3rd Bomb Division
Division
The 3rd Bomb Division was Constituted in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.
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466
11 July 1944
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Harold Motz Mission Map for 8th Air Force Mission 466 (447th Bomb Group Mission 106) to Munich, July 11, 1944 Original map now in the collection of the Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.
Official description
Not yet known
Description
More than 1000 planes bombed Munich. Flak cut our control cables to elevators and rudder. Flew back by wing trim tabs. Shippy spliced cables before landing. Nine hour ride. Flak hit Sgt Rollinger's oxygen mask and injured his nose and eyes.
Mission details
1.
Description
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
| Tonnage dropped | 6.9T |
2. AUGSBURG (Opportunistic)
Description
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
| Tonnage dropped | 77 T |
3. EPPINGEN (Opportunistic)
Description
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
| Tonnage dropped | 20.8 T |
4. MUNICH (Primary)
Description
BMW FACTORY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
3rd Bomb Division was made up of B-17s is 94th Bomb Group, 95 Bomb Group, 96th Bomb Group, 100th Bomb Group, 385th Bomb Group, 388th Bomb Group, 390th Bomb Group, 447th Bomb Group, 452nd Bomb Group.
Units
Mission Statistics
| Tonnage dropped | 418 T |
5. MUNICH (Primary)
Description
MARSHALLING YARDS
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
| Tonnage dropped | 242.5 T |
6. MUNICH (Primary)
Description
MARSHALLING YARDS
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
An electrical station and a tire factory also hit.
1st Bomb Division was made up of 91st Bomb Group, 92nd Bomb Group, 303rd Bomb Group, 305th Bomb Group, 306th Bomb Group, 351st Bomb Group, 379th Bomb Group, 381st Bomb Group, 384th Bomb Group, 398th Bomb Group, 401st Bomb Group, 457th Bomb Group.
457th BG - MISSION NO. 86 - MUNICH, GERMANY - 11 JULY, 1944
Munich, in addition to being the fourth largest city in Germany, had become a center of development for a jet propelled aircraft. Intelligence reports indicated planned early use of this plane against American heavy bomber formations. Experimental stations, factories for assembly and fuels, and operational fields, were located at nearby Leipheim, Schwabisch-Hall, Friedrichshafen and Lechfeld. The area also contained the parent BMW aero engine factory, Allach.
All of western Europe was overcast and the city presented the right kind of target to be located by PFF means. Twelve hundred heavy bombers were dispatched in a vast operation to hit this center of production. The 457th was directed to attack Allach if visual conditions existed, and the center of Munich if the expected ten-tenths undercast prevailed.
Thirty-six planes made up the lead and low boxes of the 94th B Combat Wing. Major Smith was Commander of the lead box and Captain Lady the low box. The Wing was second in the Division formation. Clouds interfered somewhat with the assembly and the routing over England.
En route to the English Coast, Lt. Jack W. Gazzal&s left wing tip caught fire and the crew began bailing out. The plane then blew up and the pilot was blown out of the plane. He parachuted safely to earth, together with five members of his crew. Three failed to survive.
The redisposition of antiaircraft guns north of Paris had closed the old route to southern Germany. The guns had to be avoided so the route to the target took the formation across the North Sea to the Scheldt Islands and thence due south to the west of Brussels, before a turn toward Munich was made at the northern French border. A complete undercast existed from there to Munich. The heavy concentration of single engine enemy fighters in the Paris region refused to be airborne and give battle.
The PFF equipment in both the A and B Wings malfunctioned, so a 360 degree turn was made in order to bring the formation in behind trailing wings for bombing on their more accurately placed smoke markers. Bomb results were unobserved. Only a moderate amount of flak came up through the dense undercast and it was thousands of feet from the formation. No plane received damage.
On the way home the enemy fighters still remained on the ground, although one thousand fifty heavy bombers had dropped 2,350 tons of bombs on Munich. Only twenty-four of the 1050 attacking force failed to return.
Units
-
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. -
457th Bomb Group
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...
Mission Statistics
| Tonnage dropped | 788.4 T |
7. MUNICH AUTOBAHN (Opportunistic)
Description
HIGHWAY BRIDGE ON AUTOBAHN
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
| Tonnage dropped | 2.6 T |
8. MUNICH CENTER (Primary)
Description
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
2nd Bomb Division was made up of 44th Bomb Group, 93rd Bomb Group, 389th Bomb Group, 392nd Bomb Group, 445th Bomb Group,446th Bomb Group, 448th Bomb Group, 453rd Bomb Group, 458th Bomb Group, 466th Bomb Group, 467th Bomb Group, 489th Bomb Group, 491st Bomb Group,492nd Bomb Group
Units
-
2nd Bomb Division
Division
The groups under the command of the 2nd Bomb Wing came under the command of the 2nd Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 2nd Air Division.
