World War Two, the B-17, and Uncle Gerry
By Willard c Phillips 2010
My Uncle, Gerald Lavender, was a First Lieutenant in the U S Air force during World War Two. He was based at Snetterton Heath, England from March, 1944 to March, 1945 when he completed the 35 missions required before transfer back to the State. This small tribute to his service is intended to describe the circumstance he endured as a B-17 navigator assigned the 69th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. There is no way that I, an observer after the fact, could ever understand, much less articulate the feelings he must have experienced. One out of four airmen of the 8th was killed flying the missions related. One out of two bombers was shot down. Each morning when these men assembled and prepared to fly, they knew that they were about to enter a hell just as dangerous as any to be found in World War Two combat, and yet they did it, time and time again. Every man should have received a Silver Star for gallantry. My Uncle was given an Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters, The European Campaign Medal, and The World War Two Victory Medal.
The year was 1942. America has joined Britain's strategic air campaign designed to destroy Nazi Germany's industrial capacity. Launching Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" and Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" from bases in England's eastern countryside, the Americans bombed their targets during the day while the British attacked at night. This went on for three and one half years, and the results were devastating to Germany’s war machine.
Up to 1,000 of these heavy bombers would take part in a raid - the planes flying in a three dimensional formation in which boxes of aircraft were stacked one above the other to take full advantage of their combined defensive firepower. However, the early confidence that the bombers' defenses alone could repel enemy fighter attacks was quickly shattered. Losses became staggering. It was not until long-range fighter aircraft capable of escorting the bombers to and from targets became available that losses dropped to an acceptable level.
On days that a mission was planned, the airmen would be awakened in the early morning hours and fed a hearty breakfast followed by a briefing describing the mission. They would then be taken to their planes and await the signal to take off. Once aloft, brightly colored "lead-ships" would direct the bombers to pre-determined points where they would organize themselves into their attack formations.
Missions that penetrated deep into enemy territory could last up to eight hours and be filled with anxious anticipation as all eyes searched the skies for enemy defenders. They could expect attacks by fighters armed with machineguns, canon and rockets as well as heavy antiaircraft fire from the ground and even bombs dropped from above. The bombers were expected to maintain their positions at all costs - in order to provide the most effective defensive fire and to assure the most devastating results once their bombs were dropped.
The planes were unheated and open to the outside air. The crew wore electrically heated suits and heavy gloves that provided some protection against temperatures that could dip to 60 degrees below zero. Once above 10,000 feet they donned oxygen masks as the planes continued to climb to their operational level that could be as high as 29,000 feet. Nearing the target, each crew member would don a 30-pound flak suit and a steel helmet designed to protect against antiaircraft fire (some chose to sit on the helmet, hoping to protect body parts most valuable). Parachutes were too bulky to be worn all the time, but crewmen did wear a harness that allowed them to quickly clip on their parachute when needed.
Prior to 1944, a crewman's tour of duty was set at 25 missions. As a measure of the hazards they would encounter, it is estimated that the average crewman had only a one in four chance of actually completing his tour of duty.
B-17G
This version fairly bristled with defensive firepower (thus the nickname ‘Flying Fortress): 13 Browning .50 caliber machine guns. Chin, dorsal, ventral, and tail turrets each mounted a pair of guns (8). Left- and right- side guns in the cheeks and waist added 4 more. And a single, rear-firing gun on the top of the fuselage made 13. No wonder Luftwaffe pilots suffered from "vier motor schreck" ("four-engine fear").
The most distinctive change made to the ‘G’ was the "chin" turret, sticking out below the nose. It looked like an after-thought, and it was. But the two machine guns there addressed the B-17's earlier vulnerability.
With 8,680 produced between July 1943 and April 1945, the "G" was the most numerous B-17 variant: 4,035 B-17Gs by Boeing, 2,395 by Douglas, and 2,250 by Lockheed/Vega. The vast majority of surviving B-17s are "G"s.
Design changes to P-47 Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightening fighters allowed these aircraft to fly to Germany and back by 1944. By then, Allied armies were about to invade France (June) and the Allied strategic bomber force was redirected to attack tactical targets all over the Pas de Calais and Normandy. Harris and his Eighth Army counterpart, Major General Karl “Tooey” Spaatz, protested but Eisenhower overruled them. The Germans used this time to build up their defenses in Germany. Giant concrete towers topped with antiaircraft guns and shelters below, called flak towers, went up all over Germany.
When the bombers returned to regular duty in September 1944, Spaatz had changed his tactical doctrine. Instead of pressing the precision bombing campaign, he set the goal of destroying the power of the Luftwaffe. With three air forces under his effective command, the Eighth, Ninth, and Fifteenth, Spaatz would order his bombers and fighters to seek out and destroy Axis fighters all over continental Europe. While Minister of Armaments Albert Speer successfully increased war production of fighters to unimagined levels, the core pilots who were the backbone of the Luftwaffe were dying out and could not be replaced. There was no safe area for pilots to train, and German aircrew were going into combat with 50 hours of training, compared to 600 for the Americans.
Meanwhile, Germany was crumbling under the weight of round-the-clock bombing. By the end of 1944 it was clear that strategic bombing was not going to win the war, but it was a decisive weapon that was inflicting great damage and preventing the Germans from moving forces that were badly needed elsewhere.
During the final six months of 1944, Eighth Air Force devoted most of its resources to crippling German resistance to the Allied advance across Western Europe. Public outcry, however, forced the diversion of some heavy bombers on missions to end the lethal barrage of German V-I "buzz bombs" and V-2 rockets raining on Great Britain and Allied-occupied Europe. During this period, the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces also participated in a shuttle bombing experiment involving the use of bases in the Soviet Union.
