Mission 59

Mission Summaries > April 1944

WEDNESDAY, 26 APRIL 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 319:

589 bombers and 554 fighters are dispatched to targets in Germany; no claims of enemy aircraft are made; 5 fighters are lost:

357 B-17s dispatched; 292 hit the industrial area at Brunswick, 47 hit the Hildesheim/Hannover area and 5 hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 121 damaged; casualties are 9 KIA and 3 WIA.

238 B-24s dispatched to Paderborn fail to bomb because there were no PFF aircraft in the formation; 18 B-24s were damaged; 1 airman was KIA. The 445th Bomb Group dropped on a target of opportunity – the railroad marshalling yard at Gütersloh, Germany.

Escort is provided by 90 P-38s, 311 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 153 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 1 P-38 and 4 P-51s are lost and 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair; 1 pilot is KIA and 5 MIA.

62 B-17s are dispatched to Cologne but are recalled at mid-English Channel because of weather; some aircraft carry 2,000 lb (907 kg) glide bombs on external racks. Escort is provided by 43 P-47s and 47 P-51s; the P-47s claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft Fighter-bomber missions: 33 P-38s (including Droopsnoot aircraft), plus escorts, hit Le Mans Airfield, France without loss; 24 P-51s, plus 4 escorts, bomb Cormeilles-en-Vexin Airfield, France without loss.

Mission 320:

5 of 5 B-17s drop 800,000 leaflets on Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Liege and Gosselies, Belgium at 2330-2358 hours without loss.

Target: Gütersloh, Germany - Hangers at Gütersloh Airfield
8th Air Force F.O. No:	319
Aircraft Taking Off:	24
Aircraft Dispatched:	23
Aircraft Aborts:	1
Aircraft Over Primary:	0
Aircraft Over Secondary:	0
Aircraft Over Last Resort:	0
Aircraft Bomb Load:	12 x 500 lb. AN-M43 General Purpose bombs
Group Bomb Load:	264 x 500 lb. AN-M43 General Purpose bombs
Results:	Unobserved due to 10/10 cloud cover
Tactical Mission Report:	Mission Data: Date: 26 April 1944 Primary Target: Gütersloh and Paderborn Airfields. 14th and 2nd Combat Bomb Wings - Hangers at Güterslohh. 20th and 96th Combat Bomb Wings - Main building area, storage depots and hangers at Paderborn. Secondary Target: Lippstadt Airfields - 14th and 2nd Combat Bomb Wings. Last Resort Target: Any Positively identified military objective 50 miles inside Germany or any airfield in occupied territory not adjacent to a built-up area. Units Participating: 14th CBW (44th, 392nd BGs) 20th CBW (93rd, 446th, 448th BGs) 2nd CBW (389th, 453rd "A", 445th, 453rd "B" BGs) 96th CBW (458th, 466th, 467th BGs) Narrative: Assembly: Climb: Route In: Bomb Run: Route Out: Enemy Fighters: Fighter Support: Flak:
Losses: None.
Note: Bombs were jettisoned in an effort to conserve fuel. Coordinates of the release point were 52-20N and 08-29E.

Gütersloh, Germany - Hangers at Gütersloh Airfield