Mass, Russell C

Individual Personnel Data
Name	Mass, Russell C ⇗
Rank	Second Lieutenant / First Lieutenant
Serial Number	O-712630
Unit Assignments	Assigned to the 544th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #150 dated 28 July 1944, effective 30 July 1944. Transferred to a non-384th unit, per 544th Bomb Squadron Morning Report - Casual Pool, 70th Reinforcement Depot, AAF Station 591 , effective 14 May 1945.
Duty	Navigator
MOS	1034 - Navigator
Last Duty Date	14 May 1945
Results	Completed Combat Tour
Additional Information	Appointed First Lieutenant (AUS) effective 13 November 1944 per 544th Squadron Morning report 19 November 1944. Ordered on seven days Temporary Duty to Furzedown House, AAF Station 563 (a Flak house) on 18 December 1944 to carry out the instructions of the Commanding General per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #248 dated 17 December 1944.

Crew Composition When Assigned to the 384th BG
Replacement Combat Crew
CREWMEMBER	POSITION	RESULTS
2nd Lt. Lindberg, Gilbert R⇗	Pilot	TR
2nd Lt. Freiman, Peter Paul⇗	Co-pilot	CT
2nd Lt. Mass, Russell C	Navigator	CT
2nd Lt. Frakes, Robert Knox⇗	Bombardier	TR
S/SGT. Greer, James Raymond⇗	Radio Operator / Gunner	TR
S/SGT. Phelps, Charles Harold⇗	Engineer / Top Turret Gunner	TR
SGT. Miller, Irving Leroy⇗	Ball Turret Gunner	CT
CPL. Sweeney, Clarence Joseph⇗	Tail Gunner	TR
SGT. Maas, Robert Frederick⇗	Flexible Gunner	TR
SGT. Stafford, Walter Edward⇗	Flexible Gunner	TR

