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22 February 1945
B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 457th Bomb Group fly in formation above the clouds during a mission. Printed caption on reverse: 'A-59338 AC0 B-17 Flying Forts of the 8th AF over the marshalling yards at Salzwedel, Germany on 22 February 1945. US Air Force photo.'
Official USAAF photo 56362 AC - Original caption : “1st Lt. Manford O. Croy Jr., of Seattle, Washington, tells Major Harry L. Downing of Lincoln, Nebraska, operations officer of U.S. 8th AF 82nd Fighter Squadron, how he and his flight of North American P-51 Mustangs destroyed 10 locomotives and other transport hauling reinforcements and supplies to the German armies. Lt. Croy’s flight was part of the force of 800 Republic P-47’s and North American P-51’s that escorted more than 1,400 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 8th AF that attacked targets in Central Germany on 22 Feb 1945.” NOTE : Harry Downing is on the right in this photo, Major Croy on the left.
"Major Willis Taylor, (left) command pilot, of Salt Lake City, Utah, congratulated Major Charles Hudson, lead bombardier of the U.S. 8th AF 91st Bomb Group, from Bakersfield, Caliofrnia on the results of his group's bombing of the railway center at Stendal, Germany, Feb 22 1945 when more than 1400 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators escorted by 800 fighters attacked communication lines at key points throughout Central Germany."
Mission 841: 1,428 bombers and 862 fighters commence Operation CLARION, a joint RAF, Eighth, Ninth and Fifteenth AF operation with the objective of paralyzing the already decimated German rail and road system; most attacks were made visually; bombing was conducted from an optimum 10,000 feet (3,048 m) to achieve accuracy at target without flak defenses; they claim 28-2-43 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 bombers and 13 fighters are lost: 1. 522 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Bamberg (64), Zwickau (2) and Kitzingen (1); targets of opportunity are Ansbach (143), Donaueschingen (24), Reutlingen (25), Ulm (77), Freiburg (21), Hafingen (10), the marshalling yards at Aalen (24), Neustadt (26), Singen (8), Schwenningen (22), and Villgen (11) and other (42); some attacks are made with H2X radar; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft; 2 B-17s are lost and 29 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 19 MIA. Escorting are 163 of 168 P-51s; 3 are lost (pilots MIA). 2. 452 B-24s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Halberstadt (51), Sangerhausen (11), Nordhausen (30), Vienenburg (23), Peine (52), Hildesheim (55), Kreiensen (48), and Northeim (48); targets of opportunity are Nordhausen (11), Ottbergen (10), the rail and highway bridge at Lindern (1) and marshalling yards at Wallhausen (19), Oker (8), Eschwege (30), Gottingen (29) and Celle (8) and other (1); 4 B-24s are lost and 68 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 38 MIA. 246 P-47s and P-51s escort; they claim 19-0-16 aircraft on the ground; 4 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 3. 454 B-17s are sent to hit Wittenburg (72), Stendal (73), Salzwedel (59), Uelzen (73), Wittstock (11), Luneburg (39), and Ludwigslust (48); targets of opportunity are Grabow (13), Kobbelitz (24), Dannenberg (12) and Klotze (13). The escort is 268 of 280 P-51s; they claim 4-2-18 aircraft in the air and 3-0-5 on the ground; 5 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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This commences OPERATION CLARION, a joint RAF, Eight, Ninth, and Fifteenth AF operation with the objective of paralyzing the already decimated German rail and road system. Most attacks will be made visually from an optimum altitude of 10,000 feet in increase accuracy on those targets with no flak defenses.
MARSHALLING YARDS
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RAILROADS
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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RAILROADS
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HAFINGEN
MARSHALLING YARDS
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A mix of 246 P-47s and P-51s provide escort. Mix not given in available data.
MARSHALLING YARDS
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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HIGHWAY and RAIL BRIDGES
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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RAILROADS
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Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator, Commanding Officer | 384th Bomb Group
Bob Birney was assigned to the 547th Bomb Squadron on 5 February 1945 and completed 26 missions between 19 February 1945 and 20 April 1945.
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Ball Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 336BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. 24 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Holzwickede 23-Mar-45. Mid air collision with B-17 44-8754, crashed Campsea Ash, Suffolk. Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: AM (3OLC), GC, PH.
Military | Captain | pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Assigned Jan 1945
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator; Waist Gunner | 487th Bomb Group
Flew 34 combat missions from 1/8/45 to 4/21/45. Most of them in a B-17G 'Dinah-Mite' #44-8694.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Togglier | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Captain | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator/Gunner | 351st Bomb Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Military | First Lieutenant | B-17 Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Frank Calicura served as a pilot with the 95th Bomb Group.
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Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
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 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 Denver 14/3/44; Kearney 13/4/44; Dow Fd 29/4/44; Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-R] Horham 20/4/44; with Glovik 7/10/44, Waist gunner: Chas Buda KIA; 97m, Missing in Action Frankfurt 9/3/45 with Bill Durant (Ouratt?), Co-pilot: Dwight King, Navigator...
P-47 Thunderbolt
Hit by Flak during a sweep on the Koblenz airfield, oil and water systems out; crash-landed 22 Februry 1945 near Anhausen, 10km NE of Neuwied (North of Koblenz), Germany. Pilot George R. Knittle safe, captured the same day. Interned in Germany. Missing...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 24/8/44; Hunter 7/9/44; Dow Fd 18/9/44; Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-Q] Horham 19/9/44; with W.N. Dunwoody force landed Raydon afb, Suffolk 10/1/45; 80m, Returned to the USA Bradley 24/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 28/6/45;...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Lincoln 14/10/44; Dow Fd 26/10/44; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 29/10/44; while on navigation exercise 17/5/45 with H.J. Cole, cp V. Ferguson, two navigators and two grounded crew, on as makeshift ttg and r/op (6 Killed in Action); crash...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Lincoln 18/9/44; Grenier 11/10/44; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 12/10/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 28/6/45; Sth Plains 1/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 17/12/45. SUPERMOUSE.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Hunter 27/11/44; Grenier 16/12/44; Assigned 335BS/95BG [OE-E] Horham 1/1/45; battle damaged Chemnitz 6/2/45 with D.V. Tregoning, force landed B-53, Merville, Bel. then rep; 53m, Returned to the USA Bradley 21/6/45; Sth Plains 23/6/45;...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 12/10/44; Hunter 5/11/44; Grenier 3/12/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 16/12/44; RetUS, Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 8/1/46. JUST JOYCE.
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 17 September 2018 22:05:05 | spiritofmartinez45 | Changes to media associations |
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Owner of source material |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 May 2015 14:45:25 | jdossetter | Changes to event |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 November 2014 14:44:17 | Emily | Changes to media associations |
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Associated Media based on images associated with mission in Freeman, 'The Mighty Eighth War Diary'. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:43:09 | 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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