First mission into enemy territory.
Strasbourg, France - Marshalling Yards. P.F.F.
We had a very good day for bombing.  We came over the target and they started throwing the flak up at us. The flak was moderate. One piece of flak hit the nose turret but didn't make a hole. We made a direct hit on the target.  Gas load - 2500 Gal.,  Bomb load 12x500 -G.P.    We bombed from 20,000 ft. and were under oxygen 4 hours.  Length of mission was 6 1/2 hours.  We took off at 1110 and landed at 1740.

Reims, France - Airfield visual. Bomb load 12x500 G.P.   Gas load 2300 Gal. Length of mission 6 hrs 45 min.  Under oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 20,000 ft.  It was a very good day for bombing.  We  didn't see and flak until we got to the target but there weren't any close bursts.  We didn't get any holes in our ship. We made pretty fair hits on the target.  We didn't see any enemy fighters today. Not much excitement.

Le Landin, France - Road Junction.
Duclair, France - Steam Ferry visual.
Bomb load 48x100 G.P.  Gas load 2300 Gal. Length of mission 5 hrs 30 min. Under oxygen 3 hours.  Bombed from 17,400 ft.  We saw a lot of flak going over but didn't get into any until we got to the target.  There were a few bursts under our right wing.  Nelson our Co-pilot was about ready to get out and walk.  We had a pretty good day today though.

Magdeburg, Germany - Junkers Engine Factory visual. Bomb load 12x500 G.P.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 6 1/2 hours. Under oxygen 5 hours.  Bombed from 22,000 ft.  Had pretty good hits today.  We lost 3 ships today.  Hit by flak.  One blew up in mid-air.  Don got some good pictures of it as it was going down.

Woippy, France - Aircraft Engine Repair Plant about 8 miles from Metz.  Bomb load 48-100 INC.   Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 8 1/2 hours.  Under oxygen 4 1/2 hours.  Bombed from 18,000 ft.   We didn't make such good hits today.  We didn't see any flak or fighters.  We had an 8 1/2 hour milk run.

Dulman, Germany - Oil Depot.  Bomb load 24x250 G.P.  Gas load 2300 Gal.  Length of mission 5 1/2 hours.  Under oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 20,000 ft.  We didn't hit the target today either.  There was light flak and no fighters.  We had very good fighter cover.

Mayence, Germany - Marshalling yards. P.F.F  Bomb load 20x250 G.P.  Gas load 2700 Gal.  Length of mission 7 hours.  Under oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 24,000 ft.  Made fair hits.  Didn't see any enemy fighters.  Flak was intense but not very accurate.  Two 24's shot down by flak.

Ulm, Germany - Marshalling yards. P.F.F.  Bomb load 10x500 G.P. Gas load 2700 Gal.  Length of mission 8 1/2 hours.  Under oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 20,000 ft. Target clouded over. Moderate flak, but accurate.  No enemy fighters. One bomb hung up in the bottom front station and the two above bounced off it and damaged the side of the ship.  I took a screw driver and went out on the catwalk and tripped the bomb.

Gaggenau, Germany - Daimler Benz engine factory.  Bomb load 10xM17-INC.  Gas load 2700 Gal. Length of mission 7 hours 45 min.  Under oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 23,000 ft.  No enemy fighters and light flak.  Bomb hit in a wooded area - not far from target.

Wenzendorf, Germany - Blom and Voss Jet Factory.  Bomb load 8xM17-INC.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 6 1/2 hours.  Under oxygen 3 1/2 hours.  Bombed from 20,000 ft.  Didn't see any enemy fighters.  Flak was light but accurate and tracking.

Magdeburg, Germany - Krupp Works Manufacturing A-A Guns and Ammo.  Bomb load 6-1000 lb. G.P.'s.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 7 hours.  Under oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 23,000 ft.  Today we got our first flak holes.  Two in the nose turret, one hit "Don" in the shoulder but didn't hurt him.  Another came through the nose and just missed "Becker" and one came through the left waist window but didn't hurt anything.

