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4 January 1944
390th Bomb Group, 571st Bomb Squadron, CREW 70 . Personnel Log entry from my uncles journey ,
401st Bomb Group, Mission No. 11, 4 Jan 1944, Kiel, Germany. The lead aircraft, piloted by Capt. Garland with Major Martin as Group Air Commander, developed engine trouble and was forced to ditch in the North Sea. Two crewmen were lost in the icy seas, but miraculously the other eight survived. The Group lead was taken over by Lt. James Goodman, who led the 401st over the target on a highly successful mission.
Not yet known
The port area of Kiel, Germany and the railroad marshalling yards at Munster, Germany are the Primary targets of this Mission which is organised as two elements: one going to Kiel and the other to Munster. Roger A. Freeman begins to designate aircraft despatched by Bomb Division rather than by individual Bomb Groups as follows:
Kiel Element - Bomb Groups participating
1BD = 91BG, 92BG, 303BG, 305BG, 306BG, 351BG, 379BG, 381BG and 384BG
2BD = 44BG, 93BG, 389BG, 392BG, 445BG, 446BG and 448BG
3BD = 94BG, 95BG, 100BG, 385BG, 390BG and 447BG
Kiel Element - Aircraft despatched - total 569 despatched - 486 effective as follows:
1BD = 263 B-17s despatched - 205 effective
2BD = 176 B-24s despatched - 166 effective
3BD = 130 B-17s despatched - 115 effective
Munster Element - Bomb Groups participating
3BD = 96BG and 388BG
Munster Element -Aircraft despatched - total despatched 75 - 68 effective.
NOTE: Some sources claim that this was the last bombing mission flown under the VIII Bomber Command designation and some claim that it was the first mission flown by bombers under the 8th Air Force designation. The official designation of 8th Air Force as an autonomous unit of the of the United States Army Air Forces will come on 22-Feb-44, but mission designation as "8th Air Force" begins 1-Jan-44.
PORT AREA
B-24 Liberator
34 B-24s drop on Targets of Opportunity around Kiel, Germany. Bomber Gunner claims are recorded on this entry for statistical purposes. The totals are combined for all Air Divisions that attacked Kiel on this date.
Group
The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943...
Group
The 392nd Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators out of Wendling, Norfolk from August 1943 until April 1945. They were the first Group allocated B-24H Liberators, the first B-24 series fitted with a nose turret on the production line. The adaptation increased...
Group
The 445th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators from Tibenham, Norfolk. The crews' first mission was bombing U-boat installations at Kiel on 13 December 1943. The Group continued to hit strategic targets in Germany, including the aircraft components factory...
Group
The 446th Bomb Group, who came to be known as "the Bungay Buckaroos" after the name of their Suffolk base, flew B-24 Liberators on strategic, support and interdictory missions over Europe. The Group led the Eighth Air Force and 2nd Bomb Division on the...
Group
The group was constituted as 449th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 6 April 1943 and activated on 1 May at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona.[2] its original components were the 716th,[3] 717th,[4] 718th,[5] and 719th Bombardment Squadrons.[6]
...
Group
The 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated 15-January-1942 at McDill Field, Florida and equipped with B-24Cs. The Group moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana and acted as a training unit for the 90th 93rd and 98th Bomb Groups and flew anti...
Group
The 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated 1 Mar 42 at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. On 15 May 42. the Group moved to Ft. Myers, Florida, to continue advanced flight training and also to fly antisubmarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico. They...
| Tonnage dropped | 253.00 |
| Number of aircraft Sent | 130 |
| Number of aircraft Effective | 115 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 6 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged Beyond Repair | 2 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged | 16 |
| Number of people Killed In Action | 41 |
| Number of people Wounded in Action | 13 |
| Number of people Evaded | 4 |
| Number of people Prisoners of War | 20 |
| Number of people Returned To Duty | 10 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Destroyed by Bomber Command | 4 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Probably Destroyed by Bomber Command | 12 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Damaged by Bomber Command | 4 |
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
B-17 Flying Fortress
Not yet known
Group
"The Bloody Hundredth", so-called because of a reputation for losing a high number aircraft and crews, flew B-17s from Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk. Their losses were not the highest of any Eighth Air Force Group but on several occasions the Group lost many...
Group
The 385th Bomb Group, who took the nickname "Van's Valiants" after their first Commanding Officer Col. Elliot Vandevanter, flew B-17s from Great Ashfield, Suffolk. The Group led the famous attack on the Focke-Wolfe aircraft factory at Marienburg on 9...
Group
The 390th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Framlingham, Suffolk, between July 1943 and the end of the war in Europe. The Group was engaged in strategic missions until the invasion of Europe when its role became more of a tactical one. This...
