317A
25 April 1944Mission Details
Description: BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
DIJON/LONGVIC (Primary)
Description: AIRFIELD
Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
Notes: 3rd Bomb Division was made up of 95th Bomb Group, 96th Bomb Group, 100th Bomb Group, 388th Bomb Group, 390th Bomb Group, 453rd Bomb Group. Note in log of Horace Turner states, "Raided Dijon, Bombed Airbase, Very good bombing, Good Formation. Flak light. A good mission."
![Three B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 94th Bomb Group are attacked by a Nazi Fighter aircraft during a mission. Printed caption on reverse of print: 'A-62641 USAF: Nazi fighter plane attacking Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" during a bomb run over enemy installations somewhere in Europe, 10 September 1944. 100th[sic] Bomb Group, 3rd Bomb Division. U.S. Air Force Photo.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-408505.jpg.webp?itok=zJwHCUjh)
- Unit Hierarchy: Division
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Combat organisation
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 297.8 T HE 40.2 T IB
LANDAU (Opportunistic)
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
MANNHEIM (Primary)
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
Notes: 2nd Bomb Division was made up of 93rd Bomb Group, 389th Bomb Group, 445th Bomb Group, 446th Bomb Group, 448th Bomb Group, 453rd Bomb Group, 466th Bomb Group, 467th Bomb Group.
- Unit Hierarchy: Division
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Combat organisation
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 61.2 T HE 16 T IB
METZ/FRASCATY (Primary)
Description: AIRFIELD
Description: AIRFIELD
Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
Notes: 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, 401st Bomb Group, 457th Bomb Group. 457th BG - MISSION NO. 32 - NANCY/ESSEY, FRANCE 25 APRIL, 1944 Mannheim, Metz and Dijon-Longvic were principal targets for the Eighth Air Force, while the 94th Combat Wing went to Nancy/Essey Airfield. This field was used by the Germans for flying military personnel between France and Germany. It was also used as a training school for glider and fighter pilots. The 457th supplied twenty-four planes comprising the high box of the 94th Combat Wing. The Group's leaders were Major Rod Francis as Air Commander and Lt. Edward R. Bender as pilot. Assembly and flight to the target were without incident. The target was obscured, and a 360 degree turn did not Solve the visibility problem. The secondary target was also obscured. A pre-selected airfield target of opportunity was visible but was not bombed. The Group was on a westward course and was in search for open targets, but none were found. The Group returned to the base without dropping bombs. When the formation was about fifteen miles from the French Coast south of Le Havre, the lead craft, commanded by Major Rod Francis, suddenly burst into flames between the fuselage and the No. 3 engine. It swung out of formation, flew to the Channel, dropped bombs, did a 180 degree turn back to France and the crew bailed out. The craft went into a gentle gliding turn and disappeared into the undercast. Nine parachutes were positively counted with a possible tenth one observed. Major Rod Francis, Group Gunnery Officer Lt Jack Hotaling, Navigators Earl E. Woodard and Arthur T. Cavanaugh, and Radio Operator, Sgt. Laymon M. Mahan, evaded capture and later returned to England. (Compiler Note: For Sgt. Laymon Mahan account of evasion, see Chapter 19.) The crew of Lt Edward R. Bender was lost on this date
- Unit Hierarchy: Division
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 238.5 T HE 112.7 T IB
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 06966455
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32583791
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 731st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 12208374
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
- Role/Job: Top turret gunner/ flight engineer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 14182638
- Highest Rank: Chief Master Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 336th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 20441207
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Wild Irish Rose
- Unit: 467th Bomb Group 790th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Diana Queen Of The Chase
- Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: - Hitler's Headache
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 562nd Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hale's Angels
- Unit: 547th Bomb Squadron 384th Bomb Group
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Odd Ball aka Double In Brass
- Unit: 571st Bomb Squadron 390th Bomb Group 336th Bomb Squadron 95th Bomb Group
Revisions
Added by Karen Turner, daughter of Horace Turner.
Mission details added courtesy of Diane Elizabeth Reese from 457th Bomb Group Mission Documents. http://www.457thbombgroup.org/
Mission details added courtesy of Diane Elizabeth Reese from 457th Bomb Group Mission Documents. http://www.457thbombgroup.org/
Associated Bomb Groups of 1st Bomb Division.
Associated Bomb Group of 1st Bomb Division.
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'.