The idea of shuttle bombing: aircraft taking off from a base in one country, bombing a target, and flying on to a base in a second country-appealed to U.S. airmen as early as 1942. They theorized that if the United States acquired bases in the Soviet Union, then the AAF could attack Germany from different directions, have a choice of exit routes, and force the Germans to disperse their fighter defenses. After months of negotiations between Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and the U. S .ambassador, Averill Harriman, Stalin authorized the led groups of B-17s and P-51s use of bases at Mirgorod, Piryatin, and in a shuttle mission between Poltava, located east of the Dnieper Italy and the Soviet base River and southeast of Kiev at Poltava.
On June 2, 1944, Eaker, commander of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, led four groups of B-17s and a reinforced group of P-51s from bases in Italy on a bombing mission to Debrecen, Hungary. After successfully bombing the marshaling yards there, the Americans flew on and landed at Poltava. On June 6, flying from Poltava, the heavies struck an airfield at Galatz, Romania. Five days later, the Americans returned to Italy.
The Eighth Air Force flew its first shuttle mission out of England on June 21, 1944. A force of 114 B-17s, escorted by 70 P-51s, bombed a synthetic oil plant south of Berlin and proceeded to the Soviet bases. Undetected by the Americans, a German aircraft followed them to Poltava, and the pilot reported the location to his superiors. Later that night, the Luftwaffe bombed and strafed the Poltava airfield. The Eighth Air Force lost 43 B-17s and 15 P-5Is. The enemy also set off U.S. ammunition dumps and ignited 450,000 gallons of gasoline. Elated by that success, the Germans returned the next night to bomb the other shuttle sites.
In the aftermath of the Poltava disaster, the Soviets refused to allow AAF night fighters to defend the bomber bases, insisting that air defense was their responsibility. Realizing that the Soviets could not adequately protect the heavy bombers from night raids, the Americans abandoned plans to permanently station three heavy bomber groups on Soviet airfields. To keep the project alive, the AAF next shuttled P-38 and P-51 fighters to the Soviet Union, but after balancing losses and battle damage against the value of the targets, U.S. military leaders at the Soviet bases discontinued the fighter-bomber operations. Although the heavy bombers flew a few more shuttle missions, logistical problems and growing Soviet intransigence forced the cancellation of shuttle bombing in late 1944.
On 11 September, the Eighth Air Force dispatched 75 B-17s and 64 P-51s to the USSR. En route they bombed an armament plant at Chemnitz, Germany. This force departed for Italy on 13 September and hit the Diosgyor steel works at Miskolcz, Hungary, en route. The aircraft return to England on 17 September. This was the last FRANTIC mission and this was the one that Uncle Gerry flew in.
Operation Crossbow
In the predawn hours of June 13, 1944, a jet-propelled German missile, designated the V-I, left a launching pad in the Pas de Calais area of France and sputtered across the English Channel, landing near the center of London. Within twenty-four hours, the Germans launched almost 300 of these flying buzz bombs against the United Kingdom. The Allies reacted (under the operational name of Crossbow) by attacking the launching sites with fighter-bombers. Later, in addition to using fighter patrols, radar-controlled antiaircraft guns, and barrage balloons, the British requested the use of heavy bombers to destroy the launch sites. Spaatz objected to the diversion of his heavy bombers away from the strategic mission, but in response to British losses Eisenhower ordered Spaatz to attack the launch sites.
In September 1944, the problem worsened because the Germans began launching the V-2, a rocket-powered ballistic missile that flew at almost 4,000 miles per hour and descended without a warning noise. The Allies responded by bombing not only the launching sites but also the support installations. Regrettably, these bombing attacks were largely ineffective and the German "vengeance" weapons were not neutralized until the Allied ground armies overran the launch sites. The raids cost the lives of more than 700 Allied airmen and destroyed at least 154 aircraft.
Statistics published by the Army Air Forces tell a dramatic story about the air war against Germany. During the course of the war, 1,693,565 sorties were flown by 32,263 combat aircraft.
Incredibly Fifty-five percent of these 32,263 aircraft were lost in action while 29,916 enemy aircraft were destroyed. On the human side, there were 94,565 American air combat casualties with 30,099 killed in action. 51,106 American airmen were either missing in action, POWs, evaders, or internees.
The B-17 was one of the major offensive weapons of WWII with the G model playing the major role in Allied bombardment.
The B-17 in the Movies
Twelve O'Clock High - Colonel Savage (Gregory Peck) whips the 918th Bomb Group and crew of the Leper Colony into shape. My favorite scene? Dean Jagger in the post-war epilog, looking out over the now-empty, wind-blown airfield. A great movie about humanity, war, and leadership.
Memphis Belle - the 1990 movie starring Matthew Modine told a version of the famous airplane (a B-17) and its last mission. You really had to sympathize with that guy in ball turret in the belly of the plane.
Missions flown by the 96th Bomber Group, 8th Air Force (certified correct by Clarence W. Godeke, Capt Air Corps Operational Officer
8/13/1944 Ground support
8/14/1944 Ludwigshaven
8/24/1944
8/25/1944 Politz
8/27/1944
9/4/44
Over 650 Heavy bombers attack Stuttgart aero engine plant, Ludwigshafen synthetic oil plant, Karlsruhe M/Y, and various Targets of opportunity. 9 ftr groups fly spt and several groups strafe A/Fs. Fighters claim 19 aerial combat victories. Nearly 150 B-17's supported by a P-51 group bomb 5 gun emplacements in Brest area. 5 ftr groups in sweeps over Frankfurt/Main, Stuttgart and Rotterdam areas strafe A/Fs and rail, road, and river traffic and claim 9 air victories and 62 aircraft destroyed on ground. In Germany 2 FIGHTER-BOMBER groups bomb 3 A/Fs and strafe 2, claiming destruction of 66 parked aircraft. Nearly 90 B-24's fly supplies to France.
