Mission # 145

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date	24 June 1944
Eighth Air Force Operations	Show Operations > Mission 438: During the morning 967 bombers are dispatched to hit targets in Germany and France: 5 bombers are lost: >> Air Task Force #1. Of 340 B‑17s, 213 hit oil industry targets in Bremen, 53 hit an aircraft factory at Westermunde and 40 attack Bremen; 1 B‑17 is lost and 105 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 9 MIA. >>> Escort is provided by 6 fighter groups (185 P‑38s and 85 P‑47s); 1 group strafes an airfield and rail transport in the Munster and Hamm areas and claims 2‑0‑0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; no losses. >> Air Task Force #2. 407 B‑24s are dispatched to France; 78 hit Conches Airfield, 45 hit Chateaudun Airfield, 45 hit Orleans/Bricy Airfield, 34 hit Toussus/Le Noble, 31 hit a fighter strip, 12 hit Pont Audmer, 11 hit Toussus/Paris and 9 hit Dreux Airfield; 2 B‑24s are lost and 81 damaged; 20 airmen are MIA. >>> Escort is provided by 45 P‑38s and 36 P‑47s; 1 P‑38 is lost (pilot is MIA); the fighters later fly strafing missions. >> Air Task Force #3. 86 B‑17s and 60 B‑24s are dispatched to hit 12 CROSSBOW (V‑weapon) sites in the Pas de Calais area but are prevented by overcast from bombing the sites, but 11 B‑17s fly South and release bombs near the industrial area of Rouen; 1 B‑17 is lost to AA fire; 13 B‑17s and 1 B‑24 are damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. >>> Escort is provided by 35 of 36 P‑47s without loss. >> Air Task Force #4. Of 74 B‑17s dispatched to the Saumur bridge, 38 hit the primary and 36 hit Tours/La Riche Airfield without loss. >>>Escort is provided by 121 of 135 P‑51s who claim 4‑0‑2 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground. > Mission 439: During the afternoon 62 B‑17s and 167 B‑24s are dispatched to targets in France; 2 B‑24s are lost; escort for the mission is provided by 71 P‑47s and 50 P‑51s without loss; 25 other P‑51s fly a sweep of the Angers/Le Mans area and claim 25‑0‑6 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground: >> Air Task Force #1. Of 62 B‑17s, 32 hit V‑weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area, 12 hit Holque electrical stations and 12 hit Saint‑Pol‑sur‑Mer marshalling yards; 17 B‑17s are damaged. >> Air Task Force #2. Of 167 B‑24s, 67 hit V‑weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area, 14 hit the Abbeville power station, 12 hit Pont‑a‑Vendin and 12 hit the Tingry electrical station; 2 B‑24s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 44 damaged; 20 airmen are MIA. > Mission 440: 5 of 5 B‑17s drop leaflets in France during the night. Source: Jack McKillop, Rutgers University, used with permission. Hide Operations
384^th Bomb Group Mission	384th BG Mission Number 145, Eighth AF Force Mission Number 438 Oil Pressure Continues Next Mission Previous Mission The 384th Bombardment Group (H) provided the high groups for the A and B 41st Combat Bombardment Wings on today's mission. The PFF equipment on the lead ship of the high group in the A wing failed prior to the I.P., but that group was able to bomb when the wing leader released his bombs. The high group of the B wing did not have this problem, and was able to drop the bombs using its own PFF equipment in the group lead aircraft.
Primary Target	Target: German Vacuum Oil Company Type: Oil Industry Location: Oslebshausen (Bremen area), Germany
Target Attacked (Mode)	Primary (PFF)
Sortie/Aircraft Summary	Completed Mission, not including spares - 35 Flying Spare, Completed Mission - 1 Flying Spare, Returned As Briefed - 3 Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused - 2 Scrubbed - 2 Aborted - 1
Mission Personnel	Mission Personnel Roster⇗ or Mission Loading Lists⇗
Mission Documents	Combat Mission Records and Plans obtained from the National Archives⇗

44 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
42‑32106⇗	Heim, Gerard Anthony⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37822⇗	Wilson, Quentin (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37974⇗	Stills, James Vernon⇗	Completed Mission	Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42-97273. High Squadron lead, high group, 41st A wing. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑38013⇗	Koch, Robert Bruce⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑38014⇗	[N/A]	Lead Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused
42‑38208⇗	[N/A]	Lead Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused
42‑97150⇗	Hannaford, Vernon Lloyal⇗	Spare, Completed Mission	Flying spare; joined formation. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97178⇗	[N/A]	Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off	Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 42‑102430. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97251⇗	Haning, John Milton⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron deputy, high group, 41st A wing. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97263⇗	Brown, Billie Barnard⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97271⇗	Anderson, Earl Overlade⇗	Flying Spare, Returned As Briefed	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97273⇗	[N/A]	Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off	Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 42‑37974. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97282⇗	Gottfried, Raymond Nathan⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97320⇗	Melzar, Raymond Augustus⇗	Flying Spare, Returned As Briefed	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97367⇗	MacFarlane, Menzies James⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron deputy, high group, 41st B wing. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97449⇗	Mount, Dick Wilson⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron deputy, high group, 41sr B wing. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97574⇗	Kelsay, Omar Frank⇗	Completed Mission	High group lead, 41st A wing. PFF ship and unidentified crew members provided by the 305th BG, Chelveston, AAF Station 105. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97687⇗	Pompe, Bernard Joseph⇗	Completed Mission	High group lead, 41st B wing. PFF ship and unidentified crew members provided by the 305th BG, Chelveston, AAF Station 105. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97948⇗	Fitzgerald, Thomas Howard⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102430⇗	Bagby, Donald Woods⇗	Completed Mission	Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑97178. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102459⇗	Allred, Frank Lavon⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102501⇗	Rucker, David Leroy⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron lead, high group, 41st A wing. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102518⇗	Pluhar, Emil Edward⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102566⇗	Spiers, Paul Robert⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102601⇗	Carey, Gates Chapman⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102617⇗	Norton, Paul E⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102620⇗	Shearer, Wilbur Lee⇗	Flying Spare, Returned As Briefed	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102661⇗	Kelley, Robert Encil⇗	Completed Mission	High group deputy, 41st A wing. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102959⇗	Durdin, Larkin Clayton⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107057⇗	Hayes, Edgar Jerome⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron deputy, high group, 41st A wing. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107058⇗	Peck, Harland Kenneth⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107064⇗	Stevens, Raymond Robert⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron lead, high group, 41st B wing. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107083⇗	Rosborough, James Edward⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107148⇗	Kirkpatrick, William Hugh⇗	Completed Mission	High group deputy, 41st B wing. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107224⇗	Druckenmiller, Leon Charles⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37713⇗	Gibson, James Allen⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37717⇗	Liebert, Jack Louis⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6080⇗	Menke, Robert Arthur⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6105⇗	Shelley, John Keith⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron lead, high group 41st B wing. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6109⇗	Young, Daniel Monroe⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6128⇗	Lynch, Edward Thomas⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6141⇗	James, Robert Huey⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6147⇗	Burkhard, James Albert⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6149⇗	Dudock, Edward Peter⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	Turned back; reason unknown. SORTIE REPORT ⇗