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364

23 May 1944

Official description

Not yet known

Description

Not yet known

Mission details

1.

Description

BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 26 T HE

2.

Description

BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 3 T HE

3. AVORD (Primary)

Description

AIRFIELD

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 295 T HE

4. BAYON (Secondary)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 31 T HE

5. BOURGES (Primary)

Description

AIRFIELD

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 195 T HE

6. CAEN/CARPIQUET (Secondary)

Description

AIRFIELD

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 54 T HE

7. CHATEAUDUN (Primary)

Description

AIRFIELD

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 49 T HE

8. CHAUMONT (Primary)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 160 T HE

9. EPINAL (Primary)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

B-17 Flying Fortress

Notes

457th BG - MISSION NO. 49 - EPINAL-BLAINVILLE, FRANCE

23 MAY, 1944

French airfields and marshaling yards were the targets for the day with the Eighth Air Force supplying 1045 heavy bombers and 1185 escorting fighters. The 457th supplied two twelve-aircraft boxes, to make up the 94th A and B Combat Wings. Major Fred A. Spencer served as Air Commander with Captain Jerry Godfrey as pilot of the A Wing and Major William F. Smith was Air Commander of the B Wing, with Captain Clarence E. Schuchmann as pilot.

The target for the A Wing was the marshaling yards at Blainville, located eleven miles southeast of Nancy on the main rail line from Strasbourg to Paris. The B Wing's target was the marshaling yards at Epinal, located forty miles south of Nancy on a connecting link between two double track lines out of Paris. The A box dropped bombs on a target of opportunity. Results were unobserved due to the cloud cover. The B box dropped on the primary target at Epinal with good results.

The mission was marred shortly after its assembly by a B-24 group cutting through the lead box of the B Wing. This scattered the Wing's pattern, and resulted in a collision between aB-17

Lt. Amenco Procopia aborted the mission because of mechanical trouble. Additionally, the left landing gear was locked in the down position and the right landing gear in the up position. The crew was unable to correct either manually. Bombs were dropped in the Channel and the plane began circling the field to Use up fuel. After the other planes returning from the mission had landed Lt. Procopia made a smooth landing on the Left gear and tail wheel When the right wing dropped and hit the runway the plane veered and went off the runway. No one was injured.

Units

  • 1st Bomb Division

    1st Bomb Division

    Division

  • 457th Bomb Group

    457th Bomb Group

    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...

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 97 T HE

10. ETAMPES/MONDESIR (Primary)

Description

AIRFIELD

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 290 T HE

11. METZ (Primary)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

The 34th Bomb Group flies its first mission. 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. 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.

Units

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 102 T HE

12. NEUNKIRCHEN (Secondary)

Description

INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 111 T HE

13. ORLEANS/BRICY (Primary)

Description

AIRFIELD

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 39 T HE

14. ORLEANS/BRICY (Primary)

Description

AIRFIELD

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

The 34th Bomb Group flying B-24s joins with other 3rd Bomb Division units (386th Bomb Group, 387th Bomb Group, 487th Bomb Group) flying B-24s to attack Etampes/Mondesir German airfield. This is the first mission for 34th Bomb Group. 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, 492nd Bomb Group. 3rd Bomb Division was made up of 386th Bomb Group, 387th Bomb Group.

Units

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 474 T HE

15. SAARBRUCKEN (Secondary)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 357 T HE

Service

People

  • Robert Allison

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 94th Bomb Group
    Flew 26 missions on 'Mission Bell', was wounded on 26th mission. Purple Heart, 4 Air Medals

  • Thomas Barton

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
    newly assigned May 1944

  • James Bates

    Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Waist Gunner | 466th Bomb Group

  • Edgar Burton

    Military | Lieutenant | Navigator | 446th Bomb Group
    Flew 25 missions, ending just before D-Day. Flew on D Day just to see it. According to him, he never saw a German fighter but did see lots of flak.

  • Nicholas Duncan

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group

  • Lewis Funk

    Military | Master Sergeant | Photographic Chief | 34th Bomb Group
    Lew was born in Wattenberg, Colorado, on Jan 30, 1921, to John and Alta Funk. An Eagle Scout who served in the National Guard at Fort Logan, he attended photo school for the Army at Lowry Air Force base. He achieved the rank of Master Sergeant as the...

  • Milton Goodridge

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 492nd Bomb Group
    Shot down by fighters and crashed at Stettin on 6/20/44 in B-24 Bottle Baby 44-40169. Prisoner of War (POW)

  • Michael Hoover

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
    Flew 30 missions, many on 'The Lemon' DFC/ Air Medal w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ American Campaign Medal/ WW II Victory Medal/ Armed Forces Reserve Medal/ 2 Battle Stars

  • Martin Kilcoyne

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
    He flew on Arthur Crapsey crew. Reported to group on 19 Nov 1943. Completed 32 missions from Oct 1943-Sept 1944. He was injured on his second mission to Osnabruck, 22 Dec. 1943. He returned to active duty in April 1944 as a spare crewmember. ...

  • William Lenco

    Military | Captain | Co-Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
    MACR 7381. B-24 AC # 41-29387 'THE SNARK'. AC put through violent actions to avoid flak on mission on 8 Aug 1944. 4 crewman bailed out and were captured. Remaining crew returned to England, but forced to crash land at Manston. RTD.

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Aircraft

  • 42-102485 Bare Essentials

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 8/3/44; Gr Island 2/4/44; Dow Fd 28/4/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 12/5/44; Missing in Action Dessau 28/5/44 with Art Codding, Co-pilot: Roger Withers, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bob Berg, Radio Operator: Clyde Waite,...

  • 42-107062 Worry Bird/Miss Bea Haven

    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;...

  • 42-30778 Old 66/Lady Margaret

    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:...

  • 42-95021 San Antonio Rose

    B-24 Liberator

  • 41-31755 'Ye Olde Crocke'

    B-26 Marauder
    Assigned to 554BS, 386BG, 9AF USAAF. Written off after crash-landing in France on 7-Oct-44.

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
27 May 2015 09:49:03 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/
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'.

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