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22 April 1944

  • A B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-29155) nicknamed

    A B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-29155) nicknamed "Picadilly Commando" of the 446th Bomb Group. First handwritten caption on reverse: '446BG B/24 leaving Ruhr on its way home 22 April 1944.' Second handwritten caption on reverse: '22/4/44, 21,000 Ft. Hamm, smoke screen in distance.'

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  • Mention in MACR 4162 about the circumstances of the bailing out of Sgts David C. Blodgett, Carl J. Eckhart and Frank G. Scorsune. All three were subsequently made prisoner. The pilot, Lt Frank A. Bartos flew the plane back to England.

    Mention in MACR 4162 about the circumstances of the bailing out of Sgts David C. Blodgett, Carl J. Eckhart and Frank G. Scorsune. All three were subsequently made prisoner. The pilot, Lt Frank A. Bartos flew the plane back to England.

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Official description

Not yet known

Description

Not yet known

Mission details

1.

Description

BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

2. BONN (Opportunistic)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

3. HAMM (CITY) (Secondary)

Description

INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

4. HAMM (Primary)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

1st Bomb Division was made up of 91st Bomb Group, 92nd Bomb Group, 303rd Bomb Group, 305th Bomb Group, 306th Bomb Group, 351st Bomb Group, 379th Bomb Group, 381st Bomb Group, 384th Bomb Group, 401st Bomb Group, 457th Bomb Group. The bombers also dropped 1,280,000 leaflets.

457th BG MISSION NO. 30 - HAMM, GERMANY

22 APRIL, 1944

The entire Eighth Air Force, consisting of eight hundred bombers, was sent aloft to bomb the Hamm marshalling yards, the largest in Germany, which had the capacity of handling 10,000 freight cars per day. It was one of the key centers for German rail traffic, handling everything between the Ruhr in the north and central Germany.

The Group supplied twenty-four planes and led the 94th Combat Wing, with Col. Luper leading as Air Commander and with Lt. J. L. Smith as pilot.

By the time the 457th reached the target, it was so blasted and smoke covered by the preceding units that the Group went to other yards in the city and bombed. Enemy fighters were in the area, but did not attack. Takeoff had been in late afternoon, and darkness was approaching as the aircraft returned to England. Landings were make in the dark. The lead ship (Luper) could not lower one of its landing wheels. After dropping its ball turret over the Wash and making several approaches, the craft finally came in for a successful belly landing in the darkness.

The Germans attached about twenty Ju-88s and Me-410s to B-24 groups, which flew at the end of the bomber stream. They attacked while the B-24s were attempting to land in the darkness, and at least ten aircraft were shot down or crash landed, in addition to many planes being damaged.

The 457th did not experience any intruder attacks.

Units

  • 1st Bomb Division

    1st Bomb Division

    Division

  • 457th Bomb Group

    457th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 457th Bomb Group began combat operations during the Big Week of 20-25 February when American bombers carried out concentrated raids against German aircraft bases, factories and assembly plants. The air crews' targets on that first mission were...

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 723 T HE 39 T IB

5. HAMM (Primary)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

2nd Bomb Division was made up of 44th Bomb Group, 93rd Bomb Group, 389th Bomb Group, 392nd Bomb Group, 445th Bomb Group, 446th Bomb Group, 448th Bomb Group, 453rd Bomb Group, 458th Bomb Group, 466th Bomb Group, 467th Bomb Group.

Units

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 347 T HE 294 T IB

6. HAMM (Primary)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

B-17 Flying Fortress

Notes

3rd Bomb Division was made up of 94th Bomb Group, 95th Bomb Group, 96th Bomb Group, 100th Bomb Group, 385th Bomb Group, 388th Bomb Group, 390th Bomb Group, 447th Bomb Group, 452nd Bomb Group. The bombers returned after dark and German fighters were able to infiltrate the bomber stream. A total of 14 aircraft were either shot down or involved in mid-air collisions.
Note in log by Horace Turner.. "Raided Hamm, Railroad Yards, Good Bombing, Flak Heavy, Attacked by Fighters. A Rough Mission. Flak hit plane."

Units

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 458 T HE 122 T IB

7. KOBLENZ (Opportunistic)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

8. SOEST (Opportunistic)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Service

People

  • Louis Alier

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 467th Bomb Group
    On return from mission to Hamm, Germany was followed by enemy and shot down over home base. see watts book, p74

  • Steve Andrychuk

    Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Top turret gunner/ flight engineer | 452nd Bomb Group

  • Dorsey Baker

    Military | Major | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group

  • David Blodgett

    Military | Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 94th Bomb Group
    David C. Blodgett grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He attended Franklin High School there and enlisted in the Air Corps in October 1942. In February 1944, he was stationed with the 305th Bomb Group in Ardmore, Oklahoma as an instructor in aerial...

