Mission # 17

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date	17 August 1943
VIII Bomber Command Operations	Show Operations Mission 84: On the first anniversary of US heavy bomber operations from the UK, a two-pronged attack into Germany is launched, marking the deepest penetration of German territory to date. The critical targets are the Messerschmitt complex at Regensburg, and the anti-friction-bearing factories at Schweinfurt. >> Air Task Force 1. 230 B-17's are dispatched to Schweinfurt; 188 hit the target at 1459- 1511 hours; they claim 148-18-63 Luftwaffe aircraft; 36 B-17's are lost, 3 are damaged beyond repair and 118 damaged; casualties are 3 KIA, 12 WIA and 352 MIA; there are 80 high explosive hits on the 2 main bearing plants. >> Air Task Force 2. 146 B-17's are dispatched to Regensburg; 127 hit the target at 1148- 1207 hours; they claim 140-19-36 Luftwaffe aircraft; 24 B-17's are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 50 are damaged; casualties are 4 KIA, 9 WIA and 200 MIA; every important building in the complex is damaged; the surviving aircraft continue on to bases in North Africa. >> 60 B-17's are lost in the fierce air battle that extends to the targets and continues after the bombing. Source: Jack McKillop, Rutgers University, used with permission. Hide Operations
384^th Bomb Group Mission	384th BG Mission Number 17, VIII BC Mission Number 84 First Schweinfurt Next Mission Previous Mission The 384th Bombardment Group (H) flew as the low group of the 202nd Provisional Combat Bomb Wing on today's mission. The mission was planned as a 'Double Strike' against Schweinfurt-Regensburg industrial plants. [Note: contrary to the implication in naming the raid, Schweinfurt and Regensburg are not neighboring cities; they are, in fact, over 100 miles apart.] The first air strike task force was supplied by the 4th Bomb Wing, which took off late due to heavy fog: they could still reach Africa by dark, but just barely. The second task force - the 1st Bomb Wing, including the 384th BG - was scheduled to take off 90-minutes after the 4th BW, to ensure the enemy fighters had exhausted their fuel and would be limited in their ability to mount a defense. In the event, the 1st BW was repeatedly delayed, also by weather, for almost four hours, allowing the enemy pilots ample time to refuel, rearm (and have a meal, if they wished!). As a consequence, losses were heavy. Both forces, however, inflicted enormous damage on their assigned targets, but the cost was immense.
Primary Target	Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany
Target Attacked (Mode)	Primary (Visual)
Sortie/Aircraft Summary	Completed Mission, not including spares - 13 Returned Early - 1 Aborted - 1 Failed To Return - 5
Mission Personnel	Mission Personnel Roster⇗ or Mission Loading Lists⇗
Mission Documents	Combat Mission Records and Plans obtained from the National Archives⇗
Other Mission Documents	1943-08-17, Group Lead, T. Beckett, J. Butler⇗

20 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
41‑24416⇗	Ogilvie, Donald Potter⇗	Completed Mission	Aircraft loaned by 303rd BG for today's mission. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3074⇗	Higdon, Philip Earl⇗	Completed Mission	Turned back when #2 engine failed. Supporting documents reveal that the crew received combat credit for this mission. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3216⇗	Armstrong, Lloyd Rowland⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3222⇗	Mattes, Frank George⇗	Failed To Return	High Squadron lead. Shot down by enemy aircraft before target; crashed near Mannheim, Germany. MACR 292 SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3230⇗	Wofford, Drewry Frye⇗	Failed To Return	High Squadron deputy. Damaged by enemy aircraft; crashed near Weiler, Germany. MACR 293 SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3429⇗	Butler, Johnny Addison⇗	Completed Mission	Group lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3455⇗	Algar, Philip Morris⇗	Completed Mission	S/Sgt. Loring Miller, right waist gunner, awarded Silver Star (As Briefed, p. 198). SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5051⇗	Faulkiner, Russel Ruben⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5444⇗	Lecates, Robert Leslie⇗	Completed Mission	Landed away at Earls Colne, AAF Station 358, on return. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5843⇗	Pulcipher, Ralph Robert⇗	Completed Mission	Group deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5855⇗	Willing, Mark Skinner⇗	Completed Mission	Landed away at RAF Woodbridge, Suffolk - an RAF 'emergency landing field.' SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5889⇗	Sprague, Alfred Lee⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑29699⇗	Frink, Horace Everett⇗	Returned Early	Turned back before target because of trouble with three engines; dropped his bombs on a target of opportunity (TOO), an unidentified fighter airfield. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑29703⇗	Ingles, John Thomas⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	Turned back for unknown reasons. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑29728⇗	Jacobs, Randolph George Edward⇗	Completed Mission	Aircraft suffered battle damage; crash landed at base. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑29956⇗	Hausenfluck, Jesse Dee⇗	Failed To Return	Low Squadron deputy. Shot down by enemy aircraft, crashed south of St. Goarshausen, Germany in Niederheimbach. MACR 296 SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30065⇗	Kelly, James Henry⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30139⇗	Sweningsen, Oliver (NMI)⇗	Failed To Return	Damaged by flak; crashed near Stangenroth (Bad Kissingen area), Germany. MACR 294 SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30147⇗	Wilson, Clayton Russell⇗	Failed To Return	Low Squadron lead. Damaged by enemy aircraft and flak; crashed about 20 miles north of Rheims (between Sissonne and Montcornet), France. MACR 291 SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30196⇗	Armstrong, James Edwin⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