Van Etten, Lawrence Edward

Individual Personnel Data
Name	Van Etten, Lawrence Edward ⇗
Rank	First Lieutenant / Captain
Serial Number	O-1011193
Unit Assignments	Assigned to the 546th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #152, effective 30 July 1944. Assigned to the 545th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #22, effective 27 January 1945.
Duty	Navigator
MOS	1034 - Navigator
Last Duty Date	22 February 1945
Results	Completed Combat Tour
Additional Information	Date of Birth: 2 February 1916 Ordered on seven days Temporary duty to Furzedown House, AAF Station 563 (a Flak house) on 1 December 1944 to carry out the instructions of the Commanding General per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #236 dated 1 December 1944. Designated Assistant Group Bom-Nav-Radar Officer (primary) effective 27 January 1945 per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #22 dated 27 January 1945. Completed tour of combat duty and transferred out of Group during February 1945, per squadron history (microfilm A0640-01647).

Missions, Aircraft, Crews
This individual was credited with 30 Combat Missions.
Number	Date	Target	Position	Aircraft	Mission/Sortie Information
177⇗	11 August 1944	Target: Tactical: Coastal Artillery Emplacements Type: Military Location: Brest, France	Navigator	42‑97986⇗	Combat Mission Credit High group lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
184⇗	25 August 1944	Target: Airfield & Airpark Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Anklam, Germany	Navigator	44‑8007⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing deputy. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
187⇗	3 September 1944	Target: I. G. Farben Chemical Works Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit PFF ship. High Squadron lead. Sortie Report⇗
188⇗	5 September 1944	Target: I. G. Farben Chemical Works Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany	RADAR Countermeasures	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit PFF ship. Wing deputy. Sortie Report⇗
191⇗	10 September 1944	Target: BMW Motor Component Parts Plant Type: Industry Location: Sindelfingen, Germany	Navigator	44‑8047⇗	Combat Mission Credit PFF ship; wing deputy. Sortie Report⇗
198⇗	25 September 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany	Navigator	42‑97986⇗	Combat Mission Credit B Wing, deputy wing lead. PFF ship. Led wing on bomb run due to failure of equipment on lead aircraft - the PFF on this ship went out momentarily on first bomb run, forcing a second one. Sortie Report⇗
202⇗	30 September 1944	Target: Handorf Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Münster, Germany	Navigator	42‑97986⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low group lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
204⇗	3 October 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Refinery Type: Oil Industry Location: Wesseling, Germany	Navigator	42‑97986⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron deputy. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
206⇗	6 October 1944	Target: M/T Factory Type: Industry Location: Stettin / Szczecin, Poland	Navigator	44‑8211⇗	Combat Mission Credit D group lead. Sortie Report⇗
209⇗	11 October 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Wesseling, Germany	Navigator	44‑8211⇗	Combat Mission Credit Fourth Squadron lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
212⇗	17 October 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	42‑97592⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
213⇗	18 October 1944	Target: Ford Motor Works Type: Industry Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	44‑8007⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron deputy. PFF ship. Took over on bomb run after lead Gee-H equipment failed; completed attack on primary target. Sortie Report⇗
215⇗	25 October 1944	Target: Nordstern Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. PFF ship. Resumed lead on bomb run after deputy's Gee-H equipment failed. Led Squadron to attack secondary target using PFF. Sortie Report⇗
217⇗	1 November 1944	Target: Nordstern Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron lead. PFF ship. Relinquished lead to deputy for the Gee-H bomb run on the primary: resumed lead for return to base. Sortie Report⇗
221⇗	6 November 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Bottrop (Welheim), Germany	Navigator	44‑8211⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
224⇗	10 November 1944	Target: Ostheim Airfield & Butzweilerhof Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	44‑8216⇗	Combat Mission Credit 41C Group, Low Squadron Lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
227⇗	20 November 1944	Target: Buer Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Navigator	44‑8401⇗	Combat Mission Credit PFF ship; high Squadron lead, 41st C group. Sortie Report⇗
228⇗	23 November 1944	Target: Nordstern Coking Plant at Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-A.G. Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron lead, A group; PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
231⇗	27 November 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Offenburg, Germany	Navigator	44‑8007⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead; PFF and Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
238⇗	11 December 1944	Target: Road & Rail Bridge Type: Transportation Location: Mannheim, Germany	Navigator	44‑8216⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron lead, B Group. PFF and Gee-H ship. Bombed independently using Gee-H. Sortie Report⇗
242⇗	23 December 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Ehrang, Germany	Navigator	44‑8401⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. Landed away at Horham due to weather. Sortie Report⇗
243⇗	24 December 1944	Target: Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Kirch Göns, Germany	Navigator	44‑8401⇗	Combat Mission Credit 13F Squadron Lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
245⇗	28 December 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Brühl, Germany	Navigator	44‑8211⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. Led group formation attack with all Squadrons dropping on leader, using Gee-H aiming. Sortie Report⇗
247⇗	31 December 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Neuss, Germany	Navigator	42‑97986⇗	Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗
251⇗	5 January 1945	Target: Landing Ground Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Neiderbreisig, Germany	Navigator	44‑8007⇗	Weather aircraft. Co-pilot identified only as 'Hicks' - Kenneth Delmont Hicks is most likely as the aircraft, pilot, and 'Hicks', are all from the 545th BS. remainder of crew (RO, Eng) not identified Sortie Report⇗
253⇗	8 January 1945	Target: Railroad Type: Transportation Location: Kyllburg, Germany	Navigator	44‑8007⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
257⇗	20 January 1945	Target: Rail and Road Bridges Type: Transportation Location: Mannheim, Germany	Navigator	44‑8211⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead; PFF & Gee-H ship. Landed away at RAF Warboys, Huntingdonshire (now Cambridgeshire). Sortie Report⇗
260⇗	23 January 1945	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Neuss, Germany	Radar Navigator	44‑8211⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off Group lead. Turned back over field due to mechanical failure. Sortie Report⇗
261⇗	28 January 1945	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Radar Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead; PFF and Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
262⇗	29 January 1945	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Siegen, Germany	Radar Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead; PFF & Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
263⇗	1 February 1945	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Mannheim, Germany	Radar Navigator	44‑8007⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron lead; PFF & Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
267⇗	15 February 1945	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Bohlen, Germany	Navigator	44‑8665⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. Landed away at Bassingbourn Airfield, AAF Station 121. Sortie Report⇗

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