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359

20 May 1944

  • Crew members of Bomb' N Belle : Back, left to right : Joseph Keenan; Robert Sasse, Edward Frost and Raymond McCarthy. Front, left to right : Eugene Szulczewski, Paul Dickerson, Richard Kindig (not Kindic !) and Andrew Marcin (not Marsin !)

    Crew members of Bomb' N Belle : Back, left to right : Joseph Keenan; Robert Sasse, Edward Frost and Raymond McCarthy. Front, left to right : Eugene Szulczewski, Paul Dickerson, Richard Kindig (not Kindic !) and Andrew Marcin (not Marsin !)

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  • 401st Bomb Group, Mission No. 71, 20 May 1944, Villacoublay

    401st Bomb Group, Mission No. 71, 20 May 1944, Villacoublay

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Official description

Not yet known

Description

Not yet known

Mission details

1. LEIGE (Primary) (RC)

Description

MARSHALLING YARDS

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

Mission aborted due to heavy could cover.

Units

  • 3rd Bomb Division

    3rd Bomb Division

    Division
    The 3rd Bomb Division was Constituted in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 0.00

2. ORLY (Primary)

Description

AIRFIELD

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

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.

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.

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 249 T HE

3. RHEIMS (Primary)

Description

AIRFIELD AND MARSHALLING YARD

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

2nd Bomb Division was made up of 389th Bomb Group, 445th Bomb Group, 453rd Bomb Group, 458th Bomb Group, 466th Bomb Group, 467th Bomb Group.

Units

  • 2nd Bomb Division

    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 333.1 T HE

4. Vélizy, Villacoublay Air Base, France

Description

AIR DEPOT

Aircraft type

B-17 Flying Fortress

Notes

457th BG MISSION NO. 47 - VILLACOUBLAY, FRANCE

20 MAY, 1944

The Eighth Air Force's focus of attention for this mission centered upon French airfields. The targets for the 457th were the aircraft works and airfield at Villacoublay, situated five miles southwest of Paris. The main function of the unit was the repair and maintenance of aircraft, primarily for FW-190s. Major Theodore C. Hoffman led the Group with Lt. Malcolm E. Johnson as pilot.

Twelve aircraft were dispatched. Bombing results were good, with the airfield, hangars and other buildings all being successfully hit by the bombs. No enemy fighter opposition was encountered.

Flak was moderate but accurate, causing battle damage to eleven aircraft.

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

Tonnage dropped 192 T HE

Service

People

  • Donald Anderson

    Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator; Bombardier | 401st Bomb Group
    DFC/ AM w/ 5 Oak Leaf Cluster/ Unit Citation w/ Oak Leaf Cluster 1 Damaged

  • James Bates

    Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Waist Gunner | 466th Bomb Group

  • Joseph Booth

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 389th Bomb Group

  • William Brooks

    Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 466th Bomb Group
    St. Dizier, France 24 Mar 1944; Brunswick, Germany 8 April 1944; Hamm, Germany 22 April 1944; Leipheim, Germany 24 April 1944; Paderborn, Germany 26 April 1944; Siracourt, France 27 April 1944; Mimoyecque, France 28 April 1944; Liege, France 1 May 1944...

  • Palmer Bryan

    Military | 446th Bomb Group

  • Howard Carey

    Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Flight Engineer | 390th Bomb Group
    Crew Number 7

  • Enrico Carpini

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    My dad, Enrico 'Rick' Carpini was from Linden, NJ and served as a radio gunner on a B-17G with the 305th Bomb Group/365th Bomb Squadron. He flew 30 missions from 1/4/44-5/22/44. The pilot was John F. Schleifer from Buffalo, NY. ...

  • Clarence Clandellyn

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
    See the 'Crew and Mission Info' for Lt. George 'Hunter' D. Smith's 835th Bomb. Squadron crew at the official 486th Bomb. Group web page at this address: https://486th.org/BS835/SmithG.htm Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME (1 x Battle Star).

  • Paul Dickerson

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 447th Bomb Group
    Shot down 20 May 1944 in B-17 #42-37864. Prisoner of War (POW).

  • Nicholas Duncan

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group

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Aircraft

  • 42-102393 Diana Queen Of The Chase

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 27/2/44; Hunter 22/3/44; Grenier 2/4/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-R] Deenethorpe 16/4/44; 111m, Returned to the USA Bradley 8/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 12/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal...

  • 42-31891 The Shape

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 31/12/43; Kearney 12/1/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-P] Deenethorpe 15/2/44; Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 1/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 8/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)...

  • 42-37864 Marty

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Denver 25/10/43; Harvard 29/10/43; Assigned 709BS/447BG [IE-K] Rattlesden 21/11/43. Assigned Aircraft of the Flemming Crew until their tour was completed in early May 1944. Missing in Action on the 20 May 1944 mission to Brussels. Pilot...

  • 41-28695 Ruth-Marie

    B-24 Liberator
    Crash landed returning from mission #074. Aircraft ran out of fuel while on final approach at Hardwick

  • 42-52573

    B-24 Liberator

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
27 May 2015 09:42:58 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 18:43:06 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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