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7 January 1944
8th air force mission 178; 7/1/44; Ludwigshafen
Not yet known
The industrial areas of Ludwigshaven, Germany are the primary target for this mission. The formation has three elements. The bomber gunners of the entire force claim 30-6-17 of attacking German aircraft.
The first element is a combined force of 172 B-17s from 3rd Bomb Division: 94BG; 95BG; 96BG; 100BG; 358BG; 388BG; 390BG; and 447BG. 167 are effective on the target. 2 aircraft Failed to Return (FTR) - 11 KIA 7POW 2EVD. 2 aircraft are Damaged Beyond Repair (DBR) of these, 1 crashes shortly after take-off at Wilby, UK but crew bale out safely - 10RTD; 1 with battle damage makes a crashlanding at Honington, UK - 10RTD. 18 aircraft are damaged. In addition to MIA aircraft casualties, 1 airman is KIA and 1 is WIA.
The second element is a combined force of 210 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division: 91BG; 92BG; 303BG; 305BG; 306BG; 351BG; 379BG; 381BG; 384BG; and 401BG. 184 are effective on the target. 3 aircraft Failed to Return (FTR) - 10KIA 18POW. 1 aircraft is Damaged Beyond Repair (DBR) shortly after take-off when it is caught in the prop wash of others in the formation. The aircraft comes apart over Lutham Bridge, UK - 6 KIA 4 bale out RTD. Other casualties in returning aircraft include 6 airmen KIA and 7 WIA. 86 aircraft are damaged.
The third element is a combined force of 120 B-24s from 2nd Air Division: 93BG; 389BG; 392BG; 445BG; and 446BG. 69 are effective on the target. 7 aircraft Failed to Return (FTR) - 28KIA 16POW 17EVD 10INT. 2 returning aircraft were Damaged Beyond Repair (DBR) 5KIA 10RTD. In addition, other casualties in returning aircraft were 4KIA and 5WIA. 18 aircraft were damaged.
I.G. FARBEN PLANT. This element is composed of B-24s from 2nd Air Division.The bomber gunners of the entire formation of B-17s and B-24s claim 30-6-17 of attacking enemy aircraft.
B-24 Liberator
One B-24 of this element dropped on a Target of Opportunity. The 44th Bomb Group and the 448th Bomb Group abandoned the mission at the Dutch coast after failing to reach altitude and were being out-distanced by the rest of the formation. The 445th Bomb Group was commanded by MAJ James Stewart, the Hollywood actor, on this mission.
Group
The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943...
Group
The 392nd Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators out of Wendling, Norfolk from August 1943 until April 1945. They were the first Group allocated B-24H Liberators, the first B-24 series fitted with a nose turret on the production line. The adaptation increased...
Group
The 445th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators from Tibenham, Norfolk. The crews' first mission was bombing U-boat installations at Kiel on 13 December 1943. The Group continued to hit strategic targets in Germany, including the aircraft components factory...
Group
The 446th Bomb Group, who came to be known as "the Bungay Buckaroos" after the name of their Suffolk base, flew B-24 Liberators on strategic, support and interdictory missions over Europe. The Group led the Eighth Air Force and 2nd Bomb Division on the...
Group
93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated 1-March-1942 at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. On 15-May-1942 the Group moved to Ft. Myers, Florida to continue advanced flight training and also to fly anti-submarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico; they...
| Tonnage dropped | 164.43 |
| Number of aircraft Sent | 120 |
| Number of aircraft Effective | 69 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 7 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged Beyond Repair | 2 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged | 18 |
| Number of people Killed In Action | 32 |
| Number of people Wounded in Action | 5 |
| Number of people Evaded | 17 |
| Number of people Prisoners of War | 14 |
| Number of people Interned | 10 |
| Number of people Returned To Duty | 5 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Destroyed by Bomber Command | 30 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Probably Destroyed by Bomber Command | 6 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Damaged by Bomber Command | 17 |
I.G. FARBEN PLANT. This is a combined formation of B-17s from 3rd Air Division.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Not yet known
Group
"The Bloody Hundredth", so-called because of a reputation for losing a high number aircraft and crews, flew B-17s from Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk. Their losses were not the highest of any Eighth Air Force Group but on several occasions the Group lost many...
Group
The 385th Bomb Group, who took the nickname "Van's Valiants" after their first Commanding Officer Col. Elliot Vandevanter, flew B-17s from Great Ashfield, Suffolk. The Group led the famous attack on the Focke-Wolfe aircraft factory at Marienburg on 9...
