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Grafton Underwood, England (Station 106) 1943-1945
384th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
"Keep The Show On The Road"
| Mission Date | 10 January 1945 |
| 384th Mission |
Mission Number 254
|
| 8th Air Force Mission | Mission Number 789 |
| Mission Comments |
Two Marshalling Yards Bombed The 384th Bombardment Group (H) flew as the 41st Combat Wing B Group on today's mission. As the result of the loss of the group leader, as well as multiple equipment failures, portions of the group attacked the primary and secondary targets: low squadron attacked the primary, high squadron attacked the secondary on the first run, and the lead squadron attacked the secondary on the second run. |
| Primary Target |
Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Bonn, Germany |
| Target Attacked (Mode) |
Secondary (Visual) Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Cologne, Germany |
| Sortie/Aircraft Summary |
Completed Mission, not including spares - 31 Failed To Return - 1 Aborted - 3 Scrubbed - 2 Flying Spare, Completed Mission - 2 Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused - 3 Landed In Allied Territory - 4 Crashed - 1 |
| Mission Personnel | Mission Personnel Roster⇗ or Mission Loading Lists⇗ |
| Mission Documents | Combat Mission Records and Plans obtained from the National Archives⇗ |
| Aircraft | Pilot | Results | Mission/Sortie Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42‑32106⇗ | Peterson, Calvin J | Flying Spare, Completed Mission | Low Squadron flying spare; joined formation. Landed away at Chelveston on return due to low fuel. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑37822⇗ | Milligan, George Robert | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑38013⇗ | [N/A] | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | |
| 42‑97150⇗ | Buswell, Richard Grant | Landed in Allied Territory | Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 43‑38757. Left formation after target; force-landed on the Continent; aircraft salvaged. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑97251⇗ | [N/A] | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | |
| 42‑97263⇗ | Whitesides, John B | Crashed in Allied Territory | Crashed on takeoff; aircraft a 'complete wreck', all crew survived, two seriously injured, one minor injuries. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑97320⇗ | Hoppen, Jack Stewart | Landed in Allied Territory | Left formation after first bomb run; did not attack; damaged by flak; force-landed in Belgium; aircraft salvaged. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑97521⇗ | Baughman, John R | Landed in Allied Territory | Low Squadron. Left formation at Channel on return; force-landed on continent; aircraft salvaged. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑97592⇗ | Hartness, Joseph George | Completed Mission | High Squadron lead. PFF ship. Bombed secondary target on first run, PFF with visual assist. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑97960⇗ | Smisek, William Joseph | Completed Mission | Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑97986⇗ | Herring, Harold F | Completed Mission | Low Squadron lead. PFF ship. Left his position and assumed lead at IP and led group on a PFF bomb run on secondary target (primary was obscured with clouds). The (secondary) target was picked up visually half-way down the bomb run but prior to release it was found that the bomb racks were frozen. He circled around and completed a second run with successful bomb release. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑98027⇗ | [Non-384th Pilot] | Completed Mission | Gee-H ship. Loaned to 351st BG with Gee-H navigator; unidentified crewmembers provided by the 351st BG. Attacked assigned 351st BG primary target. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑102501⇗ | Ramsay, Walter E | Flying Spare, Completed Mission | High Squadron flying spare; joined formation (low Squadron). SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑102518⇗ | Starr, William George | Aborted | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑102620⇗ | Wyatt, William Glenn | Completed Mission | Lead Squadron hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑102661⇗ | Warner, Henry L | Completed Mission | Lead Squadron hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑107125⇗ | [Non-384th Pilot] | Scrubbed | Gee-H ship. Loaned to 457th BG with Gee-H navigator; unidentified crewmembers provided by the 457th BG. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑37703⇗ | Kramer, William Leo | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑37843⇗ | Belsinger, Harry F | Completed Mission | High Squadron. Landed at RAF Bradwell Bay, Essex, on return due to low fuel. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38016⇗ | [Non-384th Pilot] | Completed Mission | Gee-H ship. Loaned to 92nd BG with Gee-H navigator; unidentified crewmembers provided by the 92nd BG. Attacked assigned 92nd BG primary target. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38501⇗ | McKay, William Monroe | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38548⇗ | Gilmer, Charles E | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38616⇗ | McLean, William S | Completed Mission | High Squadron deputy. Crash-landed at RAF Manston, Kent, upon return. Crew OK, but aircraft was salvaged. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38673⇗ | Hewes, Charles Pershing | Aborted | Turned back due to personnel illness (Hughes). SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38678⇗ | Miley, Harold L | Completed Mission | Low Squadron hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38721⇗ | Fletcher, Graydon J | Completed Mission | Low Squadron hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38747⇗ | Ultcht, John P | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38752⇗ | Ruckman, George F | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38757⇗ | [N/A] | Scrubbed | Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 42‑97150. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38800⇗ | Klatt, Merton D | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38823⇗ | Boyette, Irving H | Completed Mission | Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38850⇗ | McKone, Joseph F | Completed Mission | Lead Squadron flying spare. Joined formation (low Squadron). SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38927⇗ | Fisher, Robert Jeremy | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38994⇗ | Johnson, Donald Ernest | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑39053⇗ | Holmes, George W | Completed Mission | Low Squadron deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑39060⇗ | Gregg, William G | Completed Mission | High Squadron hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6105⇗ | Tebo, Clerance L | Completed Mission | Landed away at Chipping Ongar on return due to low fuel. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6109⇗ | Kinkead, Robert M | Aborted | Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6135⇗ | Richardson, George P | Landed in Allied Territory | High Squadron. Left formation prior to target and did not attack. Force-landed on Continent; aircraft salvaged. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6476⇗ | Rush, Joseph H | Completed Mission | High Squadron hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6514⇗ | Bennett, Ralph J | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6592⇗ | Molder, Charles Richard | Completed Mission | Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8007⇗ | [Non-384th Pilot] | Completed Mission | Gee-H ship. Loaned to 401st BG with Gee-H navigator; unidentified crewmembers provided by the 401st BG. Attacked assigned 401st BG primary target. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8216⇗ | Hicks, Kenneth Delmont | Failed to Return | Group lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. Left formation 20 minutes prior to the IP, apparently due to flak damage. No communication was received from this aircraft regarding the abort. Crash site and fate of crew are unknown. MACR 11578 SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8221⇗ | Rice, Robert E | Completed Mission | Group deputy. PFF & Gee-H ship. Assumed group lead immediately upon departure of the group lead. PFF & Gee-H in this aircraft were inoperative, so Rice ordered low Squadron lead to take over (high Squadron lead was not reachable via radio) and returned to #2 position. Left formation after first attempted bomb run because oxygen system was shot away. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8401⇗ | [N/A] | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | Lead PFF Ground Spare Aircraft. |
| 44‑8430⇗ | Spangler, George K | Completed Mission | High Squadron. Landed away at Polebrook on return due to #2 engine out. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |