Mission 62

Mission Summaries > April 1944

SATURDAY, 29 APRIL 1944

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force):

Mission 327:

679 bombers and 814 fighters are dispatched to bomb Berlin, concentrating on railway facilities; they claim 95-33-48 Luftwaffe aircraft; 63 bombers and 13 fighters are lost:

210 of 228 B-17s bomb Berlin; 10 B-17s are lost and 150 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 7 WIA and 100 MIA.

218 B-17s are dispatched to Berlin; 158 hit the primary, 24 hit Magdeburg, 10 hit Brandenburg and 4 hit targets of opportunity; 28 B-17s are lost and 161 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 20 WIA and 260 MIA.

212 of 233 B-24s bomb Berlin marshalling yard; 25 B-24s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 121 damaged; 13 airmen are KIA, 11 WIA and 246 MIA.

Escort is provided by 117 P-38s, 463 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 234 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; 3 P-38s and 10 P-51s are lost; 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair; 7 P-38s, 16 P-47s and 7 P-51s are damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 12 MIA.

Mission 328:

4 of 4 B-17s drop 1.06 million leaflets on 21 towns in Northern France and The Netherlands without loss.

14 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions without loss.

Target: Berlin, Germany - Marshalling Yards
8th Air Force Mission No:	327
Aircraft Taking Off:	14
Aircraft Dispatched:	11
Aircraft Aborts:	1
Aircraft Over Primary:	10
Aircraft Over Secondary:	0
Aircraft Over Last Resort:	0
Aircraft Bomb Load:	5 x 1,000 lb. AN-M65 General Purpose bombs 3 x 100 lb. AN-M41 Incendiary bombs
Group Bomb Load:	50 x 1,000 lb. AN-M65 General Purpose bombs 30 x 100 lb. AN-M41 Incendiary bombs
Results:	Unobserved due to 10/10 cloud cover
Tactical Mission Report:	Mission Data: 2nd Bomb Division Tactical Mission Report Date: 29 April 1944 Primary Target: Berlin, Marshalling Yards Secondary Target: None. Last Resort Target: Any military onjective positively identified as being fifty miles inside Germany Units Participating: 2nd CBW (453rd, 445th, 389th BG). 14th CBW (44th, 392nd BG). 96th CBW (466th, 458th, 467th BG). 20th CBW (93rd, 446th, 448th BG). Narrative: Four Combat Wings dispatched 233 aircraft to attack Berlin. Five Groups of P-47s, one Group of P-38s and two Squadrons of RAF Mustangs were detailed as fighter support. Assemblies were without incident and the Division departed the English coast on time and on course. The route to the target was flown generally as briefed, but due to the wind being stronger than briefed, units were unable to make times good and arrived at the target approximately twenty minutes late. After bombing, a right turn was made towards the Rally Point, but due to an exceedingly strong tail wind, the training Wings of the formation were forced South of course. The leader overtook B-17 formations and escheloned himself to the right as briefed, on a heading to intercept the correct route. A turn to the right by the B-17s forced the 14th and 96th Combat Wings in lead of the Division to the North of course. The 20th and 2nd Combat Wings in trail were not affected by this turn and proceeded back to base on the planned route. The 14th and 96th Wings pinpointed themselves, resumed the correct course and left the enemy coast at the briefed point. All combat wings dropped their bombs on PFF in the Berlin area with unobserved results. Intense and accurate flak was encountered enroute and in the target area. Although fighter support was good, it was estimated that 160 enemy aircraft were seen by this Division and there were numerous heavy encounters. Division losses were twenty-six aircraft; eighteen to enemy aircraft, two to flak, one to enemy aircraft and flak, and five to unknown causes. The Division claim twenty-six enemy aircraft destroyed, five probables, and seven damaged. 445th Group Mission Report 1. A/C Scheduled---------------------------- 14 A/C Airborne----------------------------- 14 A/C Returned Early--------------------- 3 A/C Dispatched-------------------------- 11 A/C Abortive----------------------------- 1 A/C Over Target------------------------- 10 A/C Returned---------------------------- 10 Mission Duration------------------------ 8 Hrs 17 Min 2. Assembly: Our take off went as briefed and we climbed to 15,000 feet according to plan B of our Tactical Doctrine. The Group assembly was very slow due to the fact that our assembly ship aborted and we fired the wrong color flares, this happened during the first 30 minutes of our assembly period. To add to the difficulty our VHF was inoperative. However during the last 12 minutes of the assembly over Buncher #6, the Group formed quickly and were in good formation at the time we left Buncher #5. The rest of the assembly went as briefed with the possible exception of being cut out of the formation by the 14th Combat Wing, whose lead was flying to our left at the same altitude. However, we departed the English coast in good Wing Formation, on course, and two minutes late. 3. Route In: The route in was flown pretty well as briefed except for an unusual amount of S ing, due to the fact that our lead Group tried to stay behind a Division of B-17's flying off to our right. We cut south of our C.W. IP and were forced to the right on our bomb run by a Wing of B-24's. We fell in immediate trail of the 453rd Group about 300 feet below them. After bombs away they turned off to the right but we were forced to continue on our heading to keep from passing under a Wing of B-17's on their bomb run. This forced us over the center of the city. We lost 1,000 feet of altitude on our turn away from Berlin and continued out to the south of the city. 4. Route Out: On the route out we went to the south of course and drove over Magdeburg. All this time we were taking evasive action, both from flak and B-17's and B-24's. We stayed south of the briefed course until we reached a spot 15 miles north of Brunswick and from there on had an average course 10 miles north of the briefed route. 5. Flak: We encountered intermittent flk along our route but it was inaccurate and never very concentrated. Over the target flak was moderate and accurate. Over Magdeburg it was heavy, accurate and plentiful. Our route from Magdeburg out was exempt of any more flak. 6. Enemy Fighters: We had two attacks from fighters at 11 o'clock on the way in and another on the way out. Both were head on attacks and were not repeated. 7. Fighter Support: It was good to the target area but weak on the return. This was probably due to the fact that we were 40 minutes late.
Losses: None.
Note: None.

Berlin, Germany - Marshalling Yards