SORTIE REPORT #976
MISSION DATA:
DATE 384th BG Mission # 8th AF Mission # 384th PRIMARY TARGET
1943‑11‑16 36 131 Target: Knaben II Molybdenum Mine
Type: Industry
Location: Knaben, Norway
Several Bomb Runs: The 384th Bombardment Group (H) led the 41st Combat Wing and 1st Bomb Division on today's mission. From the Division Leader's Narrative: 'We dropped down to 14,000 feet to bomb and did not drop any lower because the low Group would be in the clouds. We could not find the target. None of the other Groups seemed to be able to find it either, so we went back out to the coastline to orient ourselves. We came back in, and thought we were on the target, but we were not sure, so we did not drop our bombs. We made three more bomb runs on the target trying to release our bombs, but they would not release, so on the last run we had our Deputy drop his bombs on signal from the lead plane, and the others dropped on him.'
SORTIE DATA:
COMBAT CREDIT STATUS TARGET ATTACKED (MODE)
Yes Completed Mission Primary (Visual)
SORTIE AIRCRAFT DATA:
TYPE SERIAL NUMBER SQUADRON SQ CODE NAME
B-17F 42‑29632 545th JD*K CASED ACE
SORTIE CREW DATA:
POSITION CREWMEMBER UNIT STATUS
Pilot Ashcraft, Archie Bertis, Jr 545 Completed, Uninjured
Co-pilot Riggins, George Clifton 545 Completed, Uninjured
Navigator Oppenheimer, Kenneth Harold 545 Completed, Uninjured
Bombardier Hern, Wallace Currie 545 Completed, Uninjured
Radio Operator Madden, Joseph Francis 545 Completed, Uninjured
Engineer/Top Turret Rachunas, Joseph George 545 Completed, Uninjured
Ball Turret Milstead, Willard Cleo 545 Completed, Uninjured
Tail Gunner Lindsey, William Howard 545 Completed, Uninjured
Waist (Flexible) Gunner Howard, Hiram Glenn 545 Completed, Uninjured
Waist (Flexible) Gunner Oien, Clarence Holger 545 Completed, Uninjured
Sortie Report 976 provided by 384thBombGroup.com
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Report generated: 22 April 2024, 11:08 PM (PDT)
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