1st Bomb Division
Division
The groups under the command of the 1st Bomb Wing came under the command of the 1st Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.
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16 July 1944
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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Tonnage dropped | 123.5 T |
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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Tonnage dropped | 5 T |
AIRCRAFT FACTORY
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Tonnage dropped | 157.9 T |
AIRCRAFT FACTORY
B-17 Flying Fortress
Attacks are frustrated by cloud cover.
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, 398th Bomb Group, 401st Bomb Group, 457th Bomb Group.
Targets in Germany, especially aircraft plants and oil production are heavily defended by AA batteries and the Luftwaffe, although crippled and decimated in France still comes up after the bombers.
MISSION NO. 89
457th BG -MUNICH, GERMANY - 16 JULY, 1944
Munich, having received a two-day respite, was the objective for the fourth time in six days of the striking power of American heavy bombers. The field order was the same as before. Bomb Allach if weather permits. Bomb Munich if clouds obscure the ground.
The 457th Group dispatched thirty-six planes aloft to comprise the lead and low boxes of the 94th A Combat Wing, with Major Hozier and Lt. Russell M. Selwyn leading in a PFF plane. Major Dickinson led the low box. After a normal assembly, the formation, sixth in the Division line, proceeded across the North Sea to the Scheldt Islands. Again no variation or deception had been put in the penetration route. It was exactly the same as the last three missions.
The flight south over Belgium and thence southeast over northern France, Luxembourg and Germany, to a point fifty miles from the IP was uneventful. The cloud cover increased to ten- tenths near Stuttgart and rose abruptly from 14,000 to 22,000 feet. Dense and persistent contrails interfered with the formation flying. The Division formation became disrupted. A turn northeast was executed to hold it intact.
The IP was far to the south as it was passed, still the course was held although Munich was fifty miles to the south. Finally, when a turn was made for a run on the city, Regensburg lay directly beneath the thick clouds which now had risen to 26,000 feet. The bomb run would be from the northeast instead of the northwest. The bombs were released from 27,000 feet. It was therefore certain that the bombs landed in the center of the city. At this height the flak, though intense, was vely inaccurate. Much of it was a thousand or more feet below.
After bombing, the Wing formation proceeded in the return route by itself. The aircraft returned without loss. Four times in six days southern Germany had borne the weight of more than one thousand American heavy bombers.
Division
The groups under the command of the 1st Bomb Wing came under the command of the 1st Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.
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...
Tonnage dropped | 492.1 T |
MARSHALLING YARDS
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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, 489th Bomb Group,492nd Bomb Group. 491st Bomb Group stands down.
Division
The groups under the command of the 2nd Bomb Wing came under the command of the 2nd Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 2nd Air Division.
Tonnage dropped | 1143.3 T |
AIRCRAFT FACTORY
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Tonnage dropped | 119.8 T |
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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3rd Bomb Division was made up of B-17s is 94th Bomb Group, 95th Bomb Group, 96th Bomb Group, 385th Bomb Group, 388th Bomb Group, 390th Bomb Group, 447th Bomb Group, 452nd Bomb Group. 100th Bomb Group stands down.
Division
The 3rd Bomb Division was Constituted in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.
Tonnage dropped | 495.2 T |
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
2nd Lt George C Brand flew 34 missions with the 401st Bomb Group, from 6 July 1944, mission to 30 October 1944.
Brand was French, but enlisted in the US Army Air Forces,
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Waist Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
He flew with Pilot Lt. Ray Cambell on 'Ray's Hell' The plane crashed in England but the crew escaped.
DFC, purple heart, etc
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Warran Callahan served as a co-pilot with the 708th Bomb Squadron of the 447th Bomb Group, flying bombing missions out of Rattlesden, England.
Military | Captain | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Technical Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Clayton Robert Christiansen went by the name Bob or his initials C.R. most of his life. He had 2 older
...
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 448th Bomb Group
Lee's original aircraft was named "Do Bunny", after his soon to be wife, Doris Christianson (Frank Christianson's sister). However; upon arrival at Wales, the aircraft they named was given to another crew.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
Military | Captain | Pilot | 458th Bomb Group
The 50-page description of CPT Evans' military service is found at http://www.2ndair.org.uk/consumption/groups/public/documents/article/ncc175528.pdf (as listed in http://www.2ndair.org.uk/Second_Air_Division/Wartime_memories/index.htm).
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier/Navigator | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Charles Gordon flew 17 missions as a navigator and 18 as a bombardier with the 44th Bomb Group, flying missions out of Shipdham, England.
...
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Waist Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 3/3/44; Dorval 10/3/44; Assigned RAF [HB784]; transferred USAAF 31/3/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG [B] Knettishall 1/7/44; Missing in Action Munich 31/7/44 with Jim Crider, Co-pilot: Fred Gordon, (no nav), Bombardier: Bill Stewart, Flight...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 9/2/44; Rapid City 2/3/44; Dow Fd 3/4/44; Assigned 398BG Nuthampstead 25/4/44; no ops, transferred 562BS/388BG Knettishall 29/4/44 WORRY BIRD; Returned to the USA Bradley 8/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 29/11/45;...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 31/10/43; Kearney 13/11/43; Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-G] Horham 1/1/44; flak damage Berlin 6/10/44 with Lester Lennox, Co-pilot: Bob McCoy (2 Returned to Duty); Navigator: Bill Tate, Bombardier: Dick White, Flight engineer/top turret...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 29/11/43; Cheyenne 10/12/43; Kearney 21/12/43; Romulus 6/1/44; Presque Is 9/1/44; Nutts Corner 15/1/44; Assigned 322BS/91BG [LG-M] Bassingbourn 1/2/44; Missing in Action Munich 16/7/44 with Don DeLisle, Co-pilot: Norman Kimmel,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/11/43; New Castle 10/12/43; Presque Is 15/12/43; Assigned 547BS/384BG [SO-C] Grafton Underwood 21/1/44; sal battle damaged 27/4/44. NEVADA AVENGER.
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 28/1/44; Kearney 14/2/44; Presque Is 20/2/44; Assigned 568BS/390BG [BI-S] Framlingham 3/3/44 DOC'S FLYING CIRCUS, then GIRL OF MY DREAMS; on mission 21/7/44 with ? , Lt Sam Dubin (Killed in Action); severe icing during assembly for...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Selfridge Fld 3/2/44; Dorval 4/3/44; Assigned RAF [HB-768]; transferred 561BS/388BG Knettishall 13/3/44; Missing in Action Parchim 7/4/45 with Lew Hickman, Arnold Wolf, Cawthorn Perdue, Albt Vawter, Herman Meyer (5 Prisoner of War); John...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 16/2/44; 1SAG Langley 12/3/44; Dow Fd 29/5/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 31/5/44; Salvaged 9AF Germany 11/1/46.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 2/6/44; Hunter 13/6/44; Dow Fd 24/6/44; Assigned 569BS/390BG [CC-L] Framlingham 29/6/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 3/7/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 4/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)...
B-24 Liberator
Date | Contributor | Update |
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03 June 2015 13:29:37 | 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/ |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:43:07 | 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'. |