1st Air Division
Division
In December 1944, the 1st Bomb Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.
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3 February 1945
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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MARSHALLING YARDS
B-17 Flying Fortress
457th BG MISSION NO. 182 : BERLIN, GERMANY : 3 FEBRUARY, 1945
The Eighth Air Force dispatched 2000 Heavies to the heart of the Third Reich, to attack communications, transportation, military and governmental targets. Now that the Andennes Offensive was crushed, it was the High Command's intent to carry the war directly into the heart of the Nazi war machine.
Col. Lewis E. Lyle, Commanding Officer of the 379th Bomb Group was the Air Commander of the mission. The 457th comprised the 94th A Combat Wing with Col. Rogner as Air Commander. The marshalling yards at Berlin was its assigned target. Aiming point was a bridge over the River Spree, near the Friedrichstrasse Railway Station.
Wing assembly was accomplished without difficulty. Division assembly line was flown as briefed, with the Group in seventh position in Division formation. The route to the IP was flown north of course in order to stay in Division formation. Prior to the last turn before the IP, the groups in Division formation were bunched up, and it was necessary for the 94th A Group to deviate to the left of course in order to gain more interval and avoid bunching at the IP. The Group was nine minutes late at the IP, because winds were not as briefed.
The turn was made at the approximate IP, and the Group headed down a long bomb run. The target area was clear, CAVU conditions existing, and bombing was done visually with squadrons in trail. The MPI was identified about twenty miles from the target. Bombs were dropped from 25,000 feet. Bomb results were observed to be very good, with some direct hits. Flak was moderate but accurate, with nine aircraft sustaining damage.
The aircraft piloted by Lt. Craig P. Greason crash landed near Ypres, Belgium, with no injury to the crew. Col. Lyle stated:
"There was a bomber stream three to five hundred miles long. Turning off the target and heading back to England, there were bombers heading for Berlin, practically all the way back to England. It was a very successful mission."
(Compiler Note: The Aiming Point was Peter the Great Statue.)
(Editor's comment: We were briefed to aim at a bridge over the River Spree, near the Friedrichsirasse railway station. Not far away, on Unter den Linden, is a statue of Frederick the Great, on horseback. The only Peter the Great I know about was Russian.) (Ed Note: For an account of the mission by Spleth's/ Welch's crew, see DEAD EWGINE KIDS.)
Division
In December 1944, the 1st Bomb 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...
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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AIRFIELD
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Fighter-bomber mission
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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OIL REFINERY
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INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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AIRFIELD
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Military | Chief Master Sergeant | B-17 Toglier in WWII; Aircraft Maintenance until 1967 retirement | 96th Bomb Group
Assigned Dec 1944. Flew 55+ missions in B-17 as togglier. Adcock grew up on a farm in Ellisville, Mississippi, USA. He was career Air Force, retiring in 1967 as a Chief Master Sergeant (CMSAF). Born 3/8/1924 Died 3/16/2017
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Assigned to 615BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. 37 x Combat missions. Carl Djernes crew. ETD
Awards: AM (5OLC), WWII Victory, EAME (3 x Battle Stars).
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 398th Bomb Group
Assigned to 603BS, 398BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Berlin; mid air collision near Lehmke in B-17 43-38697, Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 12215.
Awards: PH.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator-Mechanic-Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Assigned to 612BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. Millard French crew. Completed 36 combat missions.
Awards: AM (5OLC), GC, WWII Victory, EAME (3 x Battle Stars).
Military | Technical Sergeant | Engineer/Top Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Flight Officer | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 453rd Bomb Group
Robert Atkins served as a tail gunner with the 733rd Bomb Squadron of the 453rd Bomb Group, flying missions out of Old Buckenham, England.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 398th Bomb Group
Assigned to 603BS, 398BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Berlin 3 February 1945. Mid-air collision near Lehmke in B-17 43-38697. Prisoner of War (POW). Sole survivor of crew. MACR 12215.
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Navigator B-17 #42102547 'Rose of York' [62 mission veteran], on return from 63rd bombing mission [ Berlin ], A/C hit by concentrated and accurate AA fire, last contact indicated one engine out and another trailing gasoline, failed to return FTR,...
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 334BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Berlin 3-Feb-45 in B-17 42-102951; flak and mech failure, crashed Den Berg Texel, Netherlands Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 12048
Awards: PH.
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 9/3/44; Gr Island 11/4/44; Dowe Fd 28/4/44; Assigned 546BS/384BG [BK-H] Grafton Underwood 12/5/44; Missing in Action Berlin 3/2/45 with Robert Clax Long, Frederick Arnold Maki, Jack Coleman Cook (3 Killed in Action); Ralph John Vrana...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 12/3/44; Gr Island 22/3/44; Dow Fd 3/4/44; Assigned 401BG Deenethorpe 2/5/44; transferred 367BS/306BG [GY-F] Thurleigh 5/5/44. Missing in Action 63M Berlin 3 February 1945 with Vernor F. Daley Jr, Co-pilot: Joseph J. Carbine,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 21/4/44; Kearney 6/5/44; Grenier 27/5/44; Assigned 334BS/95BG [BG-Q] Horham 30/5/44; with A.E. McCulley 25/8/44 wia-b Lt Bill Kehoe, Waist gunner: Larry Roberts; with W.C. Bramlett force landed RAF Woodbridge 25/12/44; with R.W....
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 24/2/44; Gr Island 7/3/44; Grenier 5/4/44; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-J] Deenethorpe 2/5/44; 612BS [SC-O]; Returned to the USA Bradley 6/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 21/10/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 21/3/44; Kearney 2/4/44; Dow Fd 21/4/44; Assigned 338BS/96BG [BX-U] Snetterton 25/4/44; detailed Mainz 8/9/44 with Nick Jorgensen, Co-pilot: Dave Tritsch, Navigator: Leo Fleming, Bombardier: Tom Hooper, Flight engineer/top turret gunner...
B-17 Flying Fortress
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 10/12/43; Kearney 27/12/43; RAF Nutts Corner 15/1/44; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-B] Deenethorpe 31/1/44; 613BS [IN-O]; 112m, Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 7/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 9/6/45; 4100 BU Patterson 9/10...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 13/1/44; Kearney 28/1/44; Presque Is 18/2/44; Grenier 2/3/44; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-G] Deenethorpe 7/3/44; detailed Munich 13/7/44 with L.H. Haskett, Tail gunner: Ed Page (Killed in Action); Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 6/6...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 15/1/44; Kearney 28/1/44; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-P] Deenethorpe 5/3/44; Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 8/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 13/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman...
Date | Contributor | Update |
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29 April 2015 11:19:52 | 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 18:43:09 | 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'. |