1st Bomb Division
Division
The groups under the command of the 1st Bomb Wing came under the command of the 1st Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.
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15 June 1944
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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Tonnage dropped | 22 T |
MARSHALLING YARDS
B-17 Flying Fortress
457th BG - MISSION NO. 67 - ANGOULEME, FRANCE
15 JUNE, 1944
A German panzer division, which had been disposed in southwestern France, was scheduled to entrain at Angouleme for the Normandy beachhead. The delay or destruction of the division had been requested by the Allied ground forces. The 457th and the 35 1st Groups were assigned the task. The 457th sent thirty-six aircraft aloft to compose the entire 94th B Combat Wing. The 351St comprised the A Combat Wing. Major William F. Smith was the 457th's Air Commander with Captain Russell M. Selwyn as pilot of the lead B box. Major Theodore C. Hoffman was Commander of the high B box with Lt. Mark R. Beicher as pilot, and Major Jacob M. Dickinson Commander of the low B box, with Captain Alfred W. Fischer as pilot.
Entry into France was over the Normandy beachhead. CAVU conditions existed for the first time since the commencement of the invasion and the entire fighting area was visible to the crews. The Group bombed the marshaling yards with excellent results, leaving a pile of rubble. The special request of the ground forces had been fulfilled.
En route back to England, along the coast of the Bay of Biscay, across the Brest Peninsula and the English Channel, perfect visibility enabled the crews to observe the vast shipping of both the enemy forces and the Allies There was no enemy aircraft opposition and flak was light and inaccurate.
Division
The groups under the command of the 1st Bomb Wing came under the command of the 1st Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.
Group
The 457th Bomb Group began combat operations during the Big Week of 20-25 February when American bombers carried out concentrated raids against German aircraft bases, factories and assembly plants. The air crews' targets on that first mission were...
Tonnage dropped | 204 T |
V-1 MISSILE SITES
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Tonnage dropped | 176 T |
AIRFIELD
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Tonnage dropped | 343 T |
AIRFIELD
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Tonnage dropped | 63 T |
BRIDGE
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Tonnage dropped | 141 T |
AIRFIELD
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Tonnage dropped | 118 T |
AIRFIELD
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Tonnage dropped | 183 T |
AIRFIELD
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Tonnage dropped | 35 T |
AIRFIELD
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Tonnage dropped | 69 T |
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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Tonnage dropped | 5 T |
OIL REFINERY
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3rd Bomb Division attacks on these targets were made by the B-17 Groups, i.e. 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, 486 Bomb Group, 487th Bomb Group.
Division
The 3rd Bomb Division was Constituted in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.
Tonnage dropped | 419 T |
TROOP CONCENTRATION
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Tonnage dropped | 2 T |
RAIL JUNCTION
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Tonnage dropped | 176 T |
AIRFIELD
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Tonnage dropped | 46 T |
RAILROAD BRIDGE
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All 2nd Bomb Division except the 458th Bomb Group and all of the 3rd Bomb Division take part. 12 B-24s use Azon missiles against the Etaples railroad bridge and 7 others use missiles against the Pecrone railroad bridge.
Tonnage dropped | 267 T |
VIADUCT
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Tonnage dropped | 25 T |
RAILROAD BRIDGE-NORTH
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Tonnage dropped | 210 T |
RAILROAD BRIDGE-SOUTH
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Tonnage dropped | 137 T |
AIRFIELD
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Tonnage dropped | 36 T |
COMMUNICATIONS TARGETS
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Tonnage dropped | 81 T |
HIGHWAY BRIDGE
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Tonnage dropped | 35 T |
RAILROAD BRIDGE
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Tonnage dropped | 174 T |
TRANSPORTATION TARGET
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Tonnage dropped | 199 T |
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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Tonnage dropped | 40 T |
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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Tonnage dropped | 42 T |
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 94th Bomb Group
Flew 26 missions on 'Mission Bell', was wounded on 26th mission.