Group
The 447th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses on strategic bombardment missions out of Rattlesden, Suffolk. With their first mission coming on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1943, their main focus was hitting sites that would weaken enemy forces...
Group
Activated 15 June 1942 at MacDill Field, Florida. Initial organization and training at Pendleton Field, Oregon on 29 June 1942. Primary flight training at Davis-Monthan Field in Arizona from 28 Aug. 42 to 31 Oct. 42; then at Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas...
Group
The 95th Bomb Group was the only Eighth Air Force Group to be awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, shared by all four Bomb Wing Groups, was for the bombing of an aircraft factory under intense enemy fire at Regensburg on 17 August...
| Tonnage dropped | 365.00 |
| Number of aircraft Sent | 176 |
| Number of aircraft Effective | 166 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 4 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged Beyond Repair | 1 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged | 29 |
| Number of people Killed In Action | 15 |
| Number of people Wounded in Action | 6 |
| Number of people Prisoners of War | 27 |
| Number of people Returned To Duty | 10 |
PORT AREA
B-17 Flying Fortress
7 B-17s drop on Targets of Opportunity around Kiel, Germany.
Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New...
Group
The 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), nicknamed "Can Do" was activated 1-March-1942 at Salt Lake City Air Base, Utah which was their primary training base until 11-Jun-1942 when they relocated to Geiger Field, Washington until 29-Jun-1942, then on to...
Group
Constituted as 306th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 1 Mar 1942. Trained for combat with B-17's. Moved to England, Aug-Sep 1942, and assigned to Eighth AF Eighth Air Force in September 1942 Station 111 Thurleigh. During combat,...
Group
The 351st Bomb Group flew strategic bombing missions from their base at Polebrook, Northamptonshire from April 1943 to June 1945. The Group's most famous member was Hollywood actor Clark Gable, who flew four/ five missions with them as an observer...
Group
The 379th Bomb Group (H) (heavy), based at Kimbolton, flew more sorties than any other Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force and dropped a greater bomb tonnage than any other Group. The B-17 Flying Fortress Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit...
Group
The 381st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Ridgewell, Essex between June 1943 and April 1945. The Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations, the first for bombing shipyards at Bremen, whilst under heavy attack, on 8 October 1943 and...
Group
The 384th Bomb Group flew B-17s from Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire, between May 1943 and June 1945. They were engaged in daylight bombing missions over Germany as part of the Allies' efforts to destroy the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe by...
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...
Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated at Harding Field, Louisiana on 15-April-1942 and went to MacDill Field, Florida for the first phase of training from 16-May-1942 to 25-June-1942. The Group was then assigned to 2nd Air Force at Walla...
Group
The 92nd Group sometime after arrivial in the UK converted to the role of in-theater combat crew indocrination and training. For this role, the Group traded its B-17F complement and obtained the B-17E, mostly from the 97th BG which was departing for...
| Tonnage dropped | 451.00 |
| Number of aircraft Sent | 263 |
| Number of aircraft Effective | 205 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 5 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged Beyond Repair | 2 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged | 82 |
| Number of people Killed In Action | 27 |
| Number of people Wounded in Action | 34 |
| Number of people Evaded | 1 |
| Number of people Prisoners of War | 38 |
| Number of people Returned To Duty | 8 |
MARSHALLING YARDS
B-17 Flying Fortress
Not yet known
Group
The 388th Bomb Group flew strategic bombing mission from Knettishall, Suffolk from June 1943 to the end of the war. During this time, though, detachments were sent to Fersfield, Norfolk to conduct Aphrodite missions. In these Aphrodite missions veteran...
Group
The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945.
...
| Tonnage dropped | 192.00 |
| Number of aircraft Sent | 75 |
| Number of aircraft Effective | 68 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 2 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged Beyond Repair | 1 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged | 35 |
| Number of people Killed In Action | 17 |
| Number of people Wounded in Action | 1 |
| Number of people Prisoners of War | 3 |
| Number of people Returned To Duty | 10 |
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Navigator, Nason crew. 381st BG, 533d BS, 8th AF. Shot down by fighters on mission #59 to the aircraft factories at Oschersleben, Germany on 11 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-37719 'Hellcat/Dinah Mite'. Plane crashed in Zuider Zee. MACR 1881. Killed in Action...
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator; Bombardier | 401st Bomb Group
DFC/ AM w/ 5 Oak Leaf Cluster/ Unit Citation w/ Oak Leaf Cluster
1 Damaged
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 401st Bomb Group
Shot down 28 May 1944 in B-17 42-31034 'Bonnie Donnie. ' Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
BTG, Mickow crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down by fighters on mission #61 to Frankfurt, Germany on 29 Jan 1944 in B-17G #42-37884. MACR 2241. Killed in Action (KIA).