Mayence, Germany - Marshalling yards. P.F.F.  Bomb load 12x250 G.P.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 6 1/2 hours.  Under oxygen 3 1/2 hours.  Bombed from 25,000 ft.  Flak was heavy and we got two holes close to the upper turret.  No one was hurt.  We had good fighter cover.  It was cold as hell today.

Hamm, Germany - Marshalling yards. P.F.F.  Bomb load 16x250 G.P. and 6xM-17.  Gas load 2300 Gal.  Length of mission 5 1/2 hours.  Under oxygen 2 1/2 hours.  Bombed from 24,000 ft.  These were the largest Marshaling yards in Germany.  Flak was light and not accurate.  No fighters today.

Neumunster, Germany - Barracks in an airfield.  Bomb load 6x500 G.P. 6xM-17.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 5 1/2 hours.  Under oxygen 3 hours.  Bombed from 21,000 ft.  Flak was meager.  No fighters.

Misburg, Germany - Near Hanover Oil Refinery and Storage Tanks.  Bomb load 12x500 G.P.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 5 1/2 hours.  Oxygen 3 hours.  Bombed from 22,000 ft.  Flak - moderate - three flak holes, one in the left wing and two in the bomb bay doors. Pilot passed out from lack of oxygen on bomb run - ditto engineer.  Tail gunner in group 6 died of the same.

Minden, Germany - Mittelland Canal Embankment Locks and Aqueduct. P.F.F.  Bomb load 4x2000 G.P.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 6 hours.  Oxygen 5 hours.  Bombed from 18,000 ft.  Flak - moderate.  No holes. No fighters.

Bottrop, Germany - Near Wilheim Oil Refinery and Depot. P.F.F. Bomb load - 6 Nickle loads and 2x250 G.P.  Gas load 2300 Gal.  Length of mission 5 hours. Oxygen 3 1/2 hours.  Bombed from 22,000 ft.  Flak was intense at the target.  Damn near "Had It" on the way home close to the enemy coast at the zider zee.  Picked up six flak holes, but nothing to get excited about.

Rhenania, Germany - Near Hamburg-Oil Refinery.  Bomb load 12x500 G.P.   Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 6 hours.  Oxygen 5 hours.  Bombed from 22,000 ft.  Flak intense at target, lot of virgin stuff.  Oxygen went out of nose and flight deck.  Had to breath from bottles.  Davis passed out again.  Hose pulled lose at regulator.  Picked up two flak holes in left stabilizer.

Offenburg, Germany - R.R. Marshalling yard.  Bombed 10x500 G.P. and 2xM-17-INC.  Gas load 2600 Gal.  Length of mission 7 3/4 hours.  Oxygen 4 hours. Bombed from 27,000 ft. (43*)  Flak-moderate at target. No holes.

Bielefeld, Germany - Railway Viaduct outside of City. P.F.F. Bomb load 8x1000 G.P. Gas load 2300 Gal.  Length of mission 6 hours.  Oxygen 4 1/2 hours.  Bombed from 23,000 ft.  Flak at enemy coast meager.

Hanau, Germany - Near Frankfurt-Marshalling yards visual.  Bomb load 12x500 G.P.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 7 1/2 hours.  Oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 22,000 ft.  Excellent hits today. Meager flak.  On the way home we saw a V-2 Rocket take off and climb out of sight.

      V-2 Rocket

Gerolstein, Germany - Railroad Junction visual. Bomb load 22x250 G.P.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 6 hours.  Oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 22,000 ft.   Good hits on target. No flak. Largest raid of the 8th Air Force, Old Pete flew.  63 ships from our field.  Coming back over Channel we feathered No. 3 engine. Was the fourth ship to land.

Musch, Germany - Railroad Junction visual.  Bomb load 6x500 G.P. and 6xM-17-INC.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 5 1/2 hours.  Oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 22,000 ft.  Moderate flak, very close 032 hit, knocked out No. 3 and 4 engines, landed in Belgium.  Fighters hit 10 ships in 288th Sqd. knocking down 4 ships.  An upper turret gunner knocked down an FW 190.  I didn't see any fighters myself.

