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723

25 November 1944

  • 42-31154 O

    42-31154 O "Shack Happy" 708th BS Undated photo. Probably one of the few OD aircraft stripped of paint, as traces are still seen around windows. Lost to flak over Merseburg on November 25, 1944.

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Official description

Not yet known

Description

Not yet known

Mission details

1.

Description

BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

2. BINGEN

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Not yet known

Mission Statistics

3. MERSEBURG/LEUNA

Description

OIL REFINERY

Aircraft type

B-17 Flying Fortress

Notes

457th BG MISSION NO. 151 : MERSEBERG, GERMANY : 25 NOVEMBER, 1944

The 457th attacked the Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg. Major Leon Stann was Air Commander. The Group comprised the 94th C Combat Wing. Assembly, and joining Division formation, were without incident.

The route to the target was flown as briefed, but the Group continued to gain time because winds were not as briefed. At the IP, the decision was made to bomb by PFF. The bombing was done in group formation with all three squadrons releasing on the smoke marker of the lead aircraft. The target was attacked from 25,300 feet.

Although heavy clouds prevented complete assessment, results were fair. Bombs observed by crews over target fell away from the target. Only damage was from a few strikes in the edge of Merseburg and a small village.

The craft flown by Lt. Jack B. Wescott, left the formation after the target, due to lack of oxygen. Damage caused by flak over Dunkirk caused him to crash land his ship near Marek, France. The crew subsequently returned to the base.

Units

  • 1st Bomb Division

    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

    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

Service

People

  • Howard Ayers

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 398th Bomb Group
    KIS Attended Brackenridge High School in San Antonio. Was a carrier (newspaper boy) for his local newspaper. Buried in the Fort Sam Houston Military Cemetery in San Antonio.

  • George Bachman

    Military | Technical Sergeant | B17 Engineer | 96th Bomb Group
    Parents: George and Pauline (Matthias) Bachman they were married in March 1911 ...

  • William Baker

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 398th Bomb Group
    William Baker was Killed in Action (KIA) when his pilots were trying to land in heavy fog returning from a mission over Merseberg, Germany. The pilots, Vell Hansard and Robert Davis had given the order to bail out. Baker managed to bail out but the...

  • Dale Benadom

    Military | Captain | Command Pilot | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    On 4 Jan 1944 B-24H 42-7476 'Nice N' Naughty'. Problems on TO and AC ran off end of runway and crashed in ditch. On 9 Feb 1944, B-24H 41-29236 crashed on takeoff for a test flight to check the landing gear. RTD.

  • Paul Bensel

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group

  • Monroe David

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
    Prisoner of War (POW) crashed ner Parchim in B-17 'Green Weenie' #43-38644 on 5 Dec 44

  • Robert Davis

    Military | Second Lieutenant | B-17 Co-Pilot | 398th Bomb Group
    Killed in Action (KIA) at Nuthampstead while trying to land in heavy fog returning from a mission over Merseberg, Germany. Buried at the American Cemetery near Cambridge. His regular pilot was Lt. V A Hansard. ...

  • Richard Dillon

    Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Flew 25 missions, 1 to Berlin and 3 to Merseberg. Was lead navigator for last 6 missions Air Medal w/2 Oak Leaf Cluster; EAME ribbon w 3/battle stars Passed away 25-June-2017, buried in Columbia SC

  • Charles Evans

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 458th Bomb Group
    The 50-page description of CPT Evans' military service is found at http://www.2ndair.org.uk/consumption/groups/public/documents/article/ncc175528.pdf (as listed in http://www.2ndair.org.uk/Second_Air_Division/Wartime_memories/index.htm).

  • Alan Finch

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 34th Bomb Group
    35 missions from June 1944 to Decmber 1944 DFC

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Aircraft

  • 42-107125 DOASY DOATS

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Tulsa 1/3/44; Rapid City 5/3/44; Dow Fd 21/4/44; Assigned 603BS/398BG Nuthampstead 25/4/44; 600BS [N8-G]; no ops, transferred 545BS/384BG [JD-G] Grafton Underwood 7/12/44; transferred with group to Istres on mapping duties, Salvaged 9AF...

  • 42-39993 'Hells Angels Out Of Chute 13', 'Grossly Inadequate'

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Long Beach 26/10/43; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-C] Deenethorpe 1/1/44; 118m landing accident at base with Jim Nolan 7/5/45; sal 2 SAD Watton, Nfk 8/5/45. HELL’S ANGELS OUT OF CHUTE 13 aka GROSSLY INADEQUATE. ...

  • 42-97105 Paper Doll

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Selfridge Fld 3/2/44; Dorval 4/3/44; Assigned RAF [HB-768]; transferred 561BS/388BG Knettishall 13/3/44; Missing in Action Parchim 7/4/45 with Lew Hickman, Arnold Wolf, Cawthorn Perdue, Albt Vawter, Herman Meyer (5 Prisoner of War); John...

  • 44-6509

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Lincoln 28/8/44; Grenier 15/9/44; Assigned 748BS/457BG [H] Glatton 30/9/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 8/6/45; Sth Plains 13/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 25/11/45.

  • 44-8207

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Dallas 10/7/44; Langley 5/8/44; Grenier 29/8/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 2/11/44; 563BS; battle damaged Hamburg 31/12/44 with Wayne Davis, Maj Bill Harrell, Fred Dearing, Bill Stafford, Ed Van Every, Orvil Gough, Earl Jasper, Lt...

  • 44-10503 Miss Marion

    B-24 Liberator

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
20 February 2018 09:39:03 marshaferraro Changes to person associations
Sources

Personal list of 30 missions Lloyd C. Kenagy participated in with the 401st Bomb Group 613th Squadron between Aug 1, 1944 and April 11, 1945.
Date Contributor Update
29 April 2015 10:25:15 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/
Date Contributor Update
29 April 2015 10:24:37 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/
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:43:08 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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