9/8/44
About 950 Heavy bombers escorted by 7 P-51 groups attack an oil refinery, M/Y, tank and armored vehicle factory, and ordnance plant in the Rhineland, plus 11 Targets of opportunity. 22 Heavy bombers are lost. 2 P-51 groups strafe targets in Heidelberg-Darmstadt-Wurzburg and Frankfurt/Main-Koblenz areas, while 5 FIGHTER-BOMBER groups strafe and bomb rail transportation E of the Rhine. Over 100 B-24's fly 'trucking mission,' carrying supplies to battle area.
9/9/44
350-plus B-17's bomb M/Ys at Mannheim and Mainz, armament plant at Dusseldorf and 10 Targets of opportunity. 8 B-17's are lost, mostly to AA fire. 8 P-51 groups and a sq give escort, 1 group later strafing rail traffic S of Wurzburg. 1 P-47 group sweeps Lingen-Munster-Haltern area to spot flak positions and troop concentrations, and strafe an A/F. 5 FIGHTER-BOMBER groups bomb and strafe shipping between German mainland and Schouwen, Overflakee, and Walcheren Is, installations on the islands, and rail and road traffic NW and NE of Frankfurt/Main. 9 FIGHTER-BOMBERs are lost. Fighters claim 13 aircraft destroyed. Training functions are removed from VIII AF Comp Cmd control and distributed within the combat groups in anticipation that combat groups will have to train their own replacements upon deployment from ETO to other theaters.
9/10/44
Over 1,000 Heavy bombers attack aircraft, tank, motor transport and engine plants, A/Fs, and jet-propulsion units plant in SC Germany, along with Ulm and Heilbronn M/Ys and several other secondary and Targets of opportunity. 12 groups of escorting fighters claim 6 aircraft destroyed in air and 73 on ground. 12 Heavy bombers and 12 fighters are lost. 3 P-47 groups strafe A/Fs and ground and rail traffic in sweep over Cologne, Frankfurt/Main, and Kassel areas, claiming destruction of 40 parked planes. 8 P-47's are lost, mostly to flak.
9/11/44
The Eighth begins another FRANTIC shuttle-bombing mission, as 75 B-17's with 64 P-51's attack armament plant at Chemnitz, and land at USSR bases. 1 P-51 is lost. FRANTIC mission lasts until 17 Sep and takes the planes from UK to USSR to Italy to UK. Over 850 other Heavy bombers, escorted by 14 ftr groups, bomb 6 synthetic oil plants, an ordnance depot, an engine works, a M/Y, a tire plant, and numerous other scattered Targets of opportunity, along with several German cities. An estimated 525 fighters attack the formations or are engaged by Eighth AF planes. 52 Heavy bombers and 32 fighters are lost. Heavy bombers claim destruction of 17 fighters while the US fighters claim 116 in the air and 42 on the ground.
9/12/44
Over 800 Heavy bombers escorted by 15 fighter groups attack 4 synthetic oil plants, 2 oil refineries, an oil depot, an aero engine works, and numerous Targets of opportunity including several C and NW German cities. 400 to 450 aircraft are encountered by the Heavy bombers and fighters. Heavy bombers lose 45 of their number and claim destruction of 27 fighters. 13 P-51's are lost. US fighters claim 63 air victories plus 26 on the ground.
9/13/44
70-plus B-17's, escorted by a P-51 group, continuing UK-USSR-Italy-UK shuttle-bombing mission, take off from USSR bases, bomb steel and armament works at Diosgyor and proceed to Fifteenth AF bases in Italy. 750-plus Heavy bombers from UK bomb 3 synthetic oil plants, 2 aero engine factories, 3 RAIL YARDSs, n AIR FIELD, motor works, ordnance depot, fuel depot, and several cities and isolated Targets of opportunity in C and SW Germany. 11 fighter groups escorting later strafe AIR FIELDs and miscellaneous ground targets. 28 Heavy bombers and 9 P-51's are lost. P-51's claim 33 aircraft destroyed in the air and 2n on the ground. A P-51 group sweeping S of Munich strafes aircraft dispersal area, AIR FIELD and a RAIL YARDS.
9/17/44
UK-USSR-Italy-UK shuttle mission is completed as 72 B-17's and 59 P-51's fly without bombs from Italy to UK. 2 B-17's and a P-51 abort and a P-51 crash-lands SW of Paris. 70 B-17's and 57 P-51's land safely in UK. Over 800 B-17's escorted by 3 fighter groups bomb 117 flak batteries and installations and an AIR FIELD, all in the Netherlands. 16 fighter groups escort airplanes of First Allied Airborne Army making parachute and glider drop of 20,000 troops into the Netherlands to secure axis of adv toward Zuider Zee for British Second Army, as part of MARKET-GARDEN, 17-30 Sep. Troops dropped are I Airborne Corps, consisting of British 1st Airborne Div (with Polish Para Brigade) and US 82d and 101st Airborne Divs. The fighter groups also bomb and strafe flak positions and other ground targets, encountering intense flak and about 30 fighters. 16 US fighters are lost. Claims include 8 airplanes and 107 flak positions destroyed.