Missions, Aircraft, Crews
This individual was credited with 28 Combat Missions.
Number	Date	Target	Position	Aircraft	Mission/Sortie Information
176⇗	9 August 1944	Target: Erding Airdrome & Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Erding, Germany	Navigator	42‑39888⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron deputy, low group. Sortie Report⇗
177⇗	11 August 1944	Target: Tactical: Coastal Artillery Emplacements Type: Military Location: Brest, France	Navigator	42‑102459⇗	Combat Mission Credit High section deputy, high group. Sortie Report⇗
178⇗	12 August 1944	Target: "Landing Ground" Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: La Perthe, France	Navigator	42‑39888⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off Lead group. Turned back because the radio-compass was out. Sortie Report⇗
179⇗	13 August 1944	Target: Tactical: Road Network Type: Transportation Location: Beaumont-le-Roger (area), France	Navigator	42‑98000⇗	Combat Mission Credit High group. Sortie Report⇗
180⇗	14 August 1944	Target: Echterdingen Airdrome Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Stuttgart, Germany	Navigator	42‑98000⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low group. Sortie Report⇗
181⇗	16 August 1944	Target: Delitzsch Air Field and Air Equipment Depot Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Delitzsch, Germany	Navigator	42‑102459⇗	Combat Mission Credit High group hot camera ship. Sortie Report⇗
182⇗	18 August 1944	Target: Tactical: Bridge Type: Transportation Location: Vise, Belgium	Navigator	42‑97282⇗	Combat Mission Credit Lead group. Sortie Report⇗
183⇗	24 August 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil & Chemical Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Merseburg, Germany	Navigator	42‑97282⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
184⇗	25 August 1944	Target: Airfield & Airpark Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Anklam, Germany	Navigator	42‑97150⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
195⇗	17 September 1944	Target: Tank and Gun Concentrations, Tactical Type: Military Location: Eindhoven & 's‑Hertogenbosch (den Bosch), The Netherlands	Navigator	42‑37982⇗	Combat Mission Credit F Squadron. Sortie Report⇗
198⇗	25 September 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany	Navigator	43‑38062⇗	Combat Mission Credit C Wing, lead group. Hot camera ship. Sortie Report⇗
199⇗	26 September 1944	Target: Steelworks Type: Industry Location: Osnabrück, Germany	Navigator	43‑38615⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
200⇗	27 September 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards (PFF Aiming Points) Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	43‑37703⇗	Combat Mission Credit Went over target but did not release bombs due to bomb bay malfunction; bomb bay doors could not be fully opened, either electrically or manually. Returned bombs to base. Sortie Report⇗
205⇗	5 October 1944	Type: Industry Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	42‑97320⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off Turned back, reason unknown. Sortie Report⇗
209⇗	11 October 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Wesseling, Germany	Navigator	43‑38016⇗	Combat Mission Credit Third Squadron deputy. Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
212⇗	17 October 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	42‑97282⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
213⇗	18 October 1944	Target: Ford Motor Works Type: Industry Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron deputy. PFF ship. Took over on bomb run after lead Gee-h equipment failed, but too late to bomb primary. Led Squadron to attack secondary by PFF. Sortie Report⇗
216⇗	30 October 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Navigator	42‑102661⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron deputy. Sortie Report⇗
218⇗	2 November 1944	Target: Ruhr-Chemie A.G. Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Sterkrade (Holten), Germany	Navigator	43‑38016⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron lead. Gee-H ship. Gee-H equipment failed before IP. Attempted to follow low Squadron, but they turned off the bomb run. Then tried to catch lead Squadron, but were unable. Then led Squadron to a visual attack on the briefed last resort target. Sortie Report⇗
219⇗	4 November 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Bottrop (Welheim), Germany	Navigator	42‑107125⇗	Combat Mission Credit Gee-H ship; lead Squadron deputy. Took lead for bomb run and bombing with Gee-H. Sortie Report⇗
223⇗	9 November 1944	Target: Ground Installations Type: Military Location: Ouvrages de Sorbey (Metz), France	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit Division lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
224⇗	10 November 1944	Target: Ostheim Airfield & Butzweilerhof Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	44‑8401⇗	Combat Mission Credit 41D Squadron, Squadron Lead. PFF ship. Marion Chase, Engineer: 'Feathered #3 after flak hit oil cooler and we lost our oil.' Sortie Report⇗
227⇗	20 November 1944	Target: Buer Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Navigator	43‑38016⇗	Combat Mission Credit Returned Early Gee-H ship; lead Squadron deputy, 41st Bomb Wing C group. The mission commander's narrative states: 'A/C 8016 (Pilot Gilbert) returned early due to engine failure. Bombs were jettisoned.' According to Marion Chase, Engineer: 'Five minutes before target, had a runaway prop and finally feathered it due to vibration. At 29,000 ft. we could not climb and lost our formation. Came back alone.' Sortie Report⇗
229⇗	25 November 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Lützkendorf, Germany	Navigator	44‑8401⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron lead; landed away at Aldermaston. Sortie Report⇗
234⇗	2 December 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Oberlahnstein, Germany	Navigator	42‑97824⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron lead. Gee-H ship. Unable to determine if any aircraft were below his Squadron on the first bomb run, he elected to make a second run, which was successful. This meant the Squadron had to return to base without the protection of the bomber stream. Sortie Report⇗
256⇗	17 January 1945	Target: Railroad Viaduct Type: Transportation Location: Bielefeld, Germany	Navigator	44‑8211⇗	Combat Mission Credit Division lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. PFF started acting up during assembly, so the air commander ordered the low Squadron lead (PFF-equipped) to move up and fly as his deputy. At the IP, the Gee-H equipment was unusable, so lead was turned over to the deputy. Sortie Report⇗
259⇗	22 January 1945	Target: Synthetic Oil Refinery Type: Oil Industry Location: Sterkrade, Germany	Navigator	42‑38208⇗	Weather aircraft. Sortie Report⇗
261⇗	28 January 1945	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	44‑8007⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron lead; PFF and Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
312⇗	16 April 1945	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Regensburg, Germany	Navigator	44‑8401⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
313⇗	17 April 1945	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Dresden, Germany	Navigator	42‑98027⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
316⇗	25 April 1945	Target: Skoda Armament Works Type: Industry Location: Pilsen / Plzeň, Czechoslovakia	Navigator	44‑8923⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron Lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗

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