DOCUMENT 53563

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401st Bomb Group, Mission No. 233, 21 Mar 1945, Hopsten, Germany. Briefing at 0330 hours. The ships of the Lead Squadron were loaded with twelve 500 pound GP's while the High and Low Squadrons carried thirty-eight 100 pound GP's in each ship. All operational aircraft were airborne by 0722 hours. One ship aborted but the crew shifted to a ground spare and was off again by 0807 hours. On this mission the three squadrons of the 401st made up the 94th Combat Wing "B" Group. The weather was excellent for a change, and all three squadrons made visual runs on the primary target, the Luftwaffe airbase at Hopsten, with good to excellent results. No enemy aircraft were encountered, but flak resulted in major damage to one ship and minor damage to two others. One spare returned early, and all operational aircraft had returned from the mission by 1251 hours.

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Units

A pathfinder B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 44-8258) of the 401st Bomb Group. Image by Robert Astrella. Written on slide casing: '48258 14 A, Mount Farm.'
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Dynamite John
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: D-Day Dottie
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 613th Bomb Squadron
Factory fresh B-17s
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Baby Lu, Grin N Bear It
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Ice Cold Katy
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
Factory fresh B-17s
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Cover Girl
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 614th Bomb Squadron

Locations

Mission

Revisions

Date:
Contributoracbernstein1
ChangesCreated entry with caption, unit associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations