Mission # 175

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date	8 August 1944
Eighth Air Force Operations	Show Operations > Shuttle missions continue as 78 B-17s with 55 P-51s escort, leave bases in the USSR to hit airfields in Rumania; 38 hit Bizau and 35 hit Zlistea; no Luftwaffe fighters are encountered during the mission and the force flies to Italy. > Mission 530: 414 B-24s and 265 fighters are dispatched to attack airfields and V-weapon sites in France; 115 hit V-weapons sites in the Pas de Calais; 91 hit Clastres Airfield, 53 hit Romilly air depot, 50 hit La Perthe Airfield, 12 hit Laon/Athies Airfield, 14 hit railroad bridges, 13 hit targets of opportunity and 11 hit Bretigny Airfield; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 139 are damaged; 11 airmen are KIA, 9 WIA and 9 MIA. Escort is provided by 265 P-47s and P-51s; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA). > Mission 531: 681 B-17s and 100 P-51s are dispatched to bomb enemy troop concentrations and strongpoints S of Caen; 25 Canadian soldiers are killed and 131 wounded by short bombing; 231 hit Cauvincourt, 99 hit Bretteville-sur-Laize strongpoint, 99 hit St Sylvain strong point, 67 hit targets of opportunity and 1 hits Gouvix strongpoint; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 B-17s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 294 damaged; 8 airmen are KIA, 15 WIA and 35 MIA. Escort is provided by 91 of 100 P-51s; they claim 4-1-6 aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA). > 41 of 50 P-51s escort RAF Coastal Command Beaufighters on a convoy strike in Norway; 3 P-51s are lost and 3 damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 3 MIA. > 175 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s fly a fighter-bomber mission against the railroad N and W of Dijon; 2 P-47s and 2 P-51s are lost; 1 P-38, 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost; 5 airmen are MIA. > Mission 532: 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 175, Eighth AF Force Mission Number 530 Tactical Support Mission Next Mission Previous Mission The 384th Bombardment Group (H) provided all three groups of the 41st C Combat Bombardment Wing on today's mission. In supporting our ground troops, the bombers were required to precisely identify their assigned targets visually before releasing their deadly loads, to prevent accidentally harming our forces. On this mission, the wing could not identify the target on the first bomb run, so a second run was attempted. The lead and low groups were able to attack the primary target, but the high group was still unable to see it well enough for accurate aiming, so they brought their bombs back.
Primary Target	Target: Tactical - Enemy Strong Points Type: Military Location: Bretteville-sur-Laize, France
Target Attacked (Mode)	Primary (Visual)
Sortie/Aircraft Summary	Completed Mission, not including spares - 30 Flying Spare, Completed Mission - 1
Mission Personnel	Mission Personnel Roster⇗ or Mission Loading Lists⇗
Mission Documents	Combat Mission Records and Plans obtained from the National Archives⇗
Other Mission Documents	1944-08-08, High Group Lead, J. Shelley, J. McCartney⇗ 1944-08-08, Low Group Lead, R. Vinnedge, K. Ungerman⇗

31 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⇗	Brodie, James Joseph⇗	Completed Mission	Lead group. Did not attack target because bomb rack fuse was burned out, which became apparent too late for manual release; returned bombs to base. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑32106⇗	Johnstone, William Andrew⇗	Completed Mission	Lead group hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37788⇗	Hepler, Wilbur David⇗	Completed Mission	Lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97204⇗	Goodrick, Gene Robert⇗	Completed Mission	High group hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97251⇗	Tracy, Edward Hanks⇗	Completed Mission	Low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97263⇗	Bennett, John R⇗	Completed Mission	Low section deputy, high group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97282⇗	Patella, Joseph David⇗	Completed Mission	High section deputy, lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97510⇗	Mead, Frank Willard⇗	Completed Mission	Low section deputy, low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97941⇗	Minor, Henry W⇗	Completed Mission	Wing deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97948⇗	Davis, L K (IO)⇗	Completed Mission	Low group deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97960⇗	McCartney, James Thomas⇗	Completed Mission	High group lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102430⇗	Seidlein, George Harold⇗	Completed Mission	High section lead, low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102500⇗	Pranger, Nicholas Vincent⇗	Completed Mission	Low section lead, low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102518⇗	Proctor, John Richard⇗	Completed Mission	Low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102601⇗	Durdin, Larkin Clayton⇗	Completed Mission	High section deputy, low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102620⇗	Maggart, Richard Lee⇗	Completed Mission	High section deputy, high group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102933⇗	Ungerman, Kenneth Armistead⇗	Completed Mission	Low group lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107058⇗	LeDonne, Edward George⇗	Completed Mission	Low group hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107083⇗	Duesler, Donald Barton⇗	Completed Mission	Low group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107125⇗	Bennett, Dewayne (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	Wing lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37822⇗	Toler, Harold Morton⇗	Completed Mission	High section lead, lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37843⇗	Bills, Edgar L⇗	Completed Mission	High group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37917⇗	Green, Loren Lester⇗	Spare, Completed Mission	Low group flying spare; joined formation. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37971⇗	Hulcher, Donald Lawrence ⇗	Completed Mission	Lead group hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6080⇗	Lynch, Edward Thomas⇗	Completed Mission	High group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6105⇗	Groff, Richard Hubert⇗	Completed Mission	High group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6109⇗	Murchan, Lawrence Aloysius⇗	Completed Mission	High section lead, high group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6135⇗	Kass, Robert Hiler⇗	Completed Mission	Low section lead, lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6149⇗	Neville, Harry Walter⇗	Completed Mission	Low section lead, high group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6294⇗	Martin, Donald Francis⇗	Completed Mission	Low section deputy, lead group. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8011⇗	Dudock, Edward Peter⇗	Completed Mission	High group deputy and hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