70 years ago today 31 December 1944 From THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945 by Carter/Mueller, the Office of Air Force History, and The Mighty Eighth War Diary by Roger A. Freeman. Mission 772: 1,327 bombers and 785 fighters hit both strategic and tactical targets in Germany for the first time in two weeks; they encounter about 150 Luftwaffe fighters, mostly in the Hamburg area, and claim 88.5-11-21 aircraft; all Bomb Groups except 306BG participated; 27 bombers and 10 fighters are lost: 1. In visual attacks 526 B-17s of 3BD hit oil industry targets at Hamburg (68), the Wilhelmsburg refinery at Hamburg (92), the Grassbruk refinery at Hamburg (71) and the Misburg refinery (96), and the industrial area at Wenzendorf (62) and Hamburg (72); targets of opportunity are Stade (13) and Nordholz (9) Airfields, Heligoland Island (1) and other (17); they claim 26-8-16 aircraft; 27 B-17s are lost (all in the 3rd Bomb Division), 1 damaged beyond repair and 288 damaged; 5 airmen are KIA, 29 WIA and 248 MIA. 316 P-47s and P-51s escort and claim 59.5-2-5 aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 2 P-47s and 7 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA). Bomb Groups participating (losses) – 94BG (1 a/c), 100BG (12 a/c), 34BG (1 a/c), 385BG, 388BG (2 a/c), 390BG (2 a/c), 447BG, 452BG (5 a/c), 486BG, 487BG (1 a/c), 490BG, 493BG (1 a/c), 95BG (2 a/c), 96BG. 2. Using GH, 418 B-17s of 1BD are sent to hit marshaling yards at Neuss (109) and Krefeld-Urdingen (83), the Kordel railroad at Ehrang (69), communications targets at Buzburg (34), Prum (37), and Blumenthal (34), the Lutzweiler Bridge at Koblenz (48) and the Remagen Bridge (54); 22 hit the secondary target at Monchen-Gladbach; and 2 hit a target of opportunity; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 29 damaged; 1 airman is WIA. Escorting are 162 of 171 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft without loss. Bomb Groups participating – 303BG, 305BG, 351BG, 379BG, 381BG, 384BG, 398BG, 401BG, 457BG, 91BG, 92BG. 3. Using GH, 371 B-24s of 2BD are sent to hit bridges at Engers (60) and Irlich (56) and the Gus Rail Bridge at Koblenz (62) and the rail junction and rail bridge at Euskirchen (30); 10 hit the secondary, the Bingen marshaling yard and 36 hit a target of opportunity; they claim 0-1-0 aircraft; 3 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 49 damaged; 1 airman is WIA. Escort is provided by 198 of 211 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA) and 1 damaged beyond repair. Bomb Groups participating – 44BG, 93BG, 389BG, 392BG, 445BG, 446BG, 448BG, 453BG, 458BG, 466BG, 467BG, 491BG. All Fighter Groups operating (losses) – 20FG, 352FG (1 a/c), 356FG, 359FG (4 a/c), 364FG (1 a/c), 4FG, 56FG (2 a/c), 355FG, 361FG, 479FG, 55FG, 78FG, 339FG (2 a/c), 353FG, 357FG. Fighter Group e/a credits – 56FG (5 a/c), 78FG (1 a/c), 339FG (6 a/c), 352FG (1 a/c), 353FG (1 a/c), 359FG (11 1/2 a/c), 364FG (25 a/c), 4. 13 of 16 P-51s escort 7 F-5s and 2 Spitfires on a photo reconnaissance of the Berlin area without loss. 5. 32 of 33 P-51s fly a scouting mission claiming 1-0-0 aircraft. OTHER OPERATIONS: 7PG dispatched 7 F-5s and 2 Spitfires on PR Berlin area (with 16 P-51 escort). 25BG dispatched 4 Mosquitoes on special operation, 6 Mosquitoes on WR Continent, and 4 B-17s on WR Azores/Atlantic/UK. 36BS dispatched 8 B-24s on RCM in support of 8AF. 13 P-51s and 4 P-47s on radio-relays. ASR dispatched 16 P-47s on patrols. Mission 773 – NIGHT LEAFLET OPERATION: 8 B-24s and 2 B-17s of 422BS drop leaflets in France, Germany and Belgium. From Century Bombers by Richard Le Strange, At 07.15...New Years Eve, the Hundredth dispatched three groups form the snow covered Field. The target was Hambug, from where, twelve planes failed to return. The formation was led by Harry Cruver, who flew with Charles Hong Kong Wilson, with Norman Graham as an extra navigator. Major Cruver writes: My recollection is that the prime target was not an oil refinery (as listed), but the submarine pens on the outskirts of the city. I recall that most of my twenty-three missions were flown in bad weather, where we were either in the soup, or in dense contrail accumulations, with highly restricted visibility. But Hamburg was different - it was clear as a bell. The target planners at Eighth Air Force always arranged to have the attacking planes from the Initial Point (I.P.) to the target, fly on a course down-wind, or with a clear tail wind. On this occasion, we had a high velocity tail wind, over 300 miles per hour, so we were able to move relatively rapidly on the bomb run. But no fighters were observed at the I.P., so I instructed the formation to