Groves, TX
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 5 January 1944 in B-17 #4230724. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Radio Operator | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 412BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. 25 x combat mission. Loren Seger crew. ETD
Awards: AM (OLC), WWII Victory, EAME (2 x Battle Stars).
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down in a frontal attack by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31135 'Suzy Sagtitz' crashed near Schoonebekerveld, Holland. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
RWG, Nason crew. 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. Shot down by fighters on mission #59 to the aircraft factories at Oschersleben, Germany on 11 Jan 1944 in B-17F 42-37719 'Hellcat/Dinah Might'. MACR 1881. Plane crashed in Zuider Zee. Killed in Action (KIA)....
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Navigator, Zeman crew. 381st BG, 532nd BS, 8th AF. Shot down 5 January 1944 in B-17 #42-30676 'Baby Dumpling'. Mission #57 to the airfield at Tours, France. Hit by an air to air rocket. MACR 1962. Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft I.
New Hamburg, NY
POW
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, 41-23810, named, Tarfu, flew on Operation Tidal Wave, the bombing mission to destroy the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania, in Aug 1943. The B-24D, Tarfu, was flown on the mission by Command Pilot Lt. Earl C. Hurd, and returned safely to...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 422BS/305BG [JJ-O] Presque Is 22/9/10/42; Grafton Underwood 25/9/42; transferred 547BS/384BG [SO-Y] Grafton Underwood 14/10/43; Missing in Action Ludwigshafen 7/1/44 with Walter Ernest Garner, Co-pilot: Philip Bern, Bombardier: James Daigle,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-T] Bangor 10/9/42; Molesworth 16/10/42; 59m transferred 1 Base Air Depot (sic),* Burtonwood 7/7/44; Returned to the USA Altus 18/8/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Altus 14/8/45. Over...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 427BS/303BG [GN-P] Bangor 5/10/42; Molesworth 25/10/42; Missing in Action 45m Oschersleben 11/1/44 with George McClellan, Co-pilot: Bill Fisher, ex B-26 pilot on his 1st mission, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Dave Tempesta, Radio Operator...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned to the 359BS/303BG [BN-R] Bangor 22-Sep-42; Molesworth 22-Oct-42; First 8th Air Force aircraft to complete 50, then 75 missions- 27-Mar-44; with M/Sgt Buford Pafford as crew chief; 1 Base Air Depot, Burtonwood 5-Jun-44; Reconstruction Finance...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/1/43; Salina 9/2/43; Brookley 3/3/43; Morrison 9/3/43; Assigned Harris Prov. Gp, en route from Marrakech to St Eval, Cornwall, UK 7/4/43 force landed Lytchett Minster, near Poole, Dorset, low on gas with Talmadge Wilson, Co-pilot:...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-G] Presque Is 27/11/42; Molesworth 13/12/42; Returned to the USA 2/7/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Arledge 22/11/44. IZA VAILABLE.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 13/3/43; Casper 28/3/43; Tinker 10/4/43; Assigned 364BS/305BG [WF-K] Chelveston 18/5/43 PAPPY'S HELLIONS III;
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Sioux City 14/5/43; Smoky Hill 11/6/43; Dow Fd 16/6/43; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 17/6/43; transferred Aphrodite project, Missing in Action V-sites, Watten 6/8/44 with Lt Joeseph P Andrecheck & T/Sgt Raymond Healy (2...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 11/5/43; Gore 24/5/43; Smoky Hill 29/5/43; Dow Fd 3/6/43; Assigned 525BS/379BG [FR-M] Kimbolton 13/6/43 TENDER TIT TILLIE, then RAGIN' RED II; transferred 837BS/487BG [4F] Lavenham 15/7/44; 78th Fighter Wing 24/10/44; transferred...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 06 January 2016 23:53:24 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Jan-2016. Removed Note to Viewers and transferred it to 8th AF PHOTO RECCE operation of 2-Jan-44. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 December 2015 19:11:52 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to name |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 1-Dec-2015. Changed title to 8th AF mission, per "Losses of the 8th & 9th AIr Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey, MBE. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 February 2015 20:21:18 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 9-Feb-2015. Added Note referencing mission designation changes from VIII Bomber Command to 8th Air Force. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 February 2015 20:13:29 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 9-Feb-2015. Completed entry and Bomber Gunner statistics based on "The Mighty 8th War Diary" Roger A. Freeman. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 February 2015 01:06:49 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 8-Feb-2015. Defined Kiel and Munster elements per "The Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 08 February 2015 23:14:57 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 8-Feb-2015. NOTE to VIEWERS added per Mr. Lee Cunningham. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:43:16 | 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'. |
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