70 years ago today 21 November 1944 - From the 8th AF Historical Society database and The Mighty Eighth War Diary by Roger A. Freeman. Mission 720: 1,291 bombers and 954 fighters are dispatched to make PFF attacks using H2X on oil targets in Germany; Bomb Groups participating include all 1BD except 384BG, all 2BD, and all 3BD except 388BG; they claim 73-7-25 Luftwaffe aircraft; 25 bombers and 15 fighters are lost: 1. 421 B-17s of 1BD are sent to hit the Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg (200); targets of opportunity are Meppen (24), Friedburg (21), Hersfeld (12) and Hunfeld (12) marshaling yards, flak gun batteries at Merseburg (12), Leeuwarden Airfield (11), Apolda (10) the Autobahn at Hersfeld (10), Quakenbruck (10), and other (69); the AAF claims 1-0-1 aircraft; 14 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 205 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 16 WIA and 129 MIA. Escort is 268 of 310 P-51s; they claim 63-7-20 aircraft in the air and 3-0-2 on the ground; 9 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). Bomb Groups participating (losses) – 303BG (4 a/c), 305BG, 306BG (1 a/c), 351BG (1 a/c), 379BG, 381BG, 398BG (5 a/c), 401BG (2 a/c), 457BG, 91BG (1 a/c), 92BG. 2. 492 B-17s of 3BD are sent to Sterkrade, Lendorf and Hamburg but hit the secondary, the Osnabruck marshaling yard (166) and last resort targets, i.e., Giessen marshaling yard (77), Wetzlar (62), Lingen (24), Koblenz marshaling yard (23), Bielefeld marshaling yard (9), and targets of opportunity (35); 7 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 142 damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 6 WIA and 65 MIA. Escort is 382 of 420 P-51s; 4 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). Bomb Groups participating (losses) – 94BG, 100BG, 34BG, 385BG (1 a/c), 390BG, 447BG, 452BG, 486BG (1 a/c), 487BG, 490BG, 493BG (1 a/c), 95BG (1 a/c), 96BG (3 a/c). 3. 366 2BD B-24s are sent to hit the Dpag (178) and Rhenania (171) oil plants at Hamburg; 4 B-24s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 220 damaged; 19 airmen are KIA, 8 WIA and 89 MIA. Escort is 177 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 5-0-2 aircraft in the air and 2-0-1 on the ground; 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost (pilots MIA). Bomb Groups participating (losses) – 44BG, 93BG, 389BG, 392BG, 445BG (1 a/c), 446BG (1 a/c), 448BG (1 a/c), 453BG (1 a/c), 458BG, 466BG, 467BG, 491BG. 4. 12 of 12 B-17s fly a screening mission. 5. 31 of 33 P-51s fly a scouting mission. All Fighter Groups operating (15 losses) – 20FG (1 a/c), 352FG, 356FG, 359FG (3 a/c), 364FG (3 a/c), 4FG (2 a/c), 56FG, 355FG (1 a/c), 361FG, 479FG, 55FG, 78FG (1 a/c), 339FG (3 a/c), 353FG (1 a/c), 357FG. Fighter Group e/a (69 credits) – 4FG (6 a/c), 20FG (1 a/c), 78FG (5 a/c), 339FG (2 a/c), 352FG, (19 a/c), 359FG (17 a/c), 361FG (1 a/c), 364FG (18 a/c). OTHER OPERATIONS: 7PG dispatched 1 Spitfire and 1 F-5 on PR Venlo bridge. 25BG dispatched 5 Mosquitoes WR Continent/UK and 2 B-24s and 1 B-17 Azores/Atlantic/UK. ASR dispatched 17 P-47s on patrols. 1 B-17, 1 B-24, 6 P-47s, 16 P-51s on radio-relays. Mission 721 - NIGHT LEAFLET OPERATION: 7 B-17s and 5 B-24s of 1BD, 422BS drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany during the night. 36 BS dispatched 6 B-24s on RCM. 25BG dispatched 3 Mosquitoes on night PR Venlo. 482BG dispatched 3 B-17s on radar scope sorties. 1 B-17 f/l Belgium. From Century Bombers by Richard Le Strange, Red Bowman...continues on the 21st, Group set out for our bete noir - Merseburg - with twelve 500 puinders aboard. Ended up by bombing Osnabruck (marshalling yards) by Pathfinder, as clouds built up to 30,000 feet over the target. All back safely. Several aborts. Harold Sherrard landed in France - all okay. Vernon Sheedy writes: The sun got out today, the first time in ten days. Two V-2s landed around 1000 hours and really shook the area. WE were all glad we could hear the, otherwise we might not be here. Late that night, the crews were stood down due to heavy rains. *Incident* An unnamed B-17G, 43-38545, of the 324th BS, 91BG, flak damaged over Merseburg on its third mission, 21 November 1944, was abandoned over Belgium by Lt DeBolt and his crew. Two engines were out and it appeared a third was about to fail the undercarriage had been lowered and the bomber was set out on automatic pilot to facilitate bailing out. After the crew had jumped, the Fortress continued a stable descent and landed itself in a plowed field, sustaining damage to a wing tip and propeller when one main wheel became bogged down and spun the bomber around. A nearby British Army anti-aircraft crew left their gun to offer assistance and were understandably amazed to find no one aboard! This incident was later written up in Stars and Stripes as the Ghost Ship or Phantom Fort of the 91st Bomb Group. 91stbombgroup/91st_tales/58_the_ghost_ship.pdf
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 19:33:56 +0000
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