9/19/44
Nearly 800 B-17's are dispatched against targets in NW Germany. Weather prevents about half from bombing primary targets but most manage to bomb secondaries or Targets of opportunity. Over 650 B-17's bomb 10 RAIL YARDSs and several bridges, railroads, factories, barges, storage areas, city areas and numerous scattered Targets of opportunity in NW Germany. 6 fighter groups furnish support. 4 P-51 groups supporting First Allied Airborne Army in the Netherlands engage well over 100 fighters, downing 23. 9 P-51's are lost. As UK-USSR-Italy-UK shuttle mission continues, over 90 B-17's and their fighter group take off from USSR, bomb RAIL YARDS at Szolnok, and fly to Fifteenth AF bases in Italy.
9/21/44
Nearly 450 Heavy bombers escorted by 3 P-51 groups attack synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen/Opau, RAIL YARDSs at Koblenz and Mainz, and Targets of opportunity in Rhineland. 3 fighter groups support First Allied Airborne Army airplanes dropping supplies and paratroops of Polish 1st Brig near Driel. Bad weather forces recall of 1 group near Dutch coast. Other groups encounter about 50 fighters, claiming 20 destroyed against 4 aerial combat losses. Over 80 B-24's carry gasoline to France.
9/22/44
Over 600 Heavy bombers from UK escorted by 6 P-51 groups bomb 3 armd vehicle and motor transport factories at Kassel along with 6 Targets of opportunity at Wetzlar. Over 100 B-24's fly gasoline to France. Last Eighth AF UKUSSR-Italy-UK shuttle mission ends as 84 B-17's escorted by 51 P-51's return directly to UK bases from Italy. Remaining aircraft return on 8 Oct.
9/25/44
About 100 Heavy bombers escorted by 14 fighter groups attack 3 RAIL YARDSs and a synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen and Koblenz, industrial area of Frankfurt/Main and several Targets of opportunity.
9/26/44
400 B-17's bomb 2 RAIL YARDSs, 2 aircraft plants, a steel works, and 2 AIR FIELDs at Osnabruck, Hamm, Bremen, Rheine, and Hesepe, plus 3 Targets of opportunity in NW Germany. 9 P-51 groups fly escort. 8 fighter groups, including 2 attached from Ninth AF, support First Allied Airborne Army, claiming 32 fighters destroyed in combat. Over 160 B-24's fly fuel to France.
9/27/44
Nearly 1,100 Heavy bombers bomb 2 RAIL YARDSs, 2 synthetic oil plants, 2 motor works, and a tank and armored vehicle plant, at Cologne, Ludwigshafen, Mainz, and Kassel, and Targets of opportunity in W Germany. 15 escorting fighter groups claim 31 aircraft destroyed. Over 160 B-24's carry gasoline to France.
9/28/44
Nearly 1,000 Heavy bombers attack 2 synthetic oil plants, a motor plant, and city area--all in or near Magdeburg, Kassel, and Merseburg plus Targets of opportunity in C Germany including Eschwege AIR FIELD. 15 supporting fighter groups claim 26 aircraft destroyed. Over 30 Heavy bombers fail to return. Nearly 200 B-24's carry fuel to France.
9/30/44
More than 750 Heavy bombers attack 3 RAIL YARDSs and an AIR FIELD at Bielefeld, Hamm, Handorf, and Munster, Munster city area and several other targets in the area is bombed by over 200 Heavy bombers. 13 fighter groups escort and 2 more fly support sweeps. Over 100 B-24's haul gasoline to battle areas on the Continent.
10/2/44
Over 1,100 Heavy bombers, escorted by 17 groups of fighters, attack 4 assigned targets at Bettenhausen ordnance depot, Henschel plant and other Kassel areas, Cologne motor works, Hamm RAIL YARDS, and several Targets of opportunity in these areas. 15 Heavy bombers and 11 fighters fail to return.
10/3/44
Almost 1,000 Heavy bombers attack 3 AIR FIELDs W of Nurnberg, city of Nurnberg, synthetic oil works at Wesseling, and a motor works and AIR FIELD in Karlsruhe area (all assigned targets), and hit several other targets in Nurnberg-Cologne-Karlsruhe areas. 16 fighter groups give escort.
10/5/44
GO 507 implements decision of 15 Sep to assign staff officers of HQ VIII FC to HQ Eighth AF to represent units in administrative functions, thus eliminating administrative and operational control from HQ VIII FC and placing it under Eighth AF HQ. This is necessitated by the transfer of fighter groups to bomb divs. Over 900 Heavy bombers, escorted by 15 fighter groups, strike 4 primary targets (a RAIL YARDS and 4 AIR FIELDs) in NW Germany and several secondary targets and Targets of opportunity (RAIL YARDS, AIR FIELD, city areas) in the same area, especially around Dusseldorf and Cologne.
10/6/44
Nearly 1,200 Heavy bombers attack 11 primaries, including oil plants, aircraft factories, ordnance facilities, and AF trg school, in N Germany, and 19 Targets of opportunity including AIR FIELDs at Stralsund and Stade. 16 fighter groups in escort claim 19 air victories.
10/7/44
Over 1,300 Heavy bombers, in 4 forces, bomb 5 synthetic oil plants, an armament, a tank, and an aero engine works in C and NE Germany, plus 16 identified and 19 other unidentified targets in the area. 19 escorting fighter groups claim 22 air victories including 4 jets. Air opposition and ground fire is heavy. 52 Heavy bombers and 15 fighters are lost.
