| Mission Date | 25 April 1945 |
| Eighth Air Force Operations | Show Operations |
| 384th Bomb Group Mission |
384th BG Mission Number 316, Eighth AF Force Mission Number 968
THE LAST ONE! The 384th Bombardment Group (H) flew as the 41st Combat Bombardment Wing C Group in Air Task Force 1 on today's mission, the last strategic bombing mission of the war in Europe. Under strict orders to bomb by visual means only, the Lead and Low Squadrons made two bomb runs, and the High Squadron made three. Results appeared to be good, and the delay resulted in the 384th dropping the final bombs of the war on Axis targets in Europe.
It was not known that this would be the last strategic bombing mission of WWII in the ETO until well after this mission ended. |
| Primary Target |
Target: Skoda Armament Works Type: Industry Location: Pilsen / Plzeň, Czechoslovakia |
| Target Attacked (Mode) | Primary (Visual) |
| Sortie/Aircraft Summary |
Completed Mission, not including spares - 35 Flying Spare, Completed Mission - 2 Flight Completed - 1 Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused - 4 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 | 1945-04-25, Group Lead, PFF Ship, T. Hutchinson, R. Lucas⇗ |
| Aircraft | Pilot | Results | Mission/Sortie Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42‑37788⇗ | Thurston, Lawrence E⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron Hot Camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑38208⇗ | Ruckman, George Francis⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑97309⇗ | Poulton, John W⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑97510⇗ | [N/A] | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | |
| 42‑97824⇗ | Knaur, John Sherman⇗ | Completed Mission | Low Squadron Hot Camera ship. Landed away at RAF Woodbridge, Suffolk, on return with hydraulics out due to battle damage. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑98027⇗ | Graehl, Russell E⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron Lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑102459⇗ | Montgomery, Robert W⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑102518⇗ | [N/A] | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | |
| 42‑102620⇗ | Schwab, Arthur L⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑102661⇗ | Moorhead, Harris Leroy⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 42‑107125⇗ | [N/A] | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | |
| 43‑37717⇗ | Ahner, Lewis Russell⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑37917⇗ | Sheahan, Robert E⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38501⇗ | Lovett, Andrew Gordon⇗ | Failed To Return | Three engines knocked out by flak ten minutes away from allied territory; crashed near German-Czech border. MACR 14317 SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38548⇗ | Humphries, Richard Sterling⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38588⇗ | Seavey, Homer Carl⇗ | Completed Mission | Lead Squadron Hot Camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38747⇗ | Festersen, John Carl⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38752⇗ | Martin, Gerald L⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38757⇗ | Meitzler, Roy Albert⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38766⇗ | Clontz, Leon Maynard⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38839⇗ | Davidson, Wallace Simms⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38974⇗ | Abare, William Tebbs⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑38994⇗ | Smith, Eliot Henry⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑39138⇗ | Grove, Alfred W⇗ | Completed Mission | Damaged when struck by flak during a second run over the target. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑39197⇗ | Leavitt, Philip Neldon⇗ | Completed Mission | Had one engine out due to battle damage. Landed away at A-70 (Laon/Couvron, France) on return. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑39203⇗ | Kendrick, Richard M⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑39236⇗ | Scherokman, Edward (NMI)⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron. 'Made 3 runs on target - feathered #4 engine, #3 prop-control cable shot away - left main wing spar shot through - all gas tanks shot through.' (pilot comments) SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 43‑39444⇗ | Gray, Harold Reginald⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6476⇗ | Hartley, Henry Allan⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6514⇗ | Eakin, Otho Mitchell⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6592⇗ | Aitken, Robert Partington⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron. Note on formation chart indicates a problem with landing gear on return. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6882⇗ | Wahlstrom, Harry Lawrence⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6892⇗ | Kowats, Daniel Frank⇗ | Spare, Completed Mission | Low Squadron Flying Spare. Joined formation. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑6898⇗ | Lewis, Charles Allyn⇗ | Completed Mission | High Squadron Deputy and Hot Camera Ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8007⇗ | Kinkead, Robert Miller⇗ | Flight Completed | Weather aircraft; remainder of crew (CP, N, RO, Eng) not identified SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8211⇗ | Magleby, Calvin Charles⇗ | Completed Mission | Group Deputy and Hot Camera ship. PFF & Gee-H ship. Landed with a flat tire; ran off landing runway onto runway 30. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8408⇗ | Cotton, Donald Francis⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8608⇗ | Shotto, Francis Rexford⇗ | Completed Mission | SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8649⇗ | [N/A] | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | Lead PFF & Gee-H Ground Spare Aircraft. |
| 44‑8679⇗ | Drew, James Lawrence⇗ | Spare, Completed Mission | High Squadron Flying Spare. Joined formation. On return, landed at B-51 (Lille/Vendeville, France) due to battle damage. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8789⇗ | Lucas, Roy E⇗ | Completed Mission | Group Lead. PFF ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8923⇗ | Wright, Edward S⇗ | Completed Mission | Low Squadron Lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |
| 44‑8945⇗ | Wilson, Robert L⇗ | Completed Mission | Low Squadron Deputy and Hot Camera ship. SORTIE REPORT ⇗ |