886

14 March 1945
media-35189.jpeg UPL 35189

Object Number - UPL 35189

Official Description

Mission 886: 1,262 bombers and 804 fighters are dispatched to hit oil, rail and industrial targets in Germany; they claim 17-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air; 3 B-17s and 2 fighters are lost: 1. 526 B-17s are sent to hit oil refineries at Nienhagen (58) and Misburg (56), the Gebruder munitions plant (75) and Maschnbau (61) and Eisenwerke (74) factories at Hannover and the Seelze marshalling yard (80); secondary targets hit are Osnabruck (29) and the marshalling yard at Hannover; attacks were made visually and with H2X radar; 2 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 188 damaged; 3 airmen are KIA, 6 WIA and 19 MIA. 192 of 204 P-51s escort; 2 are damaged. 2. 449 B-17s are dispatched to hit the bridges at Vlotho (72) and Bad Ostenhausen (114), the marshalling yard and road junction at Lohne (144) and industrial plants at Hildesheim (60); 39 hit Osnabruck, a secondary target; targets of opportunity are the marshalling yards at Hameln (12) and Wetzlar (1) and Diemonde (1); all but one target is bombed visually; 1 B-17 is lost and 56 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 9 MIA. Escorting are 182 of 194 P-51s; they claim 1-0-1 aircraft. 3. 272 B-24s are sent to hit the marshalling yards at Holzwickede (31) and Gutersloh (126); 110 others hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Giessen; attacks are made visually and with H2X radar; 4 B-24s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 5 WIA. The escort is 185 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 3-0-0 aircraft; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot MIA). 4. 6 B-17s fly a screening mission without loss. 5. 29 of 33 P-41s escort Ninth AF bombers. 6. 50 P-51s fly a sweep of the Stein-Huder-Kassel area claiming 11-0-0 aircraft without loss. 7. 82 P-51s fly a sweep over the Remagen bridgehead; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. 8. 20 P-51s escort 33 F-5s and 3 Spitfires on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany and Czechoslovakia. 9. 26 of 27 P-51s fly a scouting mission claiming 1-0-0 aircraft.

Description

"1,250 Heavies Strike Tanks, Gun Factories Near Hanover"



"The 8th Air Force swung back into the attack yesterday after a one-day lull, when 1,250 Fortresses and Liberators shook naval, industrial and communication targets from the Dutch coast south to Giessen, 45 miles east of the Remagen bridgehead"



"The bulk of the 8th's bombing was done in the hanover area. Two tank plants and a factory making half-tracks and self-propelled guns were hit in the city itself and at Hildesheim, less than 20 miles south of the city, a large castings plant was rocked."



"Other target in the area were oil refineries at Misburg and Nienhagen; marshalling yards at Seeize, and rail bridges across the Weser River at Vlotho and Bad Oyenhausen."



"Some of the Mustags of the 650 escorting fighters ran into a group of 20 Luftwaffe planes apparently headed to attack the heavies, but cut them off before they could reach the bomber formations. Several were shot down, but the exact score was not revealed last night".



-Unknown Newspaper Articles, The day after event(s)

Mission Details

Description: SCOUTING MISSION

BAD OSTENHAUSEN

Description: BRIDGE

Germany

Description: MARSHALLING YARDS

GIESSEN

Description: MARSHALLING YARDS

GUTERSLOH

Description: MARSHALLING YARDS

HAMELN

Description: MARSHALLING YARDS

HANNOVER

Description: MARSHALLING YARDS

HANNOVER/EISENWERKE

Description: INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

HANNOVER/GEBRUDER

Description: MUNITIONS PLANT

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress

The insignia of the 447th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

HANNOVER/MASCHNBAU

Description: INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

HILDESHEIM

Description: INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

HOLZWICKEDE

Description: MARSHALLING YARDS

Notes: A mix of 185 P-47s and P-51s provide escort. Mix not given in available data.

LOHNE

Description: MARSHALLING YARDS

30629 Misburg, Germany

Description: OIL REFINERY

NEINHAGEN

Description: OIL REFINERY

OSNABRUCK

Description: BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY

OSNABRUCK

Description: INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

REMAGEN BRIDGEHEAD

Description: FIGHTER SWEEP

SEELZE

Description: MARSHALLING YARDS

STEIN-HUDER-KASSEL

Description: FIGHTER SWEEP

VLOTHO

Description: BRIDGE

WETZLAR

Description: MARSHALLING YARDS

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
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 12120324 / O-835109
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 13178814 / O-716614
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 36864214
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator, Tail Gunner

Aircraft

  • 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: Dynamite John
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th 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.'
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: El's Belles
  • Unit: 95th Bomb Group 334th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Farmer's Daughter
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 614th Bomb Squadron 615th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Damn Yankee
  • Unit: 384th Bomb Group 545th Bomb Squadron

Revisions

Date
Changes
Sources

owner of original source material used and added

Date
Changes
Sources

https://95thbg.mmsw.eu/crew/59 owner of source material used

Date
Changes
Date
Contributorjhuck
Changes
Sources

John G. Huck, nephew of Edward Blattner

Source: History of the 447th Bomb Group by Doyle Shields; pp. 292-293

Date
Contributorjhuck
Changes
Sources

John G. Huck, nephew of Edward Blattner

Source: History of the 447th Bomb Group by Doyle Shields; pp. 292-293

Date
Contributorjhuck
Changes
Sources

John G. Huck, nephew of Edward Blattner

Source: History of the 447th Bomb Group by Doyle Shields, pp. 292-293.

Date
Contributorjhuck
Changes
Sources

John G. Huck, nephew of Edward Blattner

Source: History of the 447th Bomb Group by Doyle Shields, pp. 292-293.

Date
ContributorVirginiawise50
Changes
Sources

Official 385th Bombardment Group website Databae-Missions

Date
ContributorVirginiawise50
Changes
Sources

Official 385th Bombardment Group website Database-Missions

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Changed location from 'MISBERG' to 'Misburg, Germany'.

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Changed location from 'DIEMONDE' to 'Germany' because the only Diemonde Google recognized was in Louisiana.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
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'.

886: Gallery (15 items)