10/9/44
Over 1,000 Heavy bombers strike 2 RAIL YARDSs and an engine plant at Mainz, and hit Koblenz, Gustavsburg, Schweinfurt, and 2 Targets of opportunity in W Germany. 19 fighter groups, including 2 from Ninth AF, provide support.
10/11/44
130 B-17's bomb Wesseling synthetic oil plant and Koblenz RAIL YARDS. 3 P-47 groups give support.
10/12/44
Over 500 Heavy bombers attack RAIL YARDS at Osnabruck, aircraft industries at Bremen, and Targets of opportunity including Diepholz AIR FIELD. 11 fighter groups escort Heavy bombers, claiming 18 fighters downed.
10/14/44
About 1,100 Heavy bombers bomb 7 RAIL YARDSs at Saarbrucken, Kaiserslautern, and Cologne, city of Euskirchen, and Targets of opportunity in the Cologne area. 15 fighter groups give escort.
10/15/44
More than 1,000 Heavy bombers attack 9 RAIL YARDSs and gas unit plant in and around general area of Cologne, along with several other targets including oil facilities at Reisholz and Monheim. 3 fighter groups give general area support while 12 groups provide close escort. 2 P-47 groups attack comm in Hannover and Munster-Kassel areas.
10/17/44
More than 1,200 Heavy bombers attack 5 RAIL YARDSs and 2 Targets of opportunity at Cologne. 15 fighter groups give support.
0/18/44
Over 450 Heavy bombers hit aircraft plants at Kassel, motor plant and RAIL YARDS at Cologne, and chemical works at Leverkusen, along with nearby Targets of opportunity. 12 fighter groups provide escort and 2 groups later strafe rail traffic between Cologne and Kassel.
10/19/44
More than 900 Heavy bombers attack Gustavsburg diesel engine and armored vehicle plant, Mainz RAIL YARDS, arty tractor plant at Mannheim, and several nearby towns and Targets of opportunity. 15 fighter groups fly escort.
10/22/44
492d Bomb Group (CARPETBAGGER group under control of VIII FC) is transferred to 1st Bomb Div to operate as night bombing group, one sq remaining on CARPETBAGGER duty. This reduction of supply- dropping forces results from recapture of major portions of France. The remaining sq will supply underground forces in Scandinavia, the Low Countries, and Germany until V-E Day. More than 1,000 Heavy bombers attack 2 military vehicle plants at Brunswick and Hannover, 2 RAIL YARDSs at Hamm and Munster, and 11 Targets of opportunity. 15 fighter groups fly support.
10/24/44
By this date, all Pathfinder aircraft of 482d Bomb Group (engaged in H2X and other radar trg at RAF Alconbury) have been dispersed to HB groups within the bomb divs, which set up their own H2X trg. Over 400 FIGHTER-BOMBERs are dispatched to attack aircraft and ground targets in Hannover-Kassel area. 73 bomb flak positions at Elburg, factory near Nienburg, and miscellaneous ground targets. Bad weather causes other FIGHTER-BOMBERs to jettison bombs in Channel and Zuider Zee. The FIGHTER-BOMBERs strafe transportation and other ground targets with good results.
10/25/44
Nearly 1,200 Heavy bombers in 5 forces attack 3 oil refineries, Neumunster AIR FIELD and aircraft repair works, synthetic oil targets at Gelsenkirchen and Scholven/Buer, and several other targets including RAIL YARDSs at Munster and Hamm. 11 fighter groups provide support.
10/26/44
Over 1,100 Heavy bombers attack synthetic oil plant at Bottrop, ordnance and storage depot at Bielefeld, aircraft repair works and RAIL YARDS at Munster, military vehicle plant near Hannover, aqueduct and Mittelland Canal at Minden, and other targets including city of Hannover. 14 fighter groups provide escort.
10/28/44
350-plus B-17's escorted by 4 fighter groups bomb RAIL YARDSs at Hamm and Munster.
10/30/44
Over 600 Heavy bombers supported by 15 fighter groups attack oil refineries near Hamburg and 11 other targets including RAIL YARDSs at Hamm and Munster. Clouds cause abort of around 600 other Heavy bombers.
11/2/44
Eighth AF is ordered to increase size of 406th Bomb Sq (Night Leaflet), as liberation of Europe and conquest of Germany accelerate. About 1,100 Heavy bombers in 5 separate forces attack synthetic oil plant at Merseburg/Leuna, Castrop-Rauxel, Sterkrade, and Bielefeld/ Schildesche railroad and RAIL YARDS, along with several Targets of opportunity. Opposition is heavy with an estimated 500 fighters attacking, mainly against the Merse- burg/Leuna force claiming 40 Heavy bombers. The 17 escorting fighter groups lose 28 planes. Total of over 160 fighters are claimed destroyed.
11/4/44
More than 1,000 Heavy bombers operating in 6 forces attack synthetic oil plants, oil refineries, and benzol plant at Bottrop, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Hamburg/Harburg, Misburg, and Neunkirchen, and several Targets of opportunity. 17 fighter groups, including a Ninth AF group, provide support.
11/5/44
More than 1,200 Heavy bombers attack RAIL YARDSs at Frankfurt/Main, Ludwigshafen, Karlsruhe, Hanau, and Kaiserslautern, and synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen, rail facilities at Landau, and 8 Targets of opportunity. 15 fighter groups give support. 37 Heavy bombers and fighters are lost.
11/6/44
Over 1,000 Heavy bombers in 6 forces attack 6 oil and chemical installations, a canal aqueduct and aircraft repair plant, along with 3 RAIL YARDSs, an AIR FIELD, and several Targets of opportunity in N and NW Germany. 16 fighter groups afford close escort and later strafe ground targets in NW Germany and the Netherlands.
