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401st Bomb Group, Mission No. 194, 10 Jan 1945, Euskirchen, Germany.
Briefing took place at 0600 hours. Deenethorpe had been snowed in the previous day, but by working all night utility crews were able to clear the runway and perimeter track. At the briefing heavy emphais was placed on careful taxiing and wide intervals between aircraft. Notwithstanding the problems, all operational aircraft were off by 0958 hours.
At 1220 hours a Lead Squadron aircraft returned early, with No 1 engine feathered, went off the runway momentarily but recovered. By by 1600 hours all but aicraft had returned safely.
With snow and ice on the runway, it was difficult for pilots to keep their ships from sliding forward with brakes locked while applying maximum takeoff power. However, all of the Group's aircraft made it, clearing trees at the end of the runway by a matter of feet.
The 401st, which put up three squadrons comprising the 94th Combat Wing "A" Group, was to have been led by Major Jere Maupin. However, when his ship was forced to abort, the lead was taken over by Lt. Louis Lawrence, flying Deputy Lead position of the Lead Squadron. Bombing was conducted by the Gee-H (radio beam) technique through heavy clouds. However, a break in the clouds permitted strikes to be seen at the northern edge of the target airfield and on the railroad and autobahn. Because of high winds, the High Squadron became separated from the 401st and bombed with another Group. No fighters were encountered, and flak was meager and inaccurate, resulting in minor battle damage to two aircraft. However, the ship piloted by Lt. R. B. Thompson lost two engines over the target and made a forced landing in Belgium. When he was unable to land on the runway of a small fighter strip occupied by a Polish RAF squadron, Lt. Thompson was forced to fly between two chimneys 120 feet apart, under an electric power line and over a house before crash landing in an open field. None of the crew was injured, but his airplane, "Hard Seventeen", was a total loss.
Group
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 5/3/44; Hunter 7/4/44; Dow Fd 29/4/44; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-C] Deenethorpe 3/5/44; 614BS [IW-S]; 106m, Returned to the USA Bradley 7/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 14/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 23/3/44; Kearney 13/4/44; Grenier 15/5/44; Assigned 447BG Rattlesden 16/5/44; transferred 614BS/401BG [IW-J] Deenethorpe 30/5/44; Salvaged 10/1/45.
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 21/4/44; Kearney 2/5/44; Grenier 26/5/44; Assigned 613BS/401BG [IN-S] 27/5/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 8/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 12/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 19/1/44; Dalhart 4/2/44; Presque 23/3/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-D] Deenethorpe 16/4/44; force landed continent 19/4/45; Sal; Returned to the USA Bradley 11/7/45; 4185 BU Independence 12/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 3/2/44; Grenier 27/2/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-M] Deenethorpe 23/3/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 7/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 13/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 28/11/45...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 7/3/44; Kearney 22/3/44; Grenier 7/4/44; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-B] Deenethorpe 15/4/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 8/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 12/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)...
B-17 Flying Fortress
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 11/10/43; Gr Island 21/11/43; La Guardia 29/11/43; New York 1/12/43; Presque Is 2/12/43; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-X] Deenethorpe 6/1/44; RAF Stornaway 5/4/44, ret grp 6/4/44; Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 9/6/45; Syracuse 10/6...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/11/43; Wendover 9/12/43; Grenier 20/1/44; Assigned 457BG Glatton 25/1/44; transferred 613BS/401BG [IN-J] Deenethorpe 11/3/44; Missing in Action Pas de Calais 19/3/44, force landed continent; Salvaged 1 SAD Troston 22/4/44; mission...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 2/12/43; Kearney 17/12/43; Romulus 6/1/44; Kearney 7/1/44; Memphis 9/1/44; Presque Is 10/1/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-B] Deenethorpe 31/1/44; 134m crash landed Polebrook 22/4/44, Salvaged 1 SAD Troston. FANCY NANCY IV.
10 January 1945
Military site : airfield
Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 04 December 2021 23:29:27 | acbernstein1 | Created entry with caption, unit associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
http://401bg.org/Main/History/Missions/Details.aspx?Number=194 |
||