Group
The 388th Bomb Group flew strategic bombing mission from Knettishall, Suffolk from June 1943 to the end of the war. During this time, though, detachments were sent to Fersfield, Norfolk to conduct Aphrodite missions. In these Aphrodite missions veteran...
Group
The 390th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Framlingham, Suffolk, between July 1943 and the end of the war in Europe. The Group was engaged in strategic missions until the invasion of Europe when its role became more of a tactical one. This...
Group
The 447th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses on strategic bombardment missions out of Rattlesden, Suffolk. With their first mission coming on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1943, their main focus was hitting sites that would weaken enemy forces...
Group
Activated 15 June 1942 at MacDill Field, Florida. Initial organization and training at Pendleton Field, Oregon on 29 June 1942. Primary flight training at Davis-Monthan Field in Arizona from 28 Aug. 42 to 31 Oct. 42; then at Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas...
Group
The 95th Bomb Group was the only Eighth Air Force Group to be awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, shared by all four Bomb Wing Groups, was for the bombing of an aircraft factory under intense enemy fire at Regensburg on 17 August...
Group
The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945.
...
| Tonnage dropped | 397.96 |
| Number of aircraft Sent | 172 |
| Number of aircraft Effective | 167 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 2 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged Beyond Repair | 2 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged | 18 |
| Number of people Killed In Action | 12 |
| Number of people Wounded in Action | 1 |
| Number of people Evaded | 2 |
| Number of people Prisoners of War | 7 |
| Number of people Returned To Duty | 20 |
I.G. FARBEN PLANT. This is a combined formation of B-17s from 1st Air Division.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Two B-17s of this element bombed Targets of Opportunity.
Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New...
Group
The 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), nicknamed "Can Do" was activated 1-March-1942 at Salt Lake City Air Base, Utah which was their primary training base until 11-Jun-1942 when they relocated to Geiger Field, Washington until 29-Jun-1942, then on to...
Group
Constituted as 306th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 1 Mar 1942. Trained for combat with B-17's. Moved to England, Aug-Sep 1942, and assigned to Eighth AF Eighth Air Force in September 1942 Station 111 Thurleigh. During combat,...
Group
The 351st Bomb Group flew strategic bombing missions from their base at Polebrook, Northamptonshire from April 1943 to June 1945. The Group's most famous member was Hollywood actor Clark Gable, who flew four/ five missions with them as an observer...
Group
The 379th Bomb Group (H) (heavy), based at Kimbolton, flew more sorties than any other Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force and dropped a greater bomb tonnage than any other Group. The B-17 Flying Fortress Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit...
Group
The 381st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Ridgewell, Essex between June 1943 and April 1945. The Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations, the first for bombing shipyards at Bremen, whilst under heavy attack, on 8 October 1943 and...
Group
The 384th Bomb Group flew B-17s from Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire, between May 1943 and June 1945. They were engaged in daylight bombing missions over Germany as part of the Allies' efforts to destroy the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe by...
Group
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...
Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated at Harding Field, Louisiana on 15-April-1942 and went to MacDill Field, Florida for the first phase of training from 16-May-1942 to 25-June-1942. The Group was then assigned to 2nd Air Force at Walla...
Group
The 92nd Group sometime after arrivial in the UK converted to the role of in-theater combat crew indocrination and training. For this role, the Group traded its B-17F complement and obtained the B-17E, mostly from the 97th BG which was departing for...
| Tonnage dropped | 438.47 |
| Number of aircraft Sent | 210 |
| Number of aircraft Effective | 184 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 3 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged Beyond Repair | 2 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged | 86 |
| Number of people Killed In Action | 21 |
| Number of people Wounded in Action | 7 |
| Number of people Evaded | 2 |
| Number of people Prisoners of War | 22 |
| Number of people Returned To Duty | 4 |
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner; Flight Engineer | 381st Bomb Group
ETTG, Malleus, V. crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF.
Credited with 1 German fighter destroyed on the 7 January 1944 Mission #58 to Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 95th Bomb Group
Damaged by fighter attacks on the return from a mission to Klein Machow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31299 'Junior' maintained formation until finally crashing NW of Beilen, Holland after the crew baled out. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Navigator, Nason crew. 381st BG, 533d BS, 8th AF. Shot down by fighters on mission #59 to the aircraft factories at Oschersleben, Germany on 11 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-37719 'Hellcat/Dinah Mite'. Plane crashed in Zuider Zee. MACR 1881. Killed in Action...
