8th Air Force 948

14 April 1945
Ten men in Air Force uniform posed in two rows in front of a military airplane.  Five men standing to the rear and five men sitting in front on top of flying gear.  UPL 66369 UPL 66369 384th Bomb Group Lead Crews / 14 April 1945/Bordeaux/Royan, France (Guns).
Back L-R: Capt. Carl Schwob (MN), Maj. Robert Chapin (N), Lt. Col. Theodore Milton (AC/CP), 1st Lt. Leif Ostnes (P), 1st Lt. Herbert Schaaf (OBS/TG)
Front L-R: Victor Riordan (TT), William “Pop” Dolan, Maj. Richard Crown (B), 2nd Lt. Robert Whipple (2N), Norris McCollum (RO)
Dolan is not on the loading list but is listed as a passenger on the "J" Form.
546th Bomb Squadron 384th Bomb Group 8th Air Force 948 44-8401 Grafton Underwood Carl W Schwob Robert Charles Chapin Theodore R Milton Leif Robert Ostnes Herbert Henry Schaaf Victor J Riordan William E Dolan Richard K Crown Robert M Whipple Norris L McCollum On

Object Number - UPL 66369 - 384th Bomb Group Lead Crews / 14 April 1945/Bordeaux/Royan, France (Guns). Back L-R: Capt. Carl Schwob (MN), Maj. Robert Chapin (N), Lt. Col....

Mission Details

BORDEAUX

Description: FLAK BATTERIES

Notes: 1,167 are despatched without escort to attack the France Gironde estuary. Other Allied Air Forces and French naval units attack similar targets. The air attacks precede a ground assault by a French detachment of the Sixth Army Group on the defense pockets that deny the Allies use of port facilities in the Bordeaux area. 15 strong points are hit on this raid.

BORDEAUX

Description: FLAK BATTERIES

Notes: 12 strong points are targeted.

BORDEAUX

Description: FLAK BATTERIES

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress

Notes: The great, French port of Bordeaux is still useless to the Allies because the Huns control the entrance to the port which is the mouth of the Gironde river. Sooooo – we are to bomb the coastal installations which the Jerries control. This is in support of the French drive. The briefing officer warned us against late releases because the French lines are only 2 1/2 miles from our MPI. We had a continental assembly and everything went well until my G box slipped and gave me a fix about 3 miles from Dunkirk on the way to A-72 Buncher. From the boncher beacon we proceeded SE thru Paris. Then thru Orleans until we got about 50 miles to the south of our IP. Our IP was out in the middle of the sea & we made our bomb run at about 045o. Our target was right on the beach. As we hit the I.P. the squadron reformed into a spread formation. I watched the bombs & saw them hit right on the beach. I looked like a bullseye to me. About then, the ball man (Albert Karamanos) reported a B-24 exploded. He said that he counted 9 chutes.

Connections

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People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 34725400
  • Role/Job: Toglier
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 384th Bomb Group 546th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 32955399
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator, Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Flight Officer
  • Role/Job: Bombardier

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Renovation
  • Unit: 94th Bomb Group 331st Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Dynamite John
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Little Kenny
  • Unit: 544th Bomb Squadron 384th Bomb Group
  • 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

Related videos and documents

  • Media Type: Document
  • Object Number: Document 53481
  • Description: 301st Bomb Group, Mission No. 248, 14 Apr 1945, Royan, France Briefing took place at 0430 hours. While taxying toward the takeoff runway a problem...

Revisions

Date
ContributorVirginiawise50
Changes
Sources

Official Website of 385th Bomb Group Association

Date
Changes
Sources

Information from original, hand-written combat logs of Maj. I.J. Barrios dated Feb-Apr 1945.

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'.

8th Air Force 948: Gallery (2 items)