11/8/44
Transfer of trg functions from VIII AF Comp Cmd to combat groups is completed. VIII AF Comp Cmd ceases to function as personnel are attached to Air Disarmament Cmd (Prov) by USSTAF. AIR FIELD at Denain/Prouvy is assigned to Eighth AF. This is first step in establishing an VIII AFSC Serv Center on the European continent so that Eighth AF can service and administer its own aircraft and personnel in the area. Over 250 Heavy bombers attack synthetic oil plants at Merseburg/Leuna and RAIL YARDS at Rheine, along with 5 Targets of opportunity. Bad weather causes recall of over 350 other Heavy bombers. 18 fighter groups provide escort and later strafe ground targets with good results. 23 fighters are lost.
11/9/44
Over 1,100 Heavy bombers (in conjunction with Ninth AF aircraft) hit TAC targets in Metz and Thionville area as US Third Army forces launch full-scale attack on Metz. Other targets include Saarbrucken RAIL YARDSs, bombed by over 300 of the Heavy bombers. 11 fighter groups give escort and 6 groups of FIGHTER-BOMBERs bomb and strafe targets between Frankfurt/ Main and Mannheim. Over 40 Heavy bombers and fighters are lost.
11/10/44
More than 600 Heavy bombers attack AIR FIELDs, RAIL YARDS and chemical plant at or near Hanau, Wiesbaden, and Cologne; and 4 Targets of opportunity. 14 fighter groups give escort to Heavy bombers and 2 FIGHTER-BOMBER groups bomb and strafe transportation-comm targets in NC Germany.
11/11/44
400-plus Heavy bombers attack Oberlahnstein, Koblenz, and Rheine RAIL YARDSs, Scholven/Buer oil plant, and Bottrop synthetic oil plant, along with other targets. 11 fighter groups provide escort.
11/16/44
About 1,200 Heavy bombers, along with Ninth AF and RAF airplanes, attack tac targets E of Aachen in support of US First and Ninth Armies' offensive. 9 fighter groups fly escort and 2 groups later strafe transportation targets in Giessen, Marburg, and Berleburg areas.
11/20/44
Almost 200 B-17's sent against Eudenbach AIR FIELD must abort because of bad weather. Over 150 others bomb Scholven/Buer synthetic oil plant and Munster RAIL YARDS, with 7 fighter groups in support. 6 other groups strafe W German ground targets.
11/21/44
Over 1,100 Heavy bombers attack synthetic oil plant at Merseburg/ Leuna, 2 oil refineries at Hamburg, and several other targets including 4 towns, 4 RAIL YARDSs, an AIR FIELD, flak position, and about 30 Targets of opportunity. 16 fighter groups escort, later strafe ground targets, and combat large number of fighters over Merseburg area. US fighters claim over 70 destroyed. 34 US fighters and Heavy bombers are lost.
11/23/44
Over 140 B-17's escorted by 2 fighter groups bomb benzol manufacturing plant near Gelsenkirchen and RAIL YARDS at Duisburg.
11/25/44
More than 900 Heavy bombers attack Merseburg/Leuna synthetic oil plant, Bingen RAIL YARDS and several Targets of opportunity.All bombing utilizes Pathfinder technique due to very heavy clouds. Escorting fighters fly over 800 sorties. Over 65 Heavy bombers fail to return from mission but many land safely in Allied-occupied territory. 36th Bomb Sq starts daily operations as a screening force for bomb divisions. It is assigned task of protecting the Eighth's primary VHF and fighter-to-bmr comm from interception during assembly. Increase of flak batteries around German military and industrial installations soon compels the 36th to increase radar countermeasures on each mission. The sq remains on this assignment until end of war in Europe.
11/26/44
1,000-plus B-17's and B-24's bomb rail viaducts at Altenbeken and Bielefeld, Misburg oil refinery, RAIL YARDSs at Hamm, Osnabruck, Hannover, Gutersloh, Bielefeld, and Herford, and 7 Targets of opportunity. 15 fighter groups fly escort. About 550 fighters are encountered. HB losses total over 35 (25 to fighters). US fighters claim over 100 air victories.
11/27/44
More than 450 Heavy bombers attack Bingen and Offenburg RAIL YARDSs and 5 Targets of opportunity, 5 fighter groups fly escort. 10 groups of fighters (2 of FIGHTER-BOMBERs) sent against oil targets in NC Germany fail to locate primaries. Several FIGHTER-BOMBERs bomb and strafe rail targets and AIR FIELD in Stendal area. 8 groups are jumped by about 750 fighters (largest sighting to date) in Magdeburg-Munster-Hannover areas when the Germans mistake them for HB formations. US fighters claim 98 destroyed against 11 losses. After combat 4 fighter groups resume strafing of ground targets.
11/29/44
Over 1,000 Heavy bombers hit viaducts at Altenbeken and Bielefeld, Misburg oil refinery, Hamm RAIL YARDS, and several Targets of opportunity. 16 fighter groups escort Heavy bombers and 5 groups later strafe transportation targets.
11/30/44
Around 1,200 Heavy bombers strike 4 synthetic oil plants at Bohlen, Zeitz, Merseburg/Leuna, and Lutzkendorf, and RAIL YARDSs at Neunkirchen and Homburg/Saar. 16 Eighth AF and 3 Ninth AF fighter groups providing escort encounter sporadic fighter opposition. Intense accurate flak downs at least 29 Heavy bombers of a total loss of around 40.