 

 

 

 

FW-190

Neuwied, Germany - Railroad Bridge. P.F.F.  Bomb load 6x1000 G.P.   Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 5 1/2 hours.  Oxygen 3 1/2 hours.  Bombed from 22,000 ft.  No flak at all.  No fighters.

Koblenz, Germany - Railroad Bridge on Mosel River visual.  Gas load 2300 Gal.  Bomb load 4x2000 G.P.  Length of mission 6 hours.  Oxygen 3 hours.  Bombed from 22,000 ft. (-38*).  Flak was moderate and very accurate.  A ship in the low left Sqd. received a direct hit.  They really bore sighted on us today.

Rastatt, Germany - Near Karlsruhe, Tank Factory.  G-H.  Bomb load 20x250 G.P. and 2xM-17.  Gas load 2700 Gal.  Length of mission 7 1/2 hours.  Oxygen  5 1/2 hours.  Bombed from 22,500 ft. (-36*).  Flak was light and accurate about 50 miles before the I.P.   We got into some heavy soup and the group was split up.  Visibility was about 300 yards.  Had malfunction in the bomb racks and they dropped out right after we got past the I.P.

Magedburg, Germany - R.R. Marshalling yard in the city.   Bomb load 10x500 G.P.  Gas load 2700 topped off.  Length of mission 8 hours.  Oxygen 5 hours.  Bombed from 23,000 ft.  Flak-intense at the target coming home we got flak at the coast.  Our secondary target was Berlin.

Magedburg, Germany - R.R. Marshalling yard P.F.F.  Bomb load 10x500 G.P.   Gas load 2700 Gal.  Length of mission 7 hours.  Oxygen 4 1/2 hours.  Bombed from 22,500 ft. (-41*).  Flak meager  to moderate at target.  We got 50 miles off course coming home and we got intense flak at Munster and Ossnobruk.  Also got flak at the coast.  Got two holes in deicer boot on the left wing.

Dulman, Germany - Gasoline Fuel Depot near Munster. G-H.  Bomb load 6x1000 G.P.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 6 hours.  Oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 24,400 ft. (-48*).  Flak meager to moderate but not very accurate.  Bomb Bay doors wouldn't close after Bombs away.

Osnabruck, Germany - Marshalling yard. P.F.F.  Bomb load 12x500 G.P.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 6 1/2 hours.  Oxygen 4 hours.  Bombed from 23,000 ft.  Flak moderate, 5/10 cover over target.

Mechede, Germany - Factory Making Casting for Jet Aircraft.  Near Munster. G-H.  Bomb load 6x500 G.P.  6xM-17.  Gas load 2500 Gal.  Length of mission 6 hours.  Oxygen 3 1/2 hours.  Bombed from 20,000 ft. (-32*).  Flak: None at target, meager on bomb run and moderate at bombline near "Koblenz"

Nurnberg, Germany - R.R. Station and Marshalling yard in center of the city. P.F.F.  Bomb load 10x500 G.P.  Gas load 2700 Gal., topped off.  Length of mission 8 1/2 hours.  Oxygen 5 hours.  Bombed from 22,500 ft. (-37*).  Flak was moderate at the target and moderate at the bombline.  Picked up three holes.  One in the bomb bay door No. 3 engine cowling and one in the cockpit just over the co-pilots head.

Gera, Germany - Marshalling yards. H2x  Bomb load 10x500 G.P.  Gas load 2700 Gal.  Length of mission 8 1/2 hours.  Oxygen 5 hours.  Bombed from 23,000 ft.  Flak meager on bomb run.  We were flying through 5/10 clouds and haze over the target.  The worst weather of any our missions.  Peeled off from the formation over the Channel and started our let-down at 15,000 ft.  There was 10/10 clouds from 14,000 ft. down to 300 ft.   Boy we really sweat her out too.  This one was the one to get over.