Mission # 142

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date	21 June 1944
Eighth Air Force Operations	Show Operations > Mission 428: 1,234 bombers and 1,170 fighters are dispatched to hit targets in Germany; 45 bombers and 4 fighters are lost: >> Air Task Force 1. 145 of 163 B-17s begin shuttle bombing missions (Operation FRANTIC) between the UK and bases in the USSR; 72 P-38s, 38 P-47s and 57 P-51s escort the B-17s to the target (synthetic oil plant at Ruhland, Germany); 123 B-17s bomb the primary target, 21 bomb Elsterverda and a lone B-17 bombs Riesa due to a bomb rack malfunction; after the attack, the supporting P-51s are relieved 50 miles (80 km) SE of Poznań, Poland by 65 other P-51s which are to accompany the B-17s to the USSR; 50 miles (80 km) SE of Brest-Litovsk 20 to 30 Luftwaffe fighters attack the force; in the resulting battle 1 P-51 and 6 German fighters are destroyed; 1 B-17 is lost (to unknown causes) on the flight; 144 B-17s land in the USSR, 73 at Poltava, and the rest at Mirgorod; the 64 remaining P-51s land at Pyryatyn; 1 airman is KIA, 5 WIA and 10 MIA. During the night of 21/22 Jun the 73 B-17s which earlier landed at Poltava are attacked for 2 hours by an estimated 75 German bombers led by aircraft dropping flares; 47 B-17s are destroyed and most of the remainder severely damaged; heavy damage is also suffered by stores of fuel and ammunition. This AAF shuttle run is made in conjunction with a large-scale effort against targets in the Berlin area as follows: >> Air Task Force 2. 456 of 496 B-17s attack Berlin; 12 other hit targets of opportunity; they claim 16-20-19 Luftwaffe aircraft; 16 B-17s are lost and 216 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 10 WIA and 148 MIA; escort is provided by 99 P-38s, 95 P-47s and 73 P-51s; they claim 4-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 fighter is lost. >> Air Task Force #3. Of 368 B-24s dispatched, 69 hit Genshagen, 52 hit Marienfelde, 47 hit Berlin, 40, hit Potsdam, 28 hit Niederschöneweide, 23 hit Genshagen, 16 hit Rangsdorf, 10 hit Trebbin, 8 hit Selvig (possibly Seelwig), 8 hit Stendal, 7 hit targets of opportunity in the Berlin area and 1 hits Bederkesa; they claim 13-3-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 19 B-24s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 150 damaged; 21 airmen are KIA, 20 WIA and 182 MIA; escort is provided by 148 P-38s, 147 P-47s and 116 P-51s; they claim 13-0-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 P-38 damaged beyond repair. >> Air Task Force #4. Of 207 B-17s, 103 hit Berlin, 80 hit Basdorf and 5 hit targets of opportunity; 9 B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 108 P-38s, 81 P-47s and 91 P-51s; 1 P-38, 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost (all pilot MIA) and 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair. > Mission 429: >> In the late afternoon, 31 B-24s bomb CROSSBOW (V-weapon) supply sites at Oisemont/Neuville and Saint-Martin-l'Hortier and 39 bomb a rocket site at Siracourt, France. AA fire shoots down 1 B-24. >> Escort is provided by 99 P-47s, meeting no enemy aircraft, but 1 group strafes railroad and canal targets. > Mission 430: 5 of 5 B-17s drop leaflets in France. > 21 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France during the night. Source: Jack McKillop, Rutgers University, used with permission. Hide Operations
384^th Bomb Group Mission	384th BG Mission Number 142, Eighth AF Force Mission Number 428 Berlin Industries Bombed Next Mission Previous Mission The 384th Bombardment Group (H) provided most of the aircraft and crews for the 41st A Combat Bombardment Wing for today's mission; the 379th BG provided a squadron for the high group, and crews for four 384th aircraft of the high group. The 41A Wing was fifth of nine Wings in Air Task Force #2. While the target area weather was generally clear, heavy contrails on the bomb run convinced the wing leader to bomb using PFF aiming. Results were generally good.