Mission Statistics
| Tonnage dropped | 681.8 T |
9. MUNICH/REIM (Primary)
Description
AIRFIELD
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
| Tonnage dropped | 110T |
Service
People
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Leroy Adams
Military | Master Sergeant | Engineer/Top Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
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John Allen
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 401st Bomb Group
Assigned to 615BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. 31 x missions. Ended Tour Duty (ETD). Awards: AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME. -
William Ameen
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 401st Bomb Group
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Ancil Anderson
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Assigned to 605BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. Damaged by flak and landed in Switzerland on 31-Jul-44 in B-17 42-107092 'Umbriago' Interned (INT) Awards: WWII Victory, EAME. -
Don Anderson
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier, Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
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Francis Anthony
Military | Technical Sergeant | Engineer/Top Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
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William Atkinson
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
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Homer Badgett
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Homer Badgett was co-pilot on B-24 Serial 41-28713 of 389th Bomber Group / 564th Bomber Squadron, short on fuel on return from Badgett's 17th mission on 11 July 1944 to the Munich marshalling yards. ... -
Robert Baldi
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Tail Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Crew Number 51 -
Thomas Barton
Military | Captain | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
newly assigned May 1944
Aircraft
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42-97194 Good Pickin'
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... -
41-28713
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Serial 41-28713 of 389th Bomber Group / 564th Bomber Squadron, short on fuel on return from the mission of 11 July 1944 to the Munich marshalling yards. The plane exploded and crashed near Noyelles-lès-Seclin, about 5km southwest of Lille, France ... -
42-102435 Double Wallop
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 3/3/44; Dorval 10/3/44; Assigned RAF [HB784]; transferred USAAF 31/3/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG [B] Knettishall 1/7/44; Missing in Action Munich 31/7/44 with Jim Crider, Co-pilot: Fred Gordon, (no Nav), Bombardier: Bill Stewart, Flight... -
42-102659 'Hard Seventeen', 'Hard Luck'
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. ... -
42-107007 She-Hasta
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 24/1/44; Kearney 15/2/44; Presque Is 2/3/44; Assigned 351BS/100BG [EP-B] Thorpe Abbotts 6/3/44. Missing in Action Merseburg 29 July 1944 with Pilot William L. Greiner Jr, Co-pilot James D. Coccia, Navigator Robert D. Fulkerson,... -
42-107047 The Doodle Bug
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 6/2/44; Grenier 3/3/44; Assigned 334BS/95BG [BG-M] Horham 17/3/44; with R.V. Mercer force landed Framlingham AFB 25/12/44 with engine failure; battle damaged Berlin 3/2/45 with H. Palmer; force landed Charleroi, Bel; 97m, repaired & ret... -
42-107084 'Betty's Revenge'
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 16/2/44; Kearney 22/3/44; Grenier 3/4/44; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-G] Deenethorpe 16/4/44; Missing in Action Politz, Poland 7/10/44 with Alex Harasym, Clarry Barsuk, Glen Topic, Jarvis Friduss, Emanuel Saylor, John Bailey, George Capps ... -
42-30778 Old 66/Lady Margaret
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 28/7/43; Gore 6/8/43; Pendleton 12/8/43; Reno 14/8/43; Pierre 16/8/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 3/9/43; crashed on take off for France 13/8/44 with Leon Sutton, Co-pilot: Harlan Thompson, Navigator: George Healy, Bombardier:... -
42-31369 Round Tripper
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/10/43; Gr Island 13/11/43; Romulus 25/11/43; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-K] Deenethorpe 14/1/44; Missing in Action Brandenburg 6/8/44 with John Sauerwald, Co-pilot: John Zimmerman, Navigator: Forrest Holmstrom, Bombardier: Cletus... -
42-97206 Woolf Pack
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 6/2/44; Gr Island 25/2/44; Presque Is 10/3/44; Assigned 452BG Deopham Green 16/3/44; damaged in taxi collision with 42-107225 at Hardwick Afd 7/6/44; Missing in Action Frankfurt 25/9/44 with Gaston Efird, Co-pilot: Bruce Merickle,...
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 26 January 2017 21:47:10 | cmckeever | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Daughter - Carol Rollinger McKeever |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 25 January 2017 19:15:34 | cmckeever | Changes to description and person associations |
| Sources | ||
Daughter - Carol Rollinger McKeever |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 June 2015 13:18:35 | 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 18:43:07 | 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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