8th Air Force
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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16 February 1945
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Strike photo - Dortmund 16 February 1945. Official USAAF caption : "A towering column of smoke marks the site of new oil refinery at Dortmund, Germany which was attacked for the first time on Feb. 16 1945, by the U.S. 8th AF. Against the shadow of the smoke column may be seen other bombs falling directly toward it." Dortmund. Photographs, to some extent obscured by smoke and haze, taken on the 16th February after the 8th Air Force attack earlier in the day, show considerable damage centered round the power station and coking plant of Hoesch A.G. The chemical installations of the Minster-Stein coke oven plant were also hit during this attack and were still on fire some two hours afterwards. Both batteries of coke-ovens have suffered heavily and will probably be incapable of operation for at least a month. There is considerable residential damage in the vicinity of this plant.
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Plane used by Robert M Wertz (and crew) on crashed mission 2/16/1945 after successfully bombing Munster Railhead (2ndary target). Crashed on east side of Weeze, Germany.
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. BURGSTEINFURT
Description
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
3. DORTMUND/HARPENERWEG
Description
OIL REFINERY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
4. HAMM
Description
MARSHALLING YARDS
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
5. LANGENDREER
Description
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Aircraft type
B-17 Flying Fortress
Notes
Mission 280 Flown on 2/16/1945, 8th AF/379th BG/ A. Edwards Crew
Mission City: Langendreer Country: Germany
Mission Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Aircraft: 44-6459
Alfred E Edwards Jr, Lester W Bohne, Billy C. Hulsey, Vernon T. Calhoun, Wallace I Pfieffer, Janel D Hamilton , William H Melvin Jr., Harry G Chaoona, Michael Rusnak.
Units
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379th Bomb Group
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...
Mission Statistics
6. MEPPEN
Description
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
7. MINSTERSTEIN
Description
OIL REFINERY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
8. MUNSTER
Description
MARSHALLING YARDS
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
9. NORDSTERN
Description
OIL REFINERY
Aircraft type
B-17 Flying Fortress
Notes
457th BG MISSION NO. 188 : GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY : 16 FEBRUARY, 1945
The synthetic benzol producing refineries at Gelsenkirchen were the targets. The Group supplied the 94th A Combat Wing lead and low boxes with Lt. Col. Francis as Air Commander. The 351st Bomb Group comprised the high box. Wing assembly was without difficulty. The Group was in proper position in Division column and flew the Division assembly line 1500 feet above briefed altitude in order to avoid clouds. Course from the end of the Division assembly line to the IF was flown as briefed, except it was necessary for the Group to go 1,000 feet above briefed altitude in order to avoid dense, persistent contrails. The IP was reached on course.
The Group made a run on the primary target, in squadron formation. It was necessary to bomb by G-FI equipment because dense, persistent contrails produced by aircraft of the preceding formation, and fog, made it impossible to perform a visual sighting operation. Cloud coverage was about four tenths, and visibility was extremely poor. The Group was about 1,000 feet above briefed altitude because of contrails and bombs were dropped from 27,000 feet. Bomb results of the lead squadron were fair; no photos were available from the low squadron.
Flak was moderate but accurate. The craft piloted by Lt. Roland H. Brazier, deputy lead of the low box, was hit in No. 3 engine. The right wing folded and broke off, the plane rolled over, went into a flat spin and was on fire. Six of the crewmen did not survive.
Because of weather conditions, the Group landed at another base.
Units
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1st Air Division
Division
In December 1944, the 1st Bomb 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
10. OSNABRUCK
Description
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
11. OSNABRUCK
Description
MARSHALLING YARDS
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
12. RHEINE
Description
BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
13. RHEINE
Description
MARSHALLING YARDS
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
14. SALZBERGEN
Description
OIL REFINERY
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
15. WESEL
Description
RAIL BRIDGE
Aircraft type
Not yet known
Notes
Not yet known
Mission Statistics
Service
People
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Lester Bohne
Military | 379th Bomb Group
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John Bookout
Military | Captain | pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Assigned Jan 1945 -
Peter Brennan
Military | Technical Sergeant | Togglier | 388th Bomb Group
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John Burk
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 447th Bomb Group
John McKale Burk was born 30 November 1924 in Ventnor, Atlantic County, NJ to Frederick Grater Burk (20 April 1891 Philadelphia, PA -19 June 1948 Philadelphia, PA) and Mary Cunningham McKale Burk (21 February 1895 Philadelphia, PA - 20 October 1990... -
Walter Campbell
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) crashed near Kleve on 16 Feb 45 in B-17 #43-39081. After bypassing the primary target Langendreer, Germany, crew was ordered to proceed to bomb secondary target the Munster railhead. This plane was in the lead and was shot down... -
Jeff Donalson
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Most significant experience occurred on 16 February 1945 as consequence of bombing mission of Gelsenkirchen oil refinery. Because of flak damage to aircraft during and following bomb run, we were unable to return to England and were forced to ditch in... -
Melvin Durst
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW). 23 missions. Shot down 16 Feb 1945 in AC #43-39081. After bypassing the primary target Langendreer because of smog, the crew was ordered to proceed to bomb secondary target at Munster railhead. This plane was in the lead and was... -
Alfred Edwards
Military | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
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Jean Elissalde
Military | Major | Co-Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Assigned Jan 1945 -
Roy Frawley
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 486th Bomb Group
Aircraft
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42-107062 Worry Bird/Miss Bea Haven
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 9/2/44; Rapid City 2/3/44; Dow Fd 3/4/44; Assigned 398BG Nuthampstead 25/4/44; no ops, transferred 562BS/388BG Knettishall 29/4/44 WORRY BIRD; Returned to the USA Bradley 8/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 29/11/45;... -
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. ... -
43-38187 Carrie B II
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 5/7/44; Kearney 14/7/44; Dow Fd 3/8/44; Assigned 613BS/401BG [IN-C] Deenethorpe 27/8/44. Hit by Flak. Missing in Action on the 16 February 1945 mission to the Minster-Stein coke oven plant, in the Dortmund area. Pilot Jeff N.... -
43-38933 Dear Mom II/Weary Wolf
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Lincoln 14/10/44; Dow Fd 26/10/44; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 29/10/44; while on navigation exercise 17/5/45 with H.J. Cole, cp V. Ferguson, two navigators and two grounded crew, on as makeshift ttg and r/op (6 Killed in Action); crash... -
44-6459
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Kearney 10/8/44; Grenier 23/8/44; Assigned 525BS/379BG [FR-G] Kimbolton 30/8/44; dam in collision with truck when landing 24/3/45, repaired & ret 3/5/45; Returned to the USA Bradley 30/6/45; Sth Plains 3/7/45; Reconstruction Finance... -
44-8540 Round Trip
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 11/10/44; Hunter 1/11/44; with Paul Quinn force landed Dow Fd 18/11/44; Assigned 339BS/96BG [QJ-W] Snetterton 22/1/45; transferred 562BS/388BG Knettishall /45; RetUS, Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)... -
44-8652 Drive It Home
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 16/11/44; Hunter 12/12/44; Dow Fd 17/12/44; Assigned 369BS/306BG Thurleigh 6/1/45; Salvaged 9AF Germany 31/7/46. DRIVE IT HOME!
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 12 January 2016 05:23:01 | Figmnt | Changes to person associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.8thairforce.com/379th/search/crew_member_listing_for_mission.... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 January 2016 05:19:28 | Figmnt | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
http://www.8thairforce.com/379th/search/crew_member_listing_for_mission.... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 April 2015 11:30:53 | 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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