12/2/44
Around 275 Heavy bombers attack RAIL YARDSs at Bingen, Oberlahnstein, and Koblenz-Lutzel, along with a railroad and 4 Targets of opportunity. Over 150 Heavy bombers abort because of heavy clouds. 8 fighter groups fly support, encounter over 100 fighters and claim 17 destroyed. Fighters down 8 B-24's at Bingen. 3 fighter groups fly sweeps over Cologne-Kassel-Mannheim-Frankfurt/Main area, meet about 50 fighters and claim 15 destroyed.
12/4/44
Over 1,100 Heavy bombers bomb RAIL YARDSs at Kassel, Soest, Bebra, Giessen, and Mainz and as secondary targets Friedberg and Koblenz RAIL YARDSs, along with city of Fulda, and several unidentified Targets of opportunity. 15 fighter groups fly support. Most of the 70 fighters and Heavy bombers failing to return to UK land safely on the Continent.
12/5/44
More than 500 Heavy bombers attack munitions and tank works at Berlin, Munster RAIL YARDS, and 10 Targets of opportunity. 15 escorting fighter groups encounter an estimated 275-300 fighters and claim 90 destroyed.
12/6/44
Over 650 Heavy bombers, supported by fighters flying over 750 sorties, bomb synthetic oil plant at Merseburg/Leuna, Minden aqueduct, Bielefeld RAIL YARDS, and several other targets.
12/9/44
Nearly 400 B-17's bomb 2 AIR FIELDs and a RAIL YARDS in Stuttgart area, along with 5 Targets of opportunity. 7 fighter groups fly escort and strafe transportation targets.
12/10/44
Over 450 Heavy bombers strike RAIL YARDSs at Bingen and Koblenz-Lutzel and several Targets of opportunity supported by 10 fighter groups. 2 other groups sweep E of tgt area.
12/11/44
Over 1,400 Heavy bombers attack RAIL YARDSs at Frankfurt/Main, Hanau, and Giessen, and road and rail bridges at Mannheim and Maximiliansau, along with several Targets of opportunity. 15 fighter groups fly escort and 1 group later strafes targets in Kassel-Minden area.
12/12/44
Nearly 1,200 Heavy bombers hit RAIL YARDSs at Darmstadt, Hanau, and Aschaffenburg, and synthetic oil plant at Merseburg/Leuna (all primary targets); and other targets including Friedberg RAIL YARDS, Gelnhausen, Nordhausen, Dieburg, and several Targets of opportunity. 15 fighter groups fly escort, 4 of them later strafing ground targets.
12/13/44
Over 200 B-17's dispatched against targets in Germany are recalled when weather grounds fighter escort.
12/15/44
Around 650 Heavy bombers strike Hannover RAIL YARDS, Kassel tank factories and RAIL YARDS, and 9 Targets of opportunity. 11 fighter groups fly escort.
12/16/44
Over 100 B-17's supported by 3 fighter groups bomb Stuttgart RAIL YARDS, city of Bietigheim, and a T/O.
12/18/44
Over 350 Heavy bombers hit RAIL YARDSs at Cologne-Kalk, Kaiserslautern, and Mainz, areas of Koblenz, Lutzel, and Bonn, and several Targets of opportunity. Bad weather causes over 500 aborts. 7 fighter groups fly escort.
12/19/44
Over 300 Heavy bombers attack Ehrang and Koblenz RAIL YARDSs and 8 W German rail and road junctions, rail and road chokepoints, and railhead targets. Only 1 fighter group flies escort as weather grounds others.
12/23/44
Almost 400 Heavy bombers attack RAIL YARDSs at Ehrang, Kaiserslautern, and Homburg/Saar, comm centers at Junkerath, Ahrweiler, and Dahlem, rail junction at Homburg/Saar, and several Targets of opportunity. 7 P-51 groups fly escort and encounter an estimated 75-100 fighters, claiming 23 shot down. 3 fighter groups on sweeps encounter about 350 fighters and claim 46 destroyed.
12/24/44
Almost 1,900 (of over 2,000 dispatched) Heavy bombers attack 11 AIR FIELDs, 14 comm centers, and numerous other targets including 2 RAIL YARDSs, 5 cities, and over 50 Targets of opportunity--all in battle areas. 13 fighter groups meet over 200 enemy fighters and claim 70 destroyed.
12/25/44
Over 350 Heavy bombers hit 18 targets (mostly rail bridges and comm centers) in the tac area W of the Rhine. 9 escorting fighter groups encounter over 300 fighters and claim more than 40 kills.
12/26/44
Over 100 Heavy bombers attack 3 RAIL YARDSs and 2 bridges at Andernach, Neuwied, Sinzig, and Niederlahnstein, and 3 other targets in W German battle area. 5 fighter groups fly escort and 2 others fly sweeps in Bonn area.
12/27/44
Nearly 600 Heavy bombers attack targets in battle area of W Germany, including 8 RAIL YARDSs, 4 rail bridges, 2 rail junctions, cities of Hildesheim and Eckfeld, and 13 Targets of opportunity. 4 fighter groups fly support. 5 other groups on sweeps engage about 200 fighters in combat, claiming about 30 kills.
12/28/44
More than 1,100 Heavy bombers attack 9 RAIL YARDSs, 4 bridges, and several cities and Targets of opportunity in W German tac area. 11 groups of P-51's fly support. 4 other fighter groups sweep Bonn-Koblenz area.
12/29/44
750-plus Heavy bombers strike 5 RAIL YARDSs, 4 bridges, 6 comm centers, dock area, 5 city areas, and several Targets of opportunity in W Germany. 10 P-51 groups fly close escort and 2 groups later strafe rail transportation. 3 other groups fly area support.
