364
23 May 1944
Back row, left to right: Andrew Fry, engineer; Francis Baker, top turret gunner; Vernie Honberger, radio operator; Leon Sawyer, tail gunner; George Worthington, left waist gunner. Front row, left to right; John Murdock, bombardier; Frederick Gaulke, pilot; Charles Easton, co-pilot; Robert Keehn, navigator. Not pictured: Warren Branch, right waist gunner
Photo from the collection of Robin Janton. http://www.492ndbombgroup.com/cgi-bin/pagepilot.cgi?page=showCrewPage&c…
Object Number - UPL 65484 - Gaulke Crew 602, 856th BS, 492nd BG Back row, left to right: Andrew Fry, engineer; Francis Baker, top turret gunner; Vernie Honberger, radio...
Mission Details
Description: BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 26 T HE
Description: BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 3 T HE
Description: AIRFIELD
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 295 T HE
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 31 T HE
Description: AIRFIELD
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 195 T HE
Description: AIRFIELD
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 54 T HE
Description: AIRFIELD
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 49 T HE
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 160 T HE
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.
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 97 T HE
Description: AIRFIELD
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 290 T HE
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
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.
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 102 T HE
Description: INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 111 T HE
Description: AIRFIELD
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 39 T HE
Description: AIRFIELD
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.
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 474 T HE
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
Mission Statistics
- Tonnage Dropped: 357 T HE
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: 446th Bomb Group
- Service Numbers: 0 752 479
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32363766
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
- Role/Job: Flight Engineer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 486th Bomb Group 835th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16092205
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 351st Bomb Group 508th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 562nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 38002619
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: El Lobo
- Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 325th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Spam-O-Liner
- Unit: 545th Bomb Squadron 384th Bomb Group
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Swiss Miss
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 545th Bomb Squadron
![An airman of the 95th Bomb Group with a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-102447) nicknamed "El's Belles". First handwritten caption on reverse: 'F/L on last of 365's bases in Belgium other side "Angels Sister" [name struck-out and annotated 'No'] 365 FG C Johnson/icm/75' Second handwritten caption on reverse: 'BG-A 95 BG.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-379271.jpg.webp?itok=QwML6lTh)
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: El's Belles
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 334th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Little Kenny
- Unit: 544th Bomb Squadron 384th Bomb Group
Revisions
Mission details added courtesy of Diane Elizabeth Reese from 457th Bomb Group Mission Documents. http://www.457thbombgroup.org/
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'.