Mission # 280

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date	3 March 1945
Eighth Air Force Operations	Show Operations Eighth Air Force Operations 2 missions are flown, mission 861 and 862: Mission 861: 1,102 bombers and 743 fighters are dispatched to bomb oil refineries, oil plant equipment works, motor transport factory, tank plant, and rail bridge in NE and E Germany; they claim 25-2-37 Luftwaffe aircraft; 9 bombers and 8 P-51s are lost: Air Task Force 1. 114 B-17s are sent to hit the oil refinery at Misburg (23); 82 hit the secondary target, the Hanomag tank factory at Hannover; and 2 hit Lemförde, a target of opportunity; bombing is by H2X radar; 11 B-17s are damaged; 9 airmen are KIA and 5 WIA. Escorting are 44 of 46 P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft in the air; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). Air Task Force 2. 222 B-17s are sent to bomb the oil plant at Ruhland (24) and bomb visually; 166 hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Chemnitz using H2X; targets of opportunity are Plauen (11) and other (16); 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 63 damaged. 193 of 214 P-51s escort claiming 3-0-0 aircraft in the air and 10-0-23 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). Air Task Force 3. 94 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Nienburg Bridge (41); 48 hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Bielefeld and 1 hits a target of opportunity; attacks are visual; 3 B-24s are damaged. The escort is 19 of 21 P-51s without loss. Air Task Force 4. All 219 B-24s dispatched hit the Rothensee oil refinery at Magdeburg visually; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft; 4 B-24s are lost and 77 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 39 MIA. The escort is 129 of 144 P-51s; they claim 0-0-2 aircraft in the air; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). Air Task Force 5. The primary targets for 453 B-17s are the Wilke (53) and Brussing (77) oil plants and the MIAG munitions plant (61) at Brunswick and oil refineries at Dollbergen (37), Dedenhausen (53) and Nienhagen (56); 38 hit the secondary, Hildesheim (38); targets of opportunity are the marshalling yard at Bielefeld (36), Herford (23) and other (2); most attacks are visual; they claim 1-2-4 aircraft; 5 B-17s are lost and 53 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 41 MIA. Escorting are 169 of 180 P-51s; they claim 0-0-4 aircraft in the air and 9-0-2 on the ground; 2 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. Air Task Force 6. 100 of 107 P-51s fly a fighter sweep in the Leipzig-Magdeburg area; they claim 1-0-3 aircraft in the air; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). Air Task Force 7. 30 of 31 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 862: 18 of 24 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Emden using PFF. Source: Jack McKillop, Rutgers University, used with permission. Hide Operations
384^th Bomb Group Mission	384th BG Mission Number 280, Eighth AF Force Mission Number 861 Hannover Railyard Bombed Next Mission Previous Mission The 384th Bombardment Group (H) flew as the 41st Combat Wing C Group on today's mission - the thirteenth in as many days. The primary (visual-only) target was obscured by clouds so the bombers attacked the secondary PFF target.
Primary Target	Target: Synthetic Oil Refinery Type: Oil Industry Location: Misburg, Germany
Target Attacked (Mode)	PFF Secondary (PFF) Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Hannover, Germany
Sortie/Aircraft Summary	Completed Mission, not including spares - 35 Flying Spare, Completed Mission - 1 Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused - 1 Scrubbed - 3 Aborted - 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	1945-03-03, Group Lead, PFF Ship, E. Ulrey, R. Owens⇗

41 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
42‑32106⇗	Carpenter, Dean Edward⇗	Spare, Completed Mission	Low Squadron flying spare; joined formation. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37788⇗	Shuff, Charles Bernard⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37822⇗	Cathey, George Warlick⇗	Completed Mission	Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑38630. Lead Squadron hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97510⇗	[N/A]	Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off	Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 43‑7917. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97824⇗	Miley, Harold L⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102518⇗	Jerome, Edwin Anthony⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102620⇗	Connor, John Michael⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	High Squadron flying spare. Turned back with mechanical problem after jettisoning bombs into the North Sea. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107125⇗	Lucas, Roy E⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37843⇗	Patterson, Nelton Dreward⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37917⇗	Henry, Robert Tyson⇗	Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off	Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑97510. Did not take off. Remainder of crew not identified in mission documents. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37971⇗	Hewes, Charles Pershing⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38016⇗	Hicks, Gerald Warden⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38588⇗	Smith, Eliot Henry⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38630⇗	[N/A]	Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off	Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 42‑37822. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38647⇗	Graehl, Russell E⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38747⇗	Festersen, John Carl⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38752⇗	Whitesides, John Boyce⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38757⇗	Ferrell, Oran Luther ⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38974⇗	Carlson, Russell Edgar⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38994⇗	Smith, Jack L⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39019⇗	Boyette, Irving H⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron deputy and hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39053⇗	Tatulis, Charles Paul⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39060⇗	Kuite, Donald Warren⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39131⇗	Gregg, William G⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39138⇗	Peterson, Calvin James⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39164⇗	Tebo, Clerance L⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39197⇗	Gilmer, Charles E⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron deputy and hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39203⇗	Hatch, William Alva⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39236⇗	Scherokman, Edward (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6590⇗	Haaf, Arthur Herschel⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6882⇗	Spangler, George Knox⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6898⇗	Funk, Donald Olsen⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6909⇗	Seavey, Homer Carl⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6923⇗	MacKellar, Donald Allen⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron hot camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8211⇗	Ellis, Harold Richard⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron lead; PFF ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8408⇗	Starr, William George⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8430⇗	Lewis, Charles Allyn⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8580⇗	[N/A]	Lead Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused	PFF ship.
44‑8649⇗	Owens, Robert Clare⇗	Completed Mission	Group lead; PFF ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8668⇗	Thacker, Clarence Lewis⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron deputy and hot camera ship; PFF ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8679⇗	Murphy, William Carey⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