Mission 4

Mission Summaries > Decenber 1943

WEDNESDAY, 22 DECEMBER 1943
AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS
ZONE OF INTERIOR (HQ AAF):

Orders are issued for General Carl Spaatz to take command of US Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSAFE). Lieutenant General Ira C Eaker, Eighth Air Force Commanding General, is to Command Allied Air Forces in the MTO, after remaining in the UK until mid-Jan to advise Spaatz and Lieutenant General James H Doolittle, the new Commanding General, Eighth Air Force.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

3 missions are flown:

Mission 161:

Marshalling yards at Osnabrück and Münster, Germany are targeted; 22 US bombers are lost. Heavy cloud conditions along with a malfunction of Pathfinder equipment result in a large number of heavy bombers failing to attack targets.

147 of 225 B-17's, 87 of 121 B-24's and 2 PFF aircraft hit Osnabrück at 1356-1434 hours; they claim 18-8-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17's and 12 B-24's are lost; 2 B-17's and 1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair; and 21 B-17's and 11 B-24's are damaged; casualties are 6 KIA, 13 WIA and 160 MIA.

164 of 177 B-17's, 30 of 43 B-24's and 3 PFF aircraft hit Münster at 1353-1417 hours; 3 B-17's and 2 B-24's are lost, 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair, and 29 B-17's are damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 50 MIA.

The bombers are escorted by 40 P-38's, 448 P-47's and 28 Ninth Air Force P-51's; they claim 15-1-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-38's and 2 P-47's are lost and 1 P-47 is damaged; casualties are 4 MIA.

Mission 162:

6 B-17's drop 1.212 million leaflets on Paris, Amiens, Chartres, Orleans and Rennes, France at 1942-2018 hours; no casualties.

Mission 163:

1 B-17 drops two 2,000 pound (907 kg) general purpose bombs and 1 Photoflash on Cologne, Germany at 2020 hours; no casualties.

RAF light bombers attack numerous NOBALL (V-weapons) targets in France in conjunction with the Osnabrück-Münster raids.

Target: Osnabrück, Germany - Railroad Marshalling Yards
8th Bomber Cmd F.O. No:	161
Aircraft Taking Off:	26
Aircraft Dispatched:	26
Aircraft Aborts:	5
Aircraft Over Primary:	21
Aircraft Over Secondary:	0
Aircraft Over Last Resort:	0
Aircraft Bomb Load:	10 x 500 lb. AN-M43 General Purpose bombs
Group Bomb Load:	210 x 500 lb. AN-M43 General Purpose bombs
Results:	N/A as no bombs were dropped
Tactical Mission Report:	Mission Data: Date: Primary Target: Secondary Target: Last Resort Target: Units Participating: Narrative: One hundred sixty-four aircraft were dispatched in three Combat Wing formations. The 14th Wing followed the 3rd Bomb Division to Münster; the 2nd and 20th Combat Wings were to follow the 1st Bomb Division to Osnabrück. Bombing was to be accomplished on B-17 Pathfinder flares. The Osnabrück force flew a course substantially as briefed. No flares were seen at the I.P. and no smoke markers were seen marking the bomb release line. The 445th Group did not drop. The main force to Osnabrück encountered moderate flak and moderate opposition from enemy aircraft. The 2nd Combat Wing was attacked for about 30 minutes, mostly in the target area. Appx. 80 enemy aircraft including Fw 190s, Bf 109's, Ju 88's, Bf 110's, Me 210's and Do 217's. Rocket attacks were made by Bf 110's at extreme range. Single-engine fighters attacked low from the rear and 2 o'clock high. New aircraft included a Fw 190 with in-line engine (Fw 190D).
Losses: MACR #15597; Aircraft: 42-7554, Name: Tail End Charlie; 1st Pilot: 1st Lt. John H. Allen; Casualties: 7 KIA, 3 POW; Reason for Loss: Shot down by Fw 190. MACR # 16098; Aircraft: 42-7520, Name: Snow Goose; 1st Pilot: 2nd Lt. Norman M. Nelson; Casualties: 10 KIA; Reason for Loss: Under fighter attack and hit by flak, crashed near Bolsward, The Netherlands. 2 Aircrew members of 2nd Lt. William Driscoll's crew (2nd Lt. Donald M. Ripley, Navigator and 2nd Lt. Edward G. Amos Jr., Bombardier) bailed out thinking the aircraft was going down and the interphone was knocked out. 2 POW.
Note: MACR #16098 has the wrong aircraft tail number shown. 2nd Lt Arthur E. Barks, navigator for 2nd Lt Glenn Jorgensen, was struck by a 20mm in the side of his flak suit and was mortally wounded. He remained at his station plotting the route home until he died. Their plane was so badly damaged that all excess weight, including Bark's body, was dropped into the English Channel. For his actions, 2nd Lt Barks was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (2nd highest award for valor, just below the Medal of Honor). Battle Damage: 445th Group had 2 Cat A and 1 Cat E aircraft damaged. The Cat E aircraft was 2nd Lt. Glenn Jorgensen's plane, B-24H-1 FO, 42-7555 named "Lizzie" which crash landed at Manston's emergency strip and was salvaged 23 Dec 43. Casualties: 3 WIA returned with aircraft, 1 KIA remains dropped in the English Channel, 17 KIA and 5 POW over the Continent.

Marshalling Yards and Roundhouse at Osnabrück