bomb by individual squadron rather than by Group salvo. This was a mistake, because shortly after the I.P. swarms of FW 190s and Me 109s concentrated their attacks directly on the dispersed formations during the bomb run. Unfortunately, the spacing or intervals between the squadrons were excessive and many flights or units were spread out long distances to provide perfect targets for the incoming fighters. In addition to the vicious fighter attacks, the anti-aircraft fire was extremely accurate in the absolute clear sky conditions during the bomb run. Many B-17s lost power in one or more engines due to flak and became additional targets and easy prey for the fighter aircraft as they fell behind. At Bombs away, the planes remaining descended 1,000 feet,but then a strong velocity head-wind slowed all the Hundredths planes to a ground speed of less than 100 miles per hour...Thus, we were exposed a much longer time to the results of flak damage and in turn to fighter attacks as we proceeded snail-pace north to the coast in the Bremerhaven area. Shortly after the target, I learned that all of the ammunition had been expended so the returning planes were really sitting ducks for the Luftwaffe. The formation of the remaining square D planes became noticeably tighter to constitute a smaller target for the continuing fighter activity., It was at this point in time that the incredible collision occurred between Rojohn and MacNab which caused them to crash land in piggy-back fashion. ...At 12.44 and after leaving the enemy coast behind, navigator Danny Shaffer, who flew with Thomas Hughes, noted in his Log: Two 17s hooked together - B-17 42-31987, piloted by Glenn Rojohn, having closed up into the space left by the loss of Lieutenant Webster, Unfortunately, B-17 43-38457, piloted by William MacNab, had risen slowly from below to fill the same position... Although another pilot, Ethan Porter, immediately shouted a warning via the radio, the two Fortresses collided and locked together, continued flying piggy-back over the sea. Finding the elevators and ailerons still working, Rojohn and his co-pilot William Leek, cut their switches and engines, and by using the engines of the lower aircraft, three of which still turned, they slowly turned the two ships towards land, while four of the crew bailed out, to recross the German coast at 10,000 feet, to bring the planes in for a landing. On impact, the top ship slid off and MacNabs exploded. Barely hurt, Rojohn and Leek walked from the wreckage. As for the men who bailed out, the radio operator Edward Neuhaus, came down on an island. engineer Orville Elkin, alighted in water ten miles off shore, and was dragged onto the beach by his parachute; while replacements, navigator Robert Washington and gunner James Shirley, landed on the coast. All the survivors were taken prisoner of war. Nothing was found of the ball turret gunner Joseph Russo, waist gunner Roy Little and replacement tail gunner Francis Chase. The regular tail gunner Herman Homekamp, had completed his tour the previous day. As for Lieutenant MacNab - he was killed, as we his co-pilot Nelson Vaughn (both were wounded before the collision), the radio operator Henry Ethridge, waist gunner Duane Rench and the tail gunner Francis Sayfried. Both Sergeants Rench and Seyfried are believed to have bailed out, only to drown in the sea. The rest escaped - replacements, navigator Jack Berkowitz and bombardier Raymond Comer, both from Charles Wilsons crew; engineer Joseph Chadwick and ball turret gunner Edward Woodall. Sergeants Chadwick and Woodall, also landed in the sea, but reached the shore... Major Cruver adds: On landing, General Partridge flew in to Thorpe Abbotts with a P-47 and attended the mission critique; as I entered the building, I can vividly recall how two or three group personnel were at the entrance, crying in an unabashed manner, due to twelve planes which did not return and the 111 airmen who were killed or became prisoners of war. Red Bowman writes: Today was another crucifixion for the Hundredth. We sent out thirty-six planes...Twelve were lost - mostly to fighters who bounced the Group near the Rally Point. Bombing not so good. A sad New Years Eve. ...Such was the ferocity of the battle, the Groups gunners claimed twenty-three enemy fighters. A sad day for the 100th Bomb Group. I plan to enter information of some of the other planes that did not return in a separate post. Picture from Cyndi Rojohns facebook post today. https://facebook/photo.php?fbid=817742961605957&set=gm.794833703899495&type=1&theater
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 17:51:08 +0000
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