Mission # 36

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date	16 November 1943
VIII Bomber Command Operations	Show Operations Eighth Air Force Operations: VIII Bomber Command Mission 131. Two targets in Norway are hit with the loss of 2 bombers. Air Task Force 1. 130 of 189 B-17's hit the industrial area at Knaben at 1133-1238 hours; they claim 2-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 B-17 is lost and 7 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 10 MIA. Air Task Force 2. 147 of 160 B-17's hit the industrial area at Rjukan at 1143-1145 hours; 1 B-17 is lost and 1 damaged beyond repair; casualties are 2 KIA and 10 MIA. Air Task Force 3. 29 of 39 B-24's hit the industrial area at Rjukan at 1204-1212 hours; no losses or casualties. Source: Jack McKillop, Rutgers University, used with permission. Hide Operations
384^th Bomb Group Mission	384th BG Mission Number 36, VIII BC Mission Number 131 Several Bomb Runs Next Mission Previous Mission The 384th Bombardment Group (H) led the 41st Combat Wing and 1st Bomb Division on today's mission. From the Division Leader's Narrative: 'We dropped down to 14,000 feet to bomb and did not drop any lower because the low Group would be in the clouds. We could not find the target. None of the other Groups seemed to be able to find it either, so we went back out to the coastline to orient ourselves. We came back in, and thought we were on the target, but we were not sure, so we did not drop our bombs. We made three more bomb runs on the target trying to release our bombs, but they would not release, so on the last run we had our Deputy drop his bombs on signal from the lead plane, and the others dropped on him.'
Primary Target	Target: Knaben II Molybdenum Mine Type: Industry Location: Knaben, Norway
Target Attacked (Mode)	Primary (Visual)
Sortie/Aircraft Summary	Completed Mission, not including spares - 20 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	1943-11-16, Division Lead, J. Lacey, H. Frink⇗

21 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
41‑24525⇗	Kaczaraba, William (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
41‑24557⇗	Sundlun, Bruce George⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
41‑24560⇗	Jorgenson, Henry (NMI)⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	Turned back due to loose oil line on prop governor FLIGHT TIME 7:30 SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3259⇗	Bedsole, Joseph Linyer⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3429⇗	Estes, Thomas Jefferson⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3440⇗	Merritt, James Melvin⇗	Completed Mission	Landed away at RAF Catfoss, Yorks. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3441⇗	Willing, Mark Skinner⇗	Completed Mission	Group deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5051⇗	Morrison, Donald Sylvester⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5838⇗	Frink, Horace Everett⇗	Completed Mission	Division lead. Salvoed bombs near target (faulty bomb release mechanism). SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑29554⇗	Yelvington, Melton Albert⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑29632⇗	Ashcraft, Archie Bertis⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑29987⇗	Fields, Leon (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30033⇗	Jones, William Arch⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑31058⇗	Herbert, Joseph Robert⇗	Completed Mission	Landed away at RAF Ouston (now RA Albemarle Barracks), near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑31073⇗	Martin, Rudolph Alfred⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37776⇗	Ross, Burton Raymond⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37785⇗	Carpenter, Walter Richard⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37816⇗	Edwards, Floyd Clinton⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37828⇗	Jacobs, Randolph George Edward⇗	Completed Mission	Landed away at RAF Lissett, Yorkshire. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37848⇗	Stearns, Clarence Grover⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑39796⇗	Nelson, Darwin George⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