Purple Heart, 4 Air Medals
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Radio Operator | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Tail Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 388th Bomb Group
The person with this name and birth/death dates buring at Fort Bliss National Cemetery is listed as "Master Sergeant - US Army" on his headstone. Boozer is wearing Captain's bars in his photo. This birth and death date may well be for the wrong ...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
Shot down, crashed near Bazas, France on 15 June 1944 in B-17 #42-38009. Helped by French citizens and members of the Maquis. Stayed in the Bordeaux area and was flown from Biarritz to England on 26 September 1944. Evaded (EVD). See the full story of...
Military | Radio Operator | 381st Bomb Group
Harold Brooks was Radio Operator on B-17 #42-38009. Shot down, crashed Coimères, near Bazas, France on 15 June 1944. Helped by French citizens and members of the Maquis. Crossed the Pyrénées mountains into Spain on 5 August, reached Gibraltar on 14...
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 466th Bomb Group
St. Dizier, France 24 Mar 1944; Brunswick, Germany 8 April 1944; Hamm, Germany 22 April 1944; Leipheim, Germany 24 April 1944; Paderborn, Germany 26 April 1944; Siracourt, France 27 April 1944; Mimoyecque, France 28 April 1944; Liege, France 1 May 1944...
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
Alfred Campbell Jr was Right Waist gunner on B-17 #42-38009 hit by Flak on the 15 June 1944 mission to Bordeaux-Mérignac. Crashed Coimères, near Bazas, France. Helped by French citizens and members of the Maquis. Crossed the Pyrénées mountains into...
Military | Flight Officer | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Frank Champ was Navigator on B-17 #42-38009, shot down on 15 June 1944. Crashed Coimères, near Bazas, France. Helped by French citizens and members of the Maquis. Crossed the Pyrénées mountains into Spain on 4 August, reached Gibraltar on the 25th and...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 5/2/44; Kearney 24/2/44; Presque Is 11/3/44; Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-O] Horham 11/3/44; with G.M. Jackman force landed B-53 Merville, Belg., 10/5/45; with Lt Henderson force landed A-70 Laon, France 20/5/45; 114m Returned to the USA...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 17/3/44; Gr Island 6/4/44; Dow Fd 28/4/44; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 30/4/44; On a local flight 9/7/44 with Doug McArthur, Co-pilot: Stamos Zades, Navigator: George Mille, Bombardier: Chas Meyer, Flight engineer/top turret...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 6/1/44; Kearney 15/1/44; Romulus 23/1/44; Grenier 25/1/44; Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-J] Horham 2/2/44; transferred 412BS [QW-J]; 98m, with S.D. Reed, force landed RAF Coltishakk, 8RTD, 1WIA; Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 21/6/44;...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 11/11/43; Gr Island 1/12/43; Presque Is 13/12/43; Assigned 534BS/381BG [GD-N] Ridgewell 8/1/44. 12m Missing in Action on its 12th mission, to Bordeaux-Mérignac, France on 15 June 1944. Pilot Charles Kelley, Co-pilot: Robert C....
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/11/43; New Castle 10/12/43; Presque Is 15/12/43; Assigned 547BS/384BG [SO-C] Grafton Underwood 21/1/44; sal battle damaged 27/4/44. NEVADA AVENGER.
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B-17 Flying Fortress
Boeing B-17G-25-DL ‘Flying Fortress’ 42-38052 was assigned to the USAAF on Christmas Eve 1943. The aircraft became one of the first ‘replacement’ ships to be assigned to the 447th Bombardment Group at Rattlesden, arriving in January 1944 and placed...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 14/3/44; Kearney 13/4/44; Dow Fd 29/4/44; Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-R] Horham 20/4/44; with Glovik 7/10/44, Waist gunner: Chas Buda KIA; 97m, Missing in Action Frankfurt 9/3/45 with Bill Durant (Ouratt?), Co-pilot: Dwight King, Navigator...
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
Date | Contributor | Update |
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27 May 2015 11:37:23 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to event |
Sources | ||
Mission details added courtesy of Diane Elizabeth Reese from 457th Bomb Group Mission Documents. http://www.457thbombgroup.org/ |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:43:06 | AAM | AAM ingest |
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'. |