Mission # 159

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date	17 July 1944
Eighth Air Force Operations	Show Operations > Mission 478: In the morning 670 bombers and 472 fighters are dispatched to hit tactical targets in France; 1 bomber and 1 fighter are lost: >> Air Task Force 1. Of 331 B-17s, 37 hit Joigny la Roche, 36 hit Jussy, 35 hit Auxerre, 35 hit Peronne, 33 hit Ham-sur-Somme, 32 hit Anizy-le-Chateau, 25 hit Frevent, 12 hit Tergnier and 11 hit Eu Bridges; 12 hit Doullens road junction, 12 hit Hesdin fuel dump, 12 hit Frevent railroad and road junction, 11 hit Laon marshalling yard; and 15 hit targets of opportunity1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 64 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 9 MIA. >> Air Task Force 2. Of 339 B-24s, 58 hit Rilly la Montagne dump, 52 hit Belfort marshalling yard; 36 hit Gien, 34 hit Coulanges, 34 hit Neuvy-sur-Loire, 32 hit Sully, 30 hit Nanteuil and 10 hit Le Soulons Bridges; 11 hit St Dizier Airfield and 5 hit targets of opportunity; 3 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 54 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA and 7 WIA. >> Escort for the 2 groups above is 433 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot is MIA); elements of 4 fighter groups afterwards strafe ground targets, claiming 23 locomotives, 18 trucks, and 55 train cars destroyed. > Mission 479: During the evening 34 of 69 B-17s and 106 of 115 B-24s attack 12 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area; 3 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 23 B-24s and 28 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 5 WIA. Escort is provided by 209 of 227 P-51s; 1 is damaged beyond repair. > Mission 480: 5 of 5 B-17s drop leaflets in France and the Netherlands during the night. > 16 B-24s participate in CARPETBAGGER missions during the night. Source: Jack McKillop, Rutgers University, used with permission. Hide Operations
384^th Bomb Group Mission	384th BG Mission Number 159, Eighth AF Force Mission Number 478 Myriad Problems Next Mission Previous Mission The 384th Bombardment Group (H) provided all three group formations of the 41st C Combat Bombardment Wing for today's mission. The bombardier of the lead group could not pick up the primary target on the first bomb run - and his intercom was out so the pilot's orders went unheard, resulting in the lead group's bombs being dropped on Laon, France, Marshalling Yards. Meanwhile, the high group had similar trouble picking up the primary target, and went around for a second run with the same result, but with heavy flak. The high group leader then selected a last resort target, a bridge in Eu, France, and the group dropped their bombs there. The low group released their bombs on the first bomb run, but apparently aimed them at a nearby railroad bridge in 'Vouël' (Tergnier), France.
Primary Target	Target: Beautor Bridge Type: Transportation Location: Beautor, France
Target Attacked (Mode)	Various Targets Attacked, See Individual Sorties
Sortie/Aircraft Summary	Completed Mission, not including spares - 34 Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused - 3 Scrubbed - 1 Aborted - 2
Mission Personnel	Mission Personnel Roster⇗ or Mission Loading Lists⇗
Mission Documents	Combat Mission Records and Plans obtained from the National Archives⇗

40 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
42‑31484⇗	Spiers, Paul Robert⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron lead, high group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37822⇗	Combs, William Felix⇗	Completed Mission	Lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37974⇗	Halasz, John Julius⇗	Completed Mission	Lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37982⇗	[N/A]	Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused
42‑38013⇗	[N/A]	Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off	Low group. Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 43‑37703. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑38014⇗	[N/A]	Lead Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused
42‑38208⇗	Stevens, Raymond Robert⇗	Completed Mission	Low group deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑39888⇗	Patella, Joseph David⇗	Completed Mission	Lead group. Hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97142⇗	Pranger, Nicholas Vincent⇗	Completed Mission	Low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97150⇗	Hale, Charles Eugene⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron lead, low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97178⇗	McGee, Leonard Vincent⇗	Completed Mission	High group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97201⇗	Lynch, Edward Thomas⇗	Completed Mission	Low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97204⇗	Pring, Robert Bradford⇗	Completed Mission	Low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97237⇗	MacFarlane, Menzies James⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron deputy, low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97251⇗	Menke, Robert Arthur⇗	Completed Mission	High group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97271⇗	Heim, Gerard Anthony⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	High group. Turned back at 0846 hrs due to #2 runaway prop. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97282⇗	Cole, Alfred Holton⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	Lead group. Turned back at 0850 hrs due to #2 runaway prop. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97449⇗	Mount, Dick Wilson⇗	Completed Mission	Low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97510⇗	Jennings, William Cornelius⇗	Completed Mission	High section deputy, low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97521⇗	[N/A]	Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused
42‑97824⇗	Lane, Edward William⇗	Completed Mission	Wing lead. Landed away at RAF Manston, Kent, due to battle damage. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97941⇗	Keate, Richard Clifford⇗	Completed Mission	High group lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97948⇗	Gibson, James Allen⇗	Completed Mission	High section lead, low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97960⇗	Shelley, John Keith⇗	Completed Mission	Low group lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102459⇗	Allred, Frank Lavon⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron deputy, lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102500⇗	Myrick, Kenneth Delay⇗	Completed Mission	High section lead, lead group. Hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102501⇗	Donohue, William Roberts⇗	Completed Mission	High section deputy, high group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102518⇗	Herzog, John Henry⇗	Completed Mission	High group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102566⇗	Minor, Henry W⇗	Completed Mission	High group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102601⇗	Strand, Robert Earl⇗	Completed Mission	High section deputy, lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102617⇗	Rimbold, Arthur Arimese⇗	Completed Mission	Lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102620⇗	Endelicato, Marion (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	Lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102661⇗	Kelley, Robert Encil⇗	Completed Mission	Wing deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102959⇗	James, Robert Huey⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron lead, lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107148⇗	Bean, Arthur E⇗	Completed Mission	High group deputy. Hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37703⇗	Dudock, Edward Peter⇗	Completed Mission	Low group. Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑38013. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37713⇗	Stills, James Vernon⇗	Completed Mission	High section lead, high group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37717⇗	Liebert, Jack Louis⇗	Completed Mission	High group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6135⇗	Farra, Robert Leslie⇗	Completed Mission	High group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6149⇗	Griggs, Frederick Monroe⇗	Completed Mission	Low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