Melvin Donald Westbrook
Military
Melvin D. Westbrook Crew
466th BG - 785th BS
Standing Left to Right: Melvin D. Westbrook (P), Leonard Seigel (B), William Pond (CP), Richard Cramer (N)
Kneeling Left to Right: William Rogers (TTG), Richard Chapdelaine (TG), John Roche (NG), Woodrow Werner (R/O), John Mimnaugh (BTG), Roy Finley (FE)
This crew completed a 35 mission tour. Westbrook and Pond would move on to the 492nd BG where they flew missions to Sweden for the OSS 466th Bomb Group collection
466th BG Historian
Object Number - UPL 16103 - Crew #553 Melvin D. Westbrook Crew 466th BG - 785th BS Standing Left to Right: Melvin D. Westbrook (P), Leonard Seigel (B), William Pond (CP),...
35 missions over Germany; 2 missions to Sweden; 2 gas hauls to Gen. Patton
AM w/ Oak Leaf Cluster/ ATO/ EAME w/ 3 battle stars/ WW II VM/
Retired from the USAF Reserve with the rank of Lt. Colonel.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32869510
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
- Role/Job: Flight Engineer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 34648944
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 492nd Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Damifino
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 784th Bomb Squadron 785th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Super Chief
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Dixie
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Queenie
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 492nd Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron 856th Bomb Squadron
Missions
![B-24 Liberators of the 446th Bomb Group drop bombs over their target. Image stamped on reverse: 'US Official Photograph.' [stamp], 'Sacred.' [stamp] Handwritten caption on reverse: 446 BG led by "Ronnie" unloading demolition + incendiaries on Rheine Marshalling Yards, 9 March 1945.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-380571.jpg.webp?itok=36lZj_Ve)
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Attlebridge Arsenal, Station 120
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: North Pick
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Genoa, NE 68640, USA | 2 September 1922 | |
|
Buried |
Turlock, CA, USA | 26 December 1922 | Turlock Memorial Park Turlock Stanislaus County California, USA |
|
Other Assigned to the 466th BG |
Attlebridge, Norwich, Norfolk NR9, UK | 13 August 1944 | |
|
Other Mission #1 |
Dülmen, Germany | 26 August 1944 | "Well we got our first mission today. We bombed oil storage tanks at Dulmen near Munster, Germany. It's on the northern tip of the Ruhr Valley. I dropped the bombs with the pilot's salvo handle. We had eight 1000 lbs. bombs. Very little flak and no fighters. We lost #3 turbo on the bomb run and went over the target alone. - Melvin Westbrook |
|
Other Mission #3 |
62390 Villers-l'Hôpital, France | 30 August 1944 | We bombed the robot installations at Villers L'Hopital. The flak was damn good. There wasn't much, but God it was close! Some of the guys got hit, but not bad. T dropped the bombs again. We carried 24 x 250 lbs. GP bombs. The bombing was over the top. I used my own ship (B-24J-60-CF #44-40518 "Queenie") today. |
|
Other Mission #4 |
Mainz, Germany | 9 September 1944 | We bombed the marshaling yards at Mainz, Germany today. The flak was moderate. We got a small hole in the horizontal stabilizer. It was our first flak hole. Our altitude was 23,000 ft. We had P-51's as escort. No enemy fighters, but did see more rockets. |
|
Other Mission #5 |
Ulm, Germany | 10 September 1944 | We bombed Ulm, Germany. We carried 10 x 500 lbs. GP bombs. We bombed PFF. It took us 8 hours and 25 minutes. The target was the marshaling yards. The bombs went away good. Everything went swell. |
|
Other Mission #6 |
Magdeburg, Germany | 7 October 1944 | We bombed the Krupt Werks at Magdeburg. The trip was 7 hours and 15 minutes. I was deputy lead and Siegel got to use the bomb site. We carried six 1000 lbs. GP bombs. We hit flak over Osnabruck. It was damn good flak! We got six holes on this mission. The flak at Magdeburg was barrage and there was plenty of it. I think we hit the target today. Everybody was pretty scared. Even the kitchen stoves come up! - Melvin Westbrook |
|
Other Mission #8 |
Castrop-Rauxel, Germany | 2 November 1944 | We bombed an oil refinery at Castrop-Rauxel in the Ruhr Valley today. We carried 24 x 250 lbs GP. WE bombed H2X through the undercast. WE saw some flak after the Zuider Zee at Zwolle and plenty in the target area. I flew "Queenie" today. The prop wash was pretty bad. No enemy fighters and plenty of fighter cover. Bombed at 24,000 feet. Time: 6:15 hours. |
|
Other Mission #9 |
Sterkrade-Nord, Oberhausen, Germany | 6 November 1944 | We bombed an oil refinery at Sterkrade in the Ruhr Valley. We dropped 4 x 2000 lbs. bombs. We bombed through the undercast so we don't know how we did yet. It was an easy mission, no much flak. A few rockets. We flew our own plane again. Time: 5:45 hours |
|
Other MIssion #10 |
