. E.N. Dyer - Interned 506th A/C #42-100400 Y piloted by 1st Lt. R.R. Lucas - Interned 506th A/C #41-29431 Q piloted by 2nd Lt. W.C. Irwin - Interned 506th A/c #41-29172 Y piloted by 1st Lt. R.C. Houghtby- MIA 506th A/C #42-52305 P piloted by 1st Lt. F.L. Albert - MIA ship named " I'll Be Back " 67th A/c #42-100073 H "Sack Artists" Lacombe, Raymond J. 1st Lt. Pilot Providence, R.I. Interned returned to duty later Tinney, Jack R. 1st Lt. Co-pilot Bowie, Texas Interned Byers, Edgar M. Jr. 1st Lt. Navigator Scottsdale, Penna. Interned Carvour, George W. 1st-Lt. Bombardier Mansfieldv Ohio Interned Cardenas Robert L. Captain Command Pilot San Diego, Calif. Interned Returned to duty later From 506th Sq. (Later prometed to General Cardenas) Charochak, Joseph T/Sgt. Radio Oper. San Antonio, Texas Interned; returned to duty later Higley, Glenn 0. T/Sgt. Engineer Gaylord, Michigan Interned Returned to duty later Looker, Rollin C. S/Sgt. Bell Gun Topeka, Kansas Interned Returned to duty 9th Nov 1944 | source: 44th Bomb Group web page http://www.8thairforce.com/44thbg | 446th Bomb Group Mission Report Friedrichshafen A return trip saw better results, but still not what was expected. Flak was intense and accurate, causing one plane (42-7625) to land in Switzerland. All crewmen were interned by Swiss authorities, though one later escaped and returned to England. | source: 446th Bomb Group www.446bg.com | 457th Bomb Group Mission Link | source: 457 Bomb Group http://www.457thbombgroup.org | 458th Bomb Group Mission report | source: 458th Bomb Group web page http://www.458bg.com/ | 91st BG / 323nd BS Mission Report - The mission was to Oberpfeffenhoffen (OBP). There were aircraft factories near OBP, manufacturing BMW jet engines and Dornier aircraft. The mission was a good one, and Mary Kay was the only 91st ship hit. Hit by flak leaving the target, both right side engines knocked out. With two engines out, flight speed is about 100MPH, while formation is traveling 220 or so. Theophilus radioed that he was heading for Switzerland, (approx, 35 minutes west). Aircraft was seen leaving formation heading west under control, at approx 1430 local. Mary Kay was attacked by Bf109Gs at Lake Constance, the Swiss boarder ran through the middle of the lake. The order to bail out was given, eight men got out, the pilots attempted to hold aircraft until bail out completed. Joe Pletta stated that as he bailed out he looked up into the flight deck, and saw the copilot standing and preparing to jump. The ship went into a flat spin, the pilots could not get out. One chute did not open, one chute landed in the lake. 4 KIA, 6 POW.
| source: Army Air Forces Online Forum http://forum.armyairforces.com/ | 91st BG / 322nd BS Mission Report - Raid on Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Three 323rd A/C accidentally dropped 15 x 100 G.P.
bombs at 1352 hours from 23,500 ft. near IP. Four of our A/C dropped 20 x 100 G.P. bombs at 1403 hours from 24,000 ft. Eleven A/C of this group bombed target with fair results. At the target A.A. fire was meager to moderate and fairly accurate for our A/C with 5 receiving minor flak damage. About 20/30 E/A were observed. Only one attack was made by 5/10 E. A. No claims - No losses.
| source: 322rd Bomb Squadron / 91BG Mission Report http://www.91stbombgroup.com/ | 91st BG / 324th BS Mission Report - Target: Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany Dornier A/C Factory. Eleven A/C attacked primary visually with god results. Fighter opposition was meager. Fighter support was Excellent. P-38's were of great assistance in dispersing a formation of attacking E/A. Some A/C seen heading for Switzerland. (Later radio reported some 16 American bombers landing or shot down in Switzerland.) Col. Putnam required bombardiers who dropped early to write him a letter explaining why they should be given credit for the mission. | source: 91st BG / 324th BS Mission Report http://www.91stbombgroup.com/ | 91BG / 401BS Mission Report - Mission to Oberpfaffeniofen, Germany. Oberpfaffenhofen: Some A/C of this group attacked the primary with good results. Others dropped their bombs early in the vicinity of 4812N - 1050 E, through error. ENEMY AIRCRAFT: 8 to 10 Me 109s made one attack on our high group. FIGHTER ESCORT: Described as excellent. P-38s were of great assistance in dispersing a flight of enemy aircraft. Enroute to the target, meager, accurate AA fire was experienced from the vicinity of Babenhausen. At the target, AA fire was meager and moderate and inaccurate for our aircraft altitudes of 23,000to 24,500 feet. Some bursts were white and high - others black and low. On the route back, meager but accurate AA fire was experienced at Hornoy. | source: 91st BG / 401st BS Mission Report http://www.91stbombgroup.com/ |
Non-Combat Accident Reports
Aircraft: B-24H (#41-28772). Organization: 3SAS / 1SAG of . Pilot: Preziose, Richard J. Notes: landing accident. Location: Connel Scotland. Damage (0-5 increasing damage): 3 source: Aviation Archaeology http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/ | Aircraft: L-4B (#43-728). Organization: 315SerS / 97SerG of Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire. Pilot: Beaird, Thomas E Jr. Notes: landing accident. Location: Bourne England. Damage (0-5 increasing damage): 3 source: Aviation Archaeology http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/ | Aircraft: Mosquito (#MM340). Organization: / BAD2 of Warton, Lancashire. Pilot: Himes, Charles W. Notes: ground looped. Location: Warton, Lancashire England. Damage (0-5 increasing damage): 4 source: Aviation Archaeology http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/ | Aircraft: P-38H (#42-66637). Organization: 310FRS / 27ATG of Warton, Lancashire. Pilot: Vallee, William H. Notes: killed in a crash. Location: RAF Woodvale England. Damage (0-5 increasing damage): 5 source: Aviation Archaeology http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/ | Aircraft: P-38J (#42-67432). Organization: 38FS / 55FG of Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire. Pilot: Shepard, Bert R. Notes: landing accident. Location: Boreham/Sta 161 England. Damage (0-5 increasing damage): 5 source: Aviation Archaeology http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/ | Aircraft: P-51B7 (#43-12422). Organization: 357FS / 355FG of Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire. Pilot: Kirby, Henry H. Notes: crashed on take off engine failure. Location: Royston England. Damage (0-5 increasing damage): 5 source: Aviation Archaeology http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/ |
Mission "8th AF Fighter Command Fighter Operation 273" Fighter support for 8th AF 264 March 18, 1944Primary source for mission statistics: Mighty Eighth War Diary by Roger A. Freeman |   | Aircraft Sent | Aircraft Effective | Bomb Tonnage | Enemy Aircraft X-P-D | Enemy Aircraft (on gnd) X-P-D | USAAF Aircraft X-E-D | USAAF Personnel KIA-WIA-MIA | Notes | 925 | 925 | 0.0 | 36-4-7 | 3-2-2 | 13-3-10 | 0-1-12 | 20FG crashes sea 355FG crashes take-off 361FG crashes base | Mission Targets Click blue links for maps, photos and other documents. This will open a new tab in your browser | |
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Aircraft Groups Click blue links for info on the group This will open a new tab in your browser. | |
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Aircraft Losses Click blue links for info on the MIA aircraft (if known). This will open a new tab in your browser. | | |
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