22 October 1944
Crew #551 Seward M. Meinstma Crew Standing Left to Right: Jack Veach (R/O), George Wood (BTG), William Osborne (NG), John O'Donnell (FE), Howard Wade (TG), Sherell Campbell (G) Kneeling Left to Right: Seward Meinstma (P), Donald Vanderwall (CP), Eugene Gjertsen (N), Harvey Levine (B) This crew completed a 35 mission tour. Gjertsen transferred to the Welsh Crew of the 784th BS at some point during the tour. Also Daniel Chadbourne replaced O'Donnell as Flight Engineer during the tour.
Crew #554 Earl Wassom Crew Standing Left to Right: Louis Venegas (FE), Francis Miller (TG), Benny Olson (TT), Stanley Seveay (WG), Harry Hamilton (WG), Billy Wolfe (R/O) Kneeling Left to Right: John T. Bohan (B), Earl Wassom (P), Lawrence Ross (CP), Julius Edelman (N) This Crew completed a 35 mission tour.
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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MOTOR VEHICLE FACTORY
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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MOTOR VEHICLE FACTORY
B-17 Flying Fortress
A mix of 379 P-47s and P-51s provide escort. Mix not given in available data.
457th BG MISSION NO. 138: HANNOVER, GERMANY, 22 OCTOBER 1944
Comprising the 94th C Combat Wing, the 457th attacked the locomotive and tank works at Hannover.
Other targets attacked by the Eighth were auto works and transportation facilities at Brunswick, Hamm and Munster. Major Dickinson led the Group. Assembly was executed at the briefed altitude plus 2,000 feet because of clouds. The formation lost time over the continent because the winds were different from those forecast at briefing. Just before reaching the IP, the Group swung to the left of course in order to take interval behind the groups ahead. Because of ten-tenths clouds, the target was attacked by PFF 1,000 feet above briefed altitude. The change in altitude on the bomb run seemed very effective in offsetting the accuracy of the radar controlled antiaircraft guns.
Due to malfunction of the PFF equipment in the lead and deputy lead aircraft, the lead was turned over to the high squadron. Bombs were salvoed from 28,000 feet. The other two squadrons released their bombs on the smoke markers of the high squadron.
All craft returned without incident.
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...
MARSHALLING YARDS
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Military | Captain | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
Lead Crew Squadron Operations Officer
AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ DFC
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator / Photographer | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Assigned to 422BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Killed in the collision with B-17 43-38133 in poor weather over Thurleigh on return from Hannover mission. Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: AM, PH.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 25th Bomb Group
Missions: 1944 - Aug 9 Saarbrucken; 12 Mourmelon sur Marne; 14 Dole/Tauaux/ 16 Madgeburg; 24 Hanover; 26 Dulmen; 30 Mainz; Sep 9 Mainz; 10 Ulm; 11 Madgeburg; Oct 5 Lippstadt; 7 Madgeburg; 9 Koblenz; 22 Hamm; 26 Bottrop; 30 Hamburg; Nov 5 Karlsruhe; 10...
Military | Captain | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
Dec 23, 44 on mission to Blatchen, ger. flack disabled aileron and rudder control with resulting loss of altitude from 23,000 to 8,000 ft. With elevator controls and all engines we made it back to Base 1:30 late. This was a close call!
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Assigned to 422BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Killed in the collision with B-17 43-38133 in poor weather over Thurleigh on return from Hannover mission. Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: AM (2OLC), PH.
Military | Captain | Pilot | 458th Bomb Group
1Lt Fred J. Eisert and his crew arrived at Horsham St. Faith on September 11, 1944, just as the group was coming off of combat operations for a month in order to ferry gasoline to Patton’s army in France. The crew flew their first mission on October 5...
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 34th Bomb Group
35 missions from June 1944 to Decmber 1944
DFC
Military | Captain | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Thomas F Flemming served as a pilot with the 323rd Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group.
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 385th Bomb Group
completed 33 missions on B-17 'Sugar Jo'
Air Medal w 4/Oak Leaf Cluster
Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Killed in the collision with B-17 43-38030 "My Achin' B" in poor weather over Thurleigh returning from mission. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 10833
Awards: PH.
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 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 Cheyenne 17/6/44; Kearney 28/6/44; Dow Fd 13/7/44; Assigned 422BS/305BG [JJ-E] Chelveston 14/7/44; Missing in Action Hanover 22/10/44 with Phil Lichty, 2Lt Robert Coverstone, 2Lt John L Touchett, 2Lt Michael J Veraa, S/Sgt Albert B...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 29/6/44; Kearney 13/7/44; Grenier 23/7/44; Assigned 364BS/305BG [WF-N] Chelveston 25/8/44; Missing in Action Hanover 22/10/44 with 2Lt John Mitchell, 2Lt William C Shoemaker, 2Lt Frank Watkins, Sgt Phillip R Mifsud, Sgt Ashton W...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 22 April 2015 16:10:26 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Mission details added courtesy of Diane Elizabeth Reese from 457th Bomb Group Mission Documents. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 April 2015 16:03:10 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Mission details added courtesy of Diane Elizabeth Reese from 457th Bomb Group Mission Documents. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:43:08 | 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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