MISSION DATA: | |||
DATE | 384th BG Mission # | 8th AF Mission # | 384th PRIMARY TARGET |
1943‑08‑17 | 17 | 84 | Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany |
First Schweinfurt: 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. |
SORTIE DATA: | ||
COMBAT CREDIT | STATUS | TARGET ATTACKED (MODE) |
Yes |
Failed To Return Comments: Low Squadron lead. Damaged by enemy aircraft and flak; crashed about 20 miles north of Rheims (between Sissonne and Montcornet), France. MACR 291 |
Primary (Visual) |
SORTIE AIRCRAFT DATA: | ||||
TYPE | SERIAL NUMBER | SQUADRON | SQ CODE | NAME |
B-17F | 42‑30147 ⇗ | 544th | SU*O | M'HONEY |
SORTIE CREW DATA: | |||
POSITION | CREWMEMBER | UNIT | STATUS |
Pilot | Wilson, Clayton Russell⇗ | 544 | POW |
Co-pilot | Brown, Dewey Carlyle, Jr⇗ | 544 | Evaded |
Navigator | Bloesch, Fred Ernest, Jr⇗ | 544 | POW |
Bombardier | Stevens, Herman Daniel⇗ | 544 | POW |
Radio Operator | Des Rochers, John Mowbray⇗ | 544 | Evaded |
Engineer/Top Turret | Long, Vern Porter⇗ | 544 | Evaded |
Ball Turret | Kendall, George Joseph⇗ | 544 | POW |
Tail Gunner | Hook, Jack Franklin⇗ | 544 | POW |
Waist (Flexible) Gunner | Klein, Ellis Hall⇗ | 544 | Evaded |
Waist (Flexible) Gunner | Penick, Eugene Walker⇗ | 544 | POW |
SORTIE-RELATED DOCUMENTS: | |
TYPE | IDENTIFICATION |
MACR | Missing Air Crew Report # 291⇗ |
ESCAPE | Escape & Evasion Report # 165⇗ |
ESCAPE | Escape & Evasion Report # 166⇗ |
ESCAPE | Escape & Evasion Report # 192⇗ |
ESCAPE | Escape & Evasion Report # 193⇗ |