Primary Target	Target: Friedrichstrasse Industrial Area Type: Industry Location: Berlin, Germany
Target Attacked (Mode)	Primary (PFF)
Sortie/Aircraft Summary	Completed Mission, not including spares - 44 Flight Completed - 1 Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused - 1 Scrubbed - 1 Aborted - 3 Failed To Return - 1
Mission Personnel	Mission Personnel Roster⇗ or Mission Loading Lists⇗
Mission Documents	Combat Mission Records and Plans obtained from the National Archives⇗
Other Mission Documents	1944-06-21, Low Group Lead, G. Koehne, D. Bennett⇗

51 AIRCRAFT ASSIGNED TO THIS MISSION
Table is sorted by Pilot, and may be sorted by any column: click the column head.
Aircraft	Pilot	Results	Mission/Sortie Information
42‑31222⇗	[Pilot TBD]	Completed Mission	Composite High Group. Pilot: Matter, 379th BG. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑31435⇗	[Pilot TBD]	Completed Mission	Composite High Group. Pilot: Pettrini, 379th BG. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑32106⇗	Kirkpatrick, William Hugh⇗	Completed Mission	Composite High Group. Low Squadron Lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37822⇗	[Pilot TBD]	Completed Mission	Composite High Group. Pilot: Enge, 379th BG. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37974⇗	[Pilot TBD]	Completed Mission	Composite High Group. Pilot: Matoshko, 379th BG. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37982⇗	Murchan, Lawrence Aloysius⇗	Completed Mission	Composite High Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑38014⇗	Peterson, Walter Thomas⇗	Flight Completed	Weather Aircraft. remainder of crew (CP, N, RO, Eng) not identified SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑39888⇗	Wilson, Quentin (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97150⇗	Bahten, John Irwin⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97178⇗	Dean, Ralph Merrick⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97204⇗	Koch, Robert Bruce⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97237⇗	Stevens, Raymond Robert⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97251⇗	Haning, John Milton⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group, High Squadron Deputy. Assumed Lead when designated Squadron Leader aborted. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97263⇗	Brown, Billie Barnard⇗	Completed Mission	Composite High Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97271⇗	Rooker, Billy Roy⇗	Completed Mission	Composite High Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97273⇗	June, Glenn Joseph⇗	Completed Mission	Composite High Group Lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97282⇗	Druckenmiller, Leon Charles⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group, Low Squadron Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97309⇗	Bagby, Donald Woods⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97367⇗	MacFarlane, Menzies James⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97449⇗	Lynch, Edward Thomas⇗	Completed Mission	Composite High Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97521⇗	Anderson, Earl Overlade⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97699⇗	Pryor, Raymond Thomas⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group, Wing Lead. PFF aircraft and unidentified crew members provided by 305th BG, Chelveston, AAF Station 105. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97824⇗	[N/A]	Lead Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused
42‑97941⇗	Bennett, Dewayne (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group Lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97948⇗	Stills, James Vernon⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102430⇗	Olson, Norman (NMI)⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	Low Group. Turned back at 0844 due to low fuel. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102442⇗	Peterson, Harold William⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102449⇗	Humbles, Alfred Thomas⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group, Wing Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102500⇗	Gowder, Charles Fred⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	Lead Group, High Squadron Lead. Turned back over base at 0545 hrs due to illness of ball turret gunner. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102566⇗	Spiers, Paul Robert⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102601⇗	Carey, Gates Chapman⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102617⇗	Allred, Frank Lavon⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102620⇗	Shearer, Wilbur Lee⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102661⇗	Kelley, Robert Encil⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group, Low Squadron Lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102933⇗	Meland, Ralph Wendell⇗	Completed Mission	Composite High Group Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102959⇗	Fairfield, William Adelbert⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group, High Squadron Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107057⇗	Ungerman, Kenneth Armistead⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group, Low Squadron Lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107058⇗	Peck, Harland Kenneth⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	Lead Group. Turned back at 0815 hrs due to failure of #2 engine. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107064⇗	Wright, James Wiley⇗	Completed Mission	Ground Spare Aircraft. replaced 44‑6080. Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107083⇗	Rosborough, James Edward⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107121⇗	Rucker, David Leroy⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group, Low Squadron Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107148⇗	Pompe, Bernard Joseph⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107221⇗	Finch, Francis Nelson⇗	Failed To Return	Low Group, High Squadron Lead. Landed in Sweden. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107224⇗	Maggart, Richard Lee⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37703⇗	Strong, Bert Franklin⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37713⇗	Gibson, James Allen⇗	Completed Mission	Composite High Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6080⇗	[N/A]	Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off	Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 42‑107064 SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6105⇗	Wortman, Marshall (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6109⇗	Burkhard, James Albert⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6141⇗	Norton, Paul E⇗	Completed Mission	Low Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6149⇗	Menke, Robert Arthur⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