Metz, France | 9 November 1944 | We went after gun emplacements 6 miles southeast of Metz, France. We carried 4 x 2000 GP bombs. We lost the lead and brought the bombs home. Got chewed out for bringing them home. It was snowing like hell when we got home. There was no flak at the target and just a little just north of Metz. We flew our own plane again. We flew in over Norwich at tree top level. These guns we bombed were old WW1 emplacements that are holding up General Patton's army. |
|
Other Mission #11 |
Bielefeld, Germany | 26 November 1944 | We bombed a viaduct at Bielefeld today. We carried 8 x 1000 lbs. GP bombs. We bombed by GH so I don't know if we hit it or not. It had 26 arches, 73'6" high. There was very little flak. We saw some V-2 rockets today. Boy they sure go up in the air! I flew my own plane again. |
|
Other Mission #12 |
Bielefeld, Germany | 29 November 1944 | We bombed the same viaduct in Bielefeld again today. We must have missed it. We carried 8 x 1000 lbs. GP bombs. No flak at the target, but we sure got it coming out of Holland, south of Egmond. No fighters today. We flew 273N. Time: 5:30 hours |
|
Other Mission #13 |
Bingen, Germany | 2 December 1944 | We bombed the marshaling yards at Bingen, Germany today. The clouds were up to 24,000 feet over the target. We carried 12 x 500 lbs GP bombs. On take off I hit a wooden fence and scraped the full length of the bomb-bay. It was really close! I got a little shakey after we got down. We flew K (B-24J-55-CF #44-10499 "Dixie"). I guess we hit the target okay. Not much flak. No fighters. Time: 6:15 hours. |
|
Other Mission #14 |
Bielefeld, Germany | 6 December 1944 | We bombed the marshaling yards at Bielefeld today. The primary was the viaduct again (they had been here twice already) but the bad weather forced a target change. We carried 8 x 1000 lbs GP bombs. They fell on the target okay. No flak except at Egmond again going in. Good fighter support. No enemy fighters seen. I had Kinsey's navigator today. We used the formation stick some. Our total weight dropped so far is 40 tons. Time: 5:45 hours. |
|
Other Mission #15 |
Karlsruhe, Germany | 11 December 1944 | Today is Pa's birthday. a bridge near Karlsruhe today. We carried 3 x 2000 lbs. GP bombs. The flak wasn't so bad. I lead the slot of the low left squadron. We let down to about 500 feet over France and came home under the weather. I flew my own plane again. Time: 7:00 hours |
|
Other Mission #16 |
54568 Gerolstein, Germany | 24 December 1944 | We bombed the little town of Gerolstein today. I think we were terror bombing mostly (historian note: Gerolstein was the junction of several railroads. It was 80% destroyed during the war). I could see the bombs hit in the town. There was no flak, but there were enemy fighters in the area. They hit the group ahead of us. A nice mission. We flew 160V, Wolfe's ship. We sent out 53 planes today. |
|
Other Mission #22 |
Dresden, Germany | 16 January 1945 | We bombed the marshaling yards at Dresden today. Our IP was over Czechoslovakia. We carried ten 500 lbs. GP bombs. The flak was meager and weather was bad most of the way. We landed in Paris on the way home. We sure had a swell time! We all got a little tight in Paris. We saw a bunch of Jerry POW's there. This was a nice long mission of 10 hours and 15 minutes. - Melvin Westbrook |
|
Died |
Turlock, CA, USA | 22 December 2014 | Melvin “Mel” Westbrook, of Turlock, was born into a farming family in Genoa, NE. He died at age 92 on Dec. 22. Mel moved to Turlock in 1940 where he worked as a carpenter for H. A. Hubbard. During WWII he joined the US Army Air Corps, and as a B-24 pilot he flew 35 missions over Europe “on the books” and two OSS missions “off the books.” He was proud of his country and of his crew, only one (Richard Chapdelaine) of whom now survives him. Richard was a Tail Gunner who Mel considered to be the brother he never had. Mel loved to tell war stories and his family heard them almost daily. One of his favorite expressions was, “I got a million of ‘em!” Mel was an excellent carpenter, and after working all day he spent evenings and weekends building the house he and his wife, Barbara, shared together for over 50 years. Other hidden talents included his penchant for growing the best Stockton red onions, snowmobiling, playing guitar, a huge love of the outdoors, hunting (he was an excellent marksman) and fishing, and dancing. Mel also loved his friends and community, where he involved himself in activities all over town. He was an active member of the Turlock Kiwanis Club, VFW and American Legion. He assisted in delivering pumpkins to local elementary schools, ushered at the fair, made enchiladas with the Soroptomist Club, and worked with the Arrowhead Club. He had a smile and handshake for everyone, and as a member of the “greatest generation” he will be missed. |
| Turlock, CA, USA |
Revisions
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
Sources
Report on Mission No 150 - Bielefeld, Germany - 6 December 1944
466th BG Archives - NARA Research provided by Brad Sullivan
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
Sources
466th BG - Report on Mission No 144, RR Viaduct, Bielefeld, Germany, 26 Nov 1944
NARA Research by Brad Sullivan
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self & Page 440 in the book 2ND AIR DIVISIONby Turner Publishing Company, 1998 edition (D790.A2S45)