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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8 May 1944
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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Tonnage dropped | 2.5 T HE |
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
B-17 Flying Fortress
The 45 Combat Bombardment Wing became separated from the Berlin force and came under heavy attack by German fighters. They bombed Brunswick as a target of last resort.
1st Bomb Division was made up of 91st Bomb Group, 92nd Bomb Group, 303rd Bomb Group, 405th 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.
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. 96th Bomb Group takes a beating, losing 10 B-17s.
457th BG - MISSION NO. 41 - BERLIN, GERMANY
8 MAY, 1944
The center of Berlin was the target. The 457th put up the lead box and two-thirds of the high box in the 94th Combat Wing. Col. Luper served as Air Commander of the lead A Wing, with Lt. Russell M. Selwyn as pilot. Captain William F. Smith was Air Commander of the high box, while Lt. Charles D. Brannan was pilot. The 40 1st Bomb Group comprised the low box.
The target was completely overcast, so the fourteen attacking aircraft bombed the primary target with unobserved results. Ten aircraft bombed Brandenburg and its vicinity, also with unobserved results; eleven craft attacked targets of opportunity.
Bombing was done in a wing bombing formation. The smoke bomb of the wing lead PFF craft failed to operate and trail smoke. This complication caused a problem to develop because the low and lead groups could not see the bombs fall. Upon being advised the bombs had been dropped, the other craft sought optional targets.
Flak opposition was intense, damaging seventeen aircraft. One of the craft in the low box (401st) took a direct hit causing it to go into a spin and crash. Only one chute was observed.
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.
Division
The 3rd Bomb Division was Constituted in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.
Tonnage dropped | 892 T HE |
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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Tonnage dropped | 42 T HE |
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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Tonnage dropped | 101.5 T HE |
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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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.
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 | 794.5 T HE |
OIL REFINERIES
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Tonnage dropped | 18.5 T HE |
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot - B-17 Flying Fortress | 457th Bomb Group
John Akers Jr grew up in Greenville, TX on a cotton farm. Graduated High School May 1939. His days consisted of working the cotton farm with 2 mules and picking the cotton. After seeing the events of Pearl Harbor during his time in the civilian...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 385th Bomb Group
Assigned to 548th 385BG, 8AF USAAF. Flew on B-17 'Jeanne Rickey' for 25 x combat missions. Had 2 x missions on D-Day, 4 x bombing missions to Berlin.
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 385th Bomb Group
Assigned to 548th 385BG, 8AF USAAF. 34 x combat missions. Claimed Me109 on 8-May-44 Berlin mission in B-17 42-97530, flying tail gunner for 1Lt Frederick H Ihlenburg. "Quittin' Time" and crew barely made it home over white cliffs of Dover to an RAF...
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Ball Turret Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Crew Number 51
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Tail Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Crew Number 51
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Waist Gunner | 466th Bomb Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Assigned to 338BS, 96BG, 8AF USAAF. 5 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) from Berlin in B-17 42-102541 8-May-44; A/C rammed by Me109, exploding due to wing tank fire. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 4574
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Military | Major | Navigator | 96th Bomb Group
Assigned to 337BS, 96BG, 8AF USAAF. Milt Shoesmith crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Berlin in B-17 42-39998; shot down by enemy fighters and crashed at Rosthausen near Clappenburg, Germany 8-May-44 Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 5174
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Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Ball Turret Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Crew Number 7
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 712th Bomb Squadron, 448th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force.
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B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 785BS, 466BBG, 8AF USAAF. Hit by 20mm flak direct hit taking out the Oxygen, electrical and hydraulic systems and starting a large fire. Went into dive after leaving the target area of Brunswick 8-May-44. S/Sgt's Carlson and Cannon bailed...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 4/3/44; Gr Island 22/3/44; Grenier 6/4/44; Slated 385BG, Assigned 338BS/96BG [BX-T] Snetterton 7/4/44. Missing in Action Berlin 8 May 1944 with Pilot George T. Sterler, Tail gunner: Edward A. Muszynski (2 Prisoners of War). Co-pilot:...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 9/2/44; Gr Island 18/2/44; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 13/3/44; Missing in Action Laon 8/5/44 with Searl Pickett, Co-pilot: Bob Roan, Navigator: Bob Shields, Bombardier: Mervin Jacobs, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bob Abar (5...
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 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...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 28/7/43; Gore 6/8/43; Pendleton 12/8/43; Reno 14/8/43; Pierre 16/8/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 3/9/43; crashed on take off for France 13/8/44 with Leon Sutton, Co-pilot: Harlan Thompson, Navigator: George Healy, Bombardier:...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 10/8/43; Gr Isle 3/9/43; Assigned 613BS/401BG [IN-N] Deenethorpe 3/1/44; Missing in Action Berlin 8/5/44 with Dana Lenkelt, Co-pilot: Wendell Johnson, Bombardier: Harry Dershimer, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jesse Pack, Radio...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 11/11/43; Kearney 1/12/43; Romulus 9/12/43; Presque Is 16/12/43; Assigned 544BS/384BG [SU-R] Grafton Underwood 21/1/44; Missing in Action Sottevast, France 8 May 1944 with James Foster, Co-pilot: Clifford Johnson, Navigator: Joseph...
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,...
Crash site
Date | Contributor | Update |
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07 December 2015 02:20:06 | 466thHistorian | Changes to person associations and aircraft associations |
Sources | ||
466th BG Historian |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
20 May 2015 13:21:28 | 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 18:43:06 | 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'. |