8th Air Force 948

14 April 1945
Ten men in Air Force uniform posed in two rows in front of a military airplane.  Five men standing to the rear and five men sitting in front on top of flying gear.  UPL 66369 UPL 66369 384th Bomb Group Lead Crews / 14 April 1945/Bordeaux/Royan, France (Guns).
Back L-R: Capt. Carl Schwob (MN), Maj. Robert Chapin (N), Lt. Col. Theodore Milton (AC/CP), 1st Lt. Leif Ostnes (P), 1st Lt. Herbert Schaaf (OBS/TG)
Front L-R: Victor Riordan (TT), William “Pop” Dolan, Maj. Richard Crown (B), 2nd Lt. Robert Whipple (2N), Norris McCollum (RO)
Dolan is not on the loading list but is listed as a passenger on the "J" Form.
546th Bomb Squadron 384th Bomb Group 8th Air Force 948 44-8401 Grafton Underwood Carl W Schwob Robert Charles Chapin Theodore R Milton Leif Robert Ostnes Herbert Henry Schaaf Victor J Riordan William E Dolan Richard K Crown Robert M Whipple Norris L McCollum On

Object Number - UPL 66369 - 384th Bomb Group Lead Crews / 14 April 1945/Bordeaux/Royan, France (Guns). Back L-R: Capt. Carl Schwob (MN), Maj. Robert Chapin (N), Lt. Col....

Mission Details

BORDEAUX

Description: FLAK BATTERIES

Notes: 1,167 are despatched without escort to attack the France Gironde estuary. Other Allied Air Forces and French naval units attack similar targets. The air attacks precede a ground assault by a French detachment of the Sixth Army Group on the defense pockets that deny the Allies use of port facilities in the Bordeaux area. 15 strong points are hit on this raid.

BORDEAUX

Description: FLAK BATTERIES

Notes: 12 strong points are targeted.

BORDEAUX

Description: FLAK BATTERIES

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress

Notes: The great, French port of Bordeaux is still useless to the Allies because the Huns control the entrance to the port which is the mouth of the Gironde river. Sooooo – we are to bomb the coastal installations which the Jerries control. This is in support of the French drive. The briefing officer warned us against late releases because the French lines are only 2 1/2 miles from our MPI. We had a continental assembly and everything went well until my G box slipped and gave me a fix about 3 miles from Dunkirk on the way to A-72 Buncher. From the boncher beacon we proceeded SE thru Paris. Then thru Orleans until we got about 50 miles to the south of our IP. Our IP was out in the middle of the sea & we made our bomb run at about 045o. Our target was right on the beach. As we hit the I.P. the squadron reformed into a spread formation. I watched the bombs & saw them hit right on the beach. I looked like a bullseye to me. About then, the ball man (Albert Karamanos) reported a B-24 exploded. He said that he counted 9 chutes.

Connections

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People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 34th Bomb Group 7th Bomb Squadron
  • Role/Job: Gunner (tail)
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 506th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 390th Bomb Group 571st Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 33721705
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
  • Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner / Flight Engineer
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Day and Night
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 613th Bomb Squadron 615th Bomb Squadron
A B-17 Flying Fortress of the 401st Bomb Group, airborne in spite of the flak hole ripped into its left wing. Printed caption on reverse: '56751 AC- BERLIN DAMAGE- Flak over Berlin, March 18 1945, during the more than 1300 heavy bomber attack on rail and industrial targets in the capital city of the Reich, was responsible for the torn wing tip on the US Eight AF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Intense anti-aircraft fire made things hot for the heavy bombers over the target. US Air Force Photo.'
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Bottle Baby
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 613th Bomb Squadron 615th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Baby Buggy II
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Diabolical Angel
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron

Revisions

Date
ContributorVirginiawise50
Changes
Sources

Official Website of 385th Bomb Group Association

Date
Changes
Sources

Information from original, hand-written combat logs of Maj. I.J. Barrios dated Feb-Apr 1945.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham, 8th Air Force missions research database / Stan Bishop's 'Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces', the Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces and the work of Roger Freeman including the 'Mighty Eighth War Diary'.

8th Air Force 948: Gallery (2 items)