12/30/44
Over 1,200 Heavy bombers hit 8 RAIL YARDSs, 6 bridges, rail junction and city area, and 13 Targets of opportunity in W Germany. 11 fighter groups fly escort, 2 others fly area sweeps.
12/31/44
1,200-plus Heavy bombers hit 5 oil refineries, an aircraft plant, Uboat yards, 2 AIR FIELDs, Targets of opportunity in N Germany, 6 bridges, 3 comm centers, 3 RAIL YARDSs, a detraining point, a city area, several Targets of opportunity in W Germany and Helgoland I. 14 escorting fighter groups engage about 150 fighters, mostly in Hamburg area, and claim about 60 kills. Heavy bombers lose 14 to the fighters, and claim 26 fighters destroyed.
1/2/45
HQ VIII AFSC (Adv) is established in Brussels, along with a 'Far Shore' staff division. Through this HQ, the CG AFSC can administer his cmd and closely communicate with other cmds operating on the Continent. This arrangement functions until 29 Apr when it is relieved by 5th Strategic Air Depot at Merville. About 950 Heavy bombers attack 5 RAIL YARDSs, 6 bridges, B comm centers, a rail junction, 2 tank concentrations, and several Targets of opportunity in battle area of W Germany. 10 fighter groups escort Heavy bombers while 2 others support MBs of Ninth AF. 3 groups fly sweeps in which 1 group strafes transportation targets near Frankfurt/Main and Giessen.
1/3/45
Almost 1,100 Heavy bombers, escorted by 11 fighter groups, bomb targets in W Germany, including 11 RAIL YARDSs, 3 comm centers, 2 rail junctions, a railhead, 2 city areas, and Targets of opportunity. 2 fighter groups fly area sweeps in support.
1/5/45
Over 850 Heavy bombers, supported by 11 fighter groups, bomb 9 RAIL YARDSs, 8 comm centers, 3 rail targets, 5 city areas, and 15 Targets of opportunity in battle areas and C Germany. 1 fighter group flies uneventful sweep while another bombs and strafes Siegen RAIL YARDS. 1/6/45
1/7/45
Over 1,000 Heavy bombers, escorted by 11 fighter groups, bomb 7 RAIL YARDSs, 6 comm centers, 3 bridges, railroad lines, along with several city areas and Targets of opportunity in Germany. 2 fighter groups sweep Cologne and Osnabruck areas.
1/8/45
Nearly 600 Heavy bombers, given area support by 6 fighter groups, bomb 4 RAIL YARDSs, 12 comm centers, a rail-over-road bridge, and 5 Targets of opportunity in Germany.
1/10/45
Over 912 Heavy bombers attack 10 bridges, 6 RAIL YARDSs, 5 AIR FIELDs, and numerous Targets of opportunity. 3 fighter groups fly close escort and 3 other groups give area support. 1 group of P-51's bombs RAIL YARDSs in Neustadt area. Heavy AA fire accounts for almost 20 Heavy bombers.
1/13/45
900-plus Heavy bombers bomb 7 Rhine bridges, 3 RAIL YARDSs, a rail junction, and Targets of opportunity in battle zone. 7 fighter groups fly close escort while 5 groups fly area support. 1 P-51 group bombs RAIL YARDS.
1/14/45
Over 650 Heavy bombers attack 4 oil targets, 2 steel mills and benzol plant W of Berlin, plus RAIL YARDS, Wangerooge I, and Targets of opportunity. 150-plus other Heavy bombers bomb 3 bridges in Cologne area. 15 escorting fighter groups battle about 250 fighters, claiming about 100 kills. 4 groups on fighter sweeps engage over 150 fighters, claiming over 40 destroyed.
1/15/45
600-plus Heavy bombers, escorted by Mrs from 10 groups, bomb 4 RAIL YARDSs at Ingolstadt, Freiburg, Reutlingen, and Augsburg, and several other targets in SW Germany. 3 fighter groups fly sweeps and strafe ground targets while 3 groups of FIGHTER-BOMBERs bomb RAIL YARDSs, roads and rail targets.
Total flying time in European Theatre of Operations: 318:45 operational 73:35 non-operational
Awards: 9/9/1944 Air Medal (Dusseldorf flight)
Oak Leaf Clusters on 9/22 (Ludwigshaven flight), 10/7 ((Marsburg flight), 11/30 (Marsburg flight), 12/20 (Hanover flight), and 1/15 (Augsberg flight)
Stories related to me by my Uncle:
Uncle Gerry completed his final training in Florida. He and the group of men that formed his crew were given a new B-17 G and the proceeded to fly the plane (alone) up the East Coast to Labrador where they refueled and proceeded across the North Atlantic to Scotland. The trip was thrilling to say the least. The crew loved the plane and looked forward to taking it into combat. In Scotland they were issued tickets and ordered to ride a train to London. What a bummer.
They never named the plane they flew so often into combat. They hated it too much to do something so friendly. It seemed to them that the plane was cursed, receiving damage on nearly every mission.
During a bombing run, Uncle Gerry saw the plane adjacent to his on the starboard wing suddenly explode. Pieces of the debris hit his plane in the tail section, injuring the gunner back there. Uncle Gerry was the designated ‘medical’ officer (he was not trained) and he went aft to assist the wounded man. The bomb-bay doors were open, and he had to sidle sideways along a narrow cat-walk in order to reach the rear compartment. There he found the gunner with a serious head wound. He bandaged it as well as he could and the man survived.
