Mission # 264

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date	3 February 1945
Eighth Air Force Operations	Show Operations Eighth Air Force Operations Mission 817: 1,437 bombers and 948 fighters are dispatched in a major strike on Berlin by B-17s while B-24s hit the synthetic oil industry at Magdeburg; they claim 38-1-18 Luftwaffe aircraft; 25 bombers and 8 fighters are lost: Air Task Force 1. 1,003 B-17s are sent to hit the Tempelhof marshalling yard in Berlin (937); targets of opportunity are Bad Zwischenahn (1), Bramsche (1), Gatow (13), Lüneburg (2), Sögel (1) and other (1); 23 B-17s are lost, 6 damaged beyond repair and 339 damaged; 18 airmen are KIA, 11 WIA and 189 MIA. Escort is provided by 575 of 613 P-51s; they claim 12-1-0 aircraft in the air and 17-0-11 on the ground; 7 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 2 damaged beyond repair. Air Task Force 2. 434 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Rothensee oil plant at Magdeburg (116); 246 hit a target of last resort, the marshalling yard at Magdeburg; targets of opportunity are Wesermunde (17), Möckern (12), Cuxhaven (9), Vechta Airfield (2) and other (3); 2 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 58 damaged; 19 airmen are MIA. Escorting are 210 of 232 P-51s without loss. Air Task Force 3. 41 of 44 P-47s fly a sweep over Friedersdorf Airfield; they claim 9-0-6 aircraft in the air; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot MIA). Air Task Force 4. 35 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Air Task Force 5. 24 P-51s escort 9 F-5s and 7 Spitfires on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany. Source: Jack McKillop, Rutgers University, used with permission. Hide Operations
Mission	384th BG Mission Number 264, Eighth AF Force Mission Number 817 Transportation Targeted Next Mission Previous Mission The 384th Bombardment Group (H) flew as the 41st B Combat Wing on today's mission. Unusual clear weather permitted accurate visual bombing.
Primary Target	Target: Tempelhof Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Berlin, Germany
Target Attacked (Mode)	Primary (Visual)
Sortie/Aircraft Summary	Completed Mission, not including spares - 33 Flying Spare, Completed Mission - 3 Landed In Allied Territory - 1 Ditched - 1 Flight Completed - 1 Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused - 1 Scrubbed - 1 Failed To Return - 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	1945-02-03, Lead Squadron, Group Lead, PFF Ship, W. Johnson, J. Gilmore⇗

42 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
42‑3441⇗	Ellis, Harold Richard⇗	Flight Completed	Weather aircraft; remainder of crew (CP, N Eng, RO) not identified in mission documents. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑32106⇗	Milligan, George Robert⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37788⇗	Whitesides, John Boyce⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37822⇗	Van Pelt, Charles A⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑38013⇗	Funk, Donald Olsen⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron, Hot Camera Ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97824⇗	Hoppen, Jack Stewart⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97960⇗	Molder, Charles Richard⇗	Failed To Return	Lead Squadron, Hot Camera Ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑98027⇗	Gilmore, James Robson⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron, Group Lead. PFF ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102501⇗	Long, Robert Clay⇗	Failed To Return: Ditched	High Squadron. Aircraft left formation after bombs away with one engine feathered, damaged by flak. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102518⇗	Ryan, Chilton (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102661⇗	Kowats, Daniel Frank⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107125⇗	Hollingsworth, Fredrick Clay⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107148⇗	Sharp, Alan E⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37843⇗	Patterson, Nelton Dreward⇗	Spare, Completed Mission	Lead Squadron, Flying Spare; joined formation. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37917⇗	[N/A]	Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused
43‑37971⇗	Hewes, Charles Pershing⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38016⇗	Belsinger, Harry Flair⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron Lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38501⇗	Tatulis, Charles Paul⇗	Spare, Completed Mission	High Squadron, Flying Spare; joined formation. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38548⇗	Spangler, George Knox⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron, Hot Camera Ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38630⇗	Tebo, Clerance L⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38647⇗	Graehl, Russell E⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38673⇗	MacKellar, Donald Allen⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron, Hot Camera Ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38678⇗	Miley, Harold L⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38747⇗	Festersen, John Carl⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38766⇗	Gregg, William G⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38800⇗	Smisek, William Joseph⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38823⇗	Peterson, Calvin James⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39019⇗	Boyette, Irving H⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39053⇗	Gilmer, Charles E⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39060⇗	Worthen, Kirk Winthrop⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39131⇗	Johnson, Donald Ernest⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron. Waist Gunner wounded. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39164⇗	Jackson, Taylor Hall⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6476⇗	Richardson, George P⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron, Hot Camera Ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6590⇗	Kramer, William Leo⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6592⇗	Ruckman, George Francis⇗	Landed In Allied Territory	Lead Squadron. Left formation after bombs away; crash-landed in Russian territory; repaired plane and returned via Italy to Grafton Underwood on 23 March 1945. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6892⇗	Reed, Verlin Dean⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8007⇗	Zink, Joseph Darrell⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron, Group Deputy. PFF and Gee-H ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8008⇗	McLean, William S⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron Lead, PFF ship. Lead Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 44‑8211. Captain Samson Fisher was a "Medical Observer." SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8211⇗	[N/A]	Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off	Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 44‑8008. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8408⇗	Starr, William George⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8608⇗	Fisher, Robert Jeremy⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8679⇗	Baughman, John R⇗	Spare, Completed Mission	Low Squadron Flying Spare; joined formation. SORTIE REPORT ⇗