1st Air Division
Division
In December 1944, the 1st Bomb Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.
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817
3 February 1945
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Crew #664 Elmo Maiden Crew 466th BG - 786th BS Standing Left to Right: Bernard M. Atkins (TG), Vernon R. Hayden (WG), William R. Hoopes (B), Gustave J. Roussel (E), Guerino G. Petti (N), Herbert Rosenkoff (CP), William A. Thomason (TT), Elmo Maiden (P), Kenneth W. Chester (NG), Joseph R. Zebrowski (R/O) B-24J-5-DT #42-51532 Code: U8-W Photo taken on 27 December 1944 after crash landing at an airfield in Belgium.
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42-102501 BK-H, THE CHALLENGER, 384th Bomb Group, 546th Bomb Squadron
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Guy Byam was with the BBC and was doing a story on the Mighty Eighth. He covered D Day and many other major events. Killed in Action (KIA) crashed into North Sea in B-17 'Rose of York' #42102547.
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Page 281 of the 401st Bomb Group unit history. Many of the 8th Air Force Groups produced an unofficial unit history in the months after the war ended in Europe but before they were redeployed out of the ETO (European Theater of Operations). Resembling a college yearbook, unit histories were an unofficial – and often tongue-in-cheek – record of the unit’s time based in the UK. They include photo montages showing different aspects of base life. Often the servicemen in the photos are unnamed. The American Air Museum hopes that by adding unit histories to the website as individual pages, the men in the photos will be identified and associated to their person entries. Many included lists of personnel and a mailing address, providing a means for servicemen to keep in contact with each other after the war. These lists are now incredibly useful records of where US airmen in England in 1945 called their home.
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401st Bomb Group, Mission No. 203, 3 Feb 1945, Berlin, Germany. Briefing took place at 0300 hours. Aircraft loading was ten 500 pound GP's and 2,780 gallons of gasoline. All aircraft were airborne by 0819; two aircraft were forced to abort, and one spare also returned early. By 1541 hours all but two aircraft had landed. The ship piloted by Lt. C. P. Djernes landed at Woodbridge with low fuel, brakes out and two wounded aircrew; the other ship, piloted by Lt. Myron L. King, was reported that have headed for Russian controlled territory after losing an engine over the target. The 401st put up three squadrons, making up the 94th Combat Wing "B" Group on this mission. As the weather was clear, the target was bombed visually. While the target was obscured by the smoke and fire caused by bombs dropped by the preceding eight Groups, the 401st lead bombardiers used the RAF grid with outlying checkpoints to verify aiming points. The Lead and Low Squadrons were right on target and, while the High Squadron's bombs dropped short, they were still in the immediate area of the MPI. While no German fighters were encountered, the flak was heavy and accurate. Four aircraft received major battle damage and seventeen others suffered minor damage. Lt. Myron L. King, whose B-17 had lost an engine over the target, decided to fly eastward and landed successfully in Russian controlled territory. Only after weeks of inhospitable treatment by our Russian "allies", graphically described in the book, "Portrait of a Flying Lady" by George Menzel, was the crew able to return to Deenthorpe.
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. BAD ZWISCHENAHN
Description
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
3. BERLIN/TEMPELHOF
Description
MARSHALLING YARDS
Aircraft type
B-17 Flying Fortress
Notes
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.)
Units
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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
4. BROMSCHE
Description
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
5. CUXHAVEN
Description
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
6. FRIEDERSDORF
Description
AIRFIELD
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Fighter-bomber mission
Mission Statistics
7. GATOW
Description
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
8. LUNEBURG
Description
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
9. MAGDEBURG
Description
MARSHALLING YARDS
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
10. MAGDEBURG/ROTHENSEE
Description
OIL REFINERY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
11. MOCKERN
Description
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
12. SOGEL
Description
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
13. WESERMUNDE
Description
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
14. YECTA
Description
AIRFIELD
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
Service
People
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Jesse Adcock
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 -
Ora Akins
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). -
Albert Aleksyn
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. -
James Allcroft
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). -
Howard Anderson
Military | Technical Sergeant | Engineer/Top Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
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Lyle Andler
Military | Flight Officer | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
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Robert Atkins
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. -
Joseph Bancroft
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. -
Paul Becker
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,... -
Marion Bell
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.
Aircraft
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42-102468 'Farmer's Daughter'
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... -
42-102501 The Challenger
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... -
42-102547 Elizabeth, The Princess, Rose of York
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,... -
42-102951
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.... -
42-107113 'Miss Aldaflak' 'Section 8'
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... -
42-107208 Why Not?
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... -
42-31072 Betty J.
B-17 Flying Fortress
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42-31730 'Morning Star', 'Tail End Charlie'
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... -
42-31983 Mary Alice
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... -
42-32012 'Shark Tooth'
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...
Revisions
| 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'. |
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