  • Joseph Booth

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 389th Bomb Group

  • James Braa

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball turret gunner | 389th Bomb Group
    James Braa served as a ball turret gunner with the 566th Bomb Squadron of the 389th Bomb Group, flying bombing missions out of Hethel, England. He completed his tour of 30 missions between March and June 1944, flying his final two missions on D-Day.

  • Grover Conway

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Nose Gunner | 453rd Bomb Group
    Shot down 22 April 1944 in B-24 #4264490 'Cee Gee II. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Killed in Action (KIA). Conway's name is commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery. PH

  • Wayne Danielson

    Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Tail Gunner/Airplane Armorer | 458th Bomb Group
    Killed in Action (KIA) in B24 AC-42-52404. Plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

  • Sylvio Dery

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer | 467th Bomb Group
    On return from mission to Hamm, Germany was followed by enemy and shot down over home base. See Watts book, p74, (Crew #118-53 per SO#33)

  • Carl Eckhart

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 94th Bomb Group
    Carl J. Eckhart was Radio Operator on B-17G #42-102457 'Filthy Hag" when it was hit by Flak at an altitude of 23,000 feet on the 22 April 1944 mission to Hamm, Germany. The plane caught fire, 2 engines on the same side were knocked out and the...

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Aircraft

  • 41-28843 Repulser

    B-24 Liberator
    B-24 41-28843, The Repulser, was attacked by heavily-armed ME 410 German fighters and crashed in the fields near Kessingland.

  • 41-29306 K For King

    B-24 Liberator
    This aircraft crashed on a mission from Tibenham to Koblenz on 22 April 1944. ...

  • 42-102457 Filthy Hag, Gloria

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 5/3/44; Kearney 22/3/44; Dow Field 4 March 1944; Assigned 410BS/94BG [GL-R] Rougham 6 April 1944. Nicknamed "FILTHY HAG". Was hit by Flak at an altitude of 23,000 feet on the 22 April 1944 mission to Hamm, Germany. It caught fire, 2...

  • 42-30212 Quarterback

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Sioux City 14/5/43; Smoky Hill 11/6/43; Dow Fd 16/6/43; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 17/6/43; transferred Aphrodite project, Missing in Action V-sites, Watten 6/8/44 with Lt Joeseph P Andrecheck & T/Sgt Raymond Healy (2...

  • 42-30595 'Gremlin Gus II' "Olin's 69'ers"

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 26/6/43; Smoky Hill 13/7/43; Kearney 16/7/43; Dow Fd 19/7/43; Assigned 560BS/388BG Knettishall 20/7/43; (34m) transferred Aphrodite project as OLIN'S 69'ERS; when War Weary, fuselage cut down and vehicle windshield fitted before open...

  • 42-31741 Thunderbolt/Hi Fever

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Denver 12/12/43; Kearney 30/12/43; RAF Nutts Corner 14/1/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 17/1/44; Missing in Action Liege 25/5/44 with Capt Jim Zengerle, Co-pilot: Albt Millin, Navigator: Walt Travis, Bombardier: Capt Wayne Barnett,...

  • 42-97257 'Knock-Out Baby!'

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 11/2/44; Dalhart 3/3/44; Grenier 26/3/44; Assigned 412BS/95BG [QW-L] Horham 28/3/44; with Horace O. Turner, 24/4/44, Bombardier/Navigator [wia]; with J.C. Bertram 11/7/44, Waist gunner: Ray Carpenter [wia]; with T.G. Bek 24/12/44,...

  • 42-52445

    B-24 Liberator
    Shot from the rear by ME-410 intruder aircraft that entered the landing pattern of returning ships. Crashed near Barsham, Suffolk. 7 crew killed. 3 gunners bailed out safely.

Crash sites

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
09 March 2016 08:46:24 aquaflow1 Changes to event
Sources

Added by Karen Turner, daughter of Horace Turner.
Date Contributor Update
20 May 2015 12:42:31 general ira snapsorter Changes to event
Sources

Mission details added courtesy of Diane Elizabeth Reese from 457th Bomb Group Mission Documents. http://www.457thbombgroup.org/
Date Contributor Update
13 November 2014 12:53:52 Emily Changes to media associations
Sources

Associated Media based on images associated with missions in Freeman, The Mighty Eighth War Diary.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:43:06 AAM AAM ingest
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'.

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