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 384th Bomb Group
Shot down by flak burst and crashed N of St Pol, FR on a mission to Wizernes, FR on 19 Mar 1944 in B-17G #42-31926 'Lovell's Hovel'. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Irvine Balsam was Left Waist Gunner on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Hit by fighters and with the cockpit on fire, some of the crew baled out before it exploded and crashed 1km NE of Vrigny (Loiret...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
RWG, Mohnacky crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down by fighters on mission #61 to the industrial areas of Frankfurt, Germany on 29 Jan 1944 in B-17G #42-38045. MACR 2242. Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft IV.
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Shirley Berry was Co-Pilot on B-24 #42-40747, shot down on 7 January 1944 on the mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Evaded capture with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance. Taken in charge by the Shelburn evasion line, he and 23...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 95th Bomb Group
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
RWG, Nason crew. 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. Shot down by fighters on mission #59 to the aircraft factories at Oschersleben, Germany on 11 Jan 1944 in B-17F 42-37719 'Hellcat/Dinah Might'. MACR 1881. Plane crashed in Zuider Zee. Killed in Action (KIA)....
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Right Waist Gunner | 384th Bomb Group
Shot down by flak burst and crashed N of St Pol, FR on a mission to Wizernes, FR on 19 Mar 1944 in B-17G 42-31926 'Lovell's Hovel'. Killed in Action (KIA).
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 422BS/305BG [JJ-O] Presque Is 22/9/10/42; Grafton Underwood 25/9/42; transferred 547BS/384BG [SO-Y] Grafton Underwood 14/10/43; Missing in Action Ludwigshafen 7/1/44 with Walter Ernest Garner, Co-pilot: Philip Bern, Bombardier: James Daigle,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-T] Bangor 10/9/42; Molesworth 16/10/42; 59m transferred 1 Base Air Depot (sic),* Burtonwood 7/7/44; Returned to the USA Altus 18/8/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Altus 14/8/45. Over...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 427BS/303BG [GN-P] Bangor 5/10/42; Molesworth 25/10/42; Missing in Action 45m Oschersleben 11/1/44 with George McClellan, Co-pilot: Bill Fisher, ex B-26 pilot on his 1st mission, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Dave Tempesta, Radio Operator...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Sioux City 11/5/43; Smoky Hill 9/6/43; Dow Fd 12/6/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG [ -T] Knettishall 14/6/43; Missing in Action Bordeaux 27/3/44 with Julius Lederman, Co-pilot: Waite Law, Bombardier: John Luzell (3 Prisoner of War)...
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...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 30/1/43; Assigned 334BS/95BG Dow Fd 24/4/43; 4m, transferred 100BG /43; 534BS/381BG [GD-M] 15/6/43; 2SAD 13/11/43 ret 15/11/43;
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 21/9/43; Gr Island 6/10/43; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 25/10/43; Missing in Action Brunswick 10/2/44 with Jim Feeney - not found till 25/2/44, Radio Operator: Norman Kajut, Waist gunner: Marion Forbis, Tail gunner: Lou LeFevre ...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 24/9/43; Gr Island 7/10/43; Romulus 10/10/43; Assigned 560BS/388BG Knettishall 15/10/43; Missing in Action Augsburg 13/4/44 with Art Nelson, Co-pilot: Art Livermore, Navigator: Maurice White, Bombardier: Bill Matuszewski, Flight...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 4/10/43; Gr Island 17/10/43; Memphis 24/10/43; Assigned 545BS/384BG [JD-D] Grafton Underwood 546 [BK-D] 23/11/43; Missing in Action Magdeburg (Berlin) 28/9/44 with Jim Brodie, Co-pilot: Lloyd Vevle, ng-Byron Atkins, Flight engineer/top...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 13/6/43; Scott Fd 9/8/43; force landed base with Ray Irby 11/8/43; Assigned 359BS/303BG Molesworth 18/10/43; 13m Missing in Action Oschersleben 11/1/44 with Henry Eich, Co-pilot: Bill Woodside, Navigator: Jim Carroll, Bombardier:...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 21 December 2015 18:52:37 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added 1st Air Division note to Event Details. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 December 2015 18:50:45 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added 3rd Air Division note to Event Details. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 December 2015 18:47:18 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added 2nd BD to Event Description. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 December 2015 18:44:12 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added bomber gunner claims to Statistics per "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", Roger A. Freeman. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 December 2015 18:39:28 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to name and description |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added Mission Narrative based on "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", Roger A. Freeman; casualties summed from MACRs and "Losses of the 8th & 9th AIr Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey, MBE. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:43:16 | 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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