Dad's WWII B-24 Mission Diary

Today: Something different.

My Dad's WWII B-24 Mission diary.

Tomorrow: the story of the Nose Art.

Mission #1 - May 30, 1944 - Oldenburg, Germany. Target was airfield. Medium flak. Over target at 10:55. Joe Garber shot down. Clark ditched.

#2 - June 2, 1944 - Creil, France. Airfield. Heavy flak all along route. Had hydraulic system shot out. Saw Paris in the distance. Lost Cross. Pete, Bouchard and Bebout. target at 21:21.

#3 - June 4, 1944 - LeTorquet, France. Target German headquarters in hotel. No flak. Hit target at 12:55.

#4 - June 5, 1944 - Ambleteuse, France. Made two runs on the target. Heavy flak directly over Bolougne. Col. Vance ditched in the PFF ship and lost a leg. Target at 09:41.

#5 - June 6, 1944 - St. Lo, France. “D” day. Target was a road intersection. solid cloud cover, no flak. Saw invasion fleet in the channel. Target at 09:01.

#6 - June 7, 1944 - St. Malo, France. Railroad bridge, target destroyed. No flak. 09:10.

#7 - June 13, 1944 - Ploermel, France. Railroad bridge; no more bridge. Hit target at 20:48

#8 - Versailles, France - sub depot. Also hit rail choke point. Hit target. altiˇtude 25,000 ft. flak below and ineffective. First time as squadron lead. 07:12.

#9 - June 20, 1944 - Regenville, France. Rocket plane installations. Flew deputy group lead. Some flak. Dropped on PFF. 06:38.

#10 - June 20, 1944 - Oisemont Neville O Auboin, France. Rocket installations. No bombs, Heavy Flak over with several hits. Our airplane “Bomb Baby” damaged beyond repair. Landed at Wendling, returned to base the next day. Captain Madson’s plane blew up. 20:08.

#11 - June 25, 1944 - Villa Voblay, France, on the outskirts of Paris. Airfield. Heavy flak over target. Left wing man exploded. Blackburn shot down. Lost one plane on takeoff and Hamilton on landing. Lost only pitot tube on our plane. 19:33.

#12 - Aschersleben, Germany. JU-88 factory. Heavy flak at the target. Hit by several ME-109’s. First meeting with the Luftwaffe. Hit target at 09:37.

#13 - July 21, 1944 - Kempten, Germany. Airplane factory. first PFF mission as lead. Some flak over target at 11:23. Had to salvo bombs in field. Led the missionˇ as lead of the wing.

#14 - August 5, 1944 - Brunswick, Germany. Airplane factory. Flak low and inaccurate at target. Lots of damage apparent, with smoke high in the sky. “Bomb Baby” flown by another crew, went down in the channel.

#15 - August 6, 1944 - Hamburg, Germany. Oil storage dump, target destroyed. Heavy flak. Osborne failed out. Lead 491st Bomb Group this day.

#16 - Saarbrucken, Germany. Made some good hits on a marshaling yard. Heavy flak at the target 14:53. Kissinger landed in Switzerland.

#17 - August 13, 1944 - Ground support for troops. target was mainly roads. Plenty of flak. Richard Zettek was killed by flak in the waist. Lead 2nd Air Division.

#18 - August 24, 1944 - Rostock, Germany. Large aircraft factory that will be out of business for a few months. Flak was inaccurate.

#19 - August 27, 1944 - Berlin, Germany. Called back at the Danish coast, but got credit for the mission.

#20 - September 11, 1944 - Magdeburg, Germany. Dropped PFF. Flak heavy but inaccurate. Flew group lead. Target at¯ 12:33.

#21 - September 26, 1944 - Hamm, Germany. PFF mission. Flak inaccurate. Target was marshaling yard.

#22 - October 2, 1944 - Hamm, Germany. Hit the marshaling yards again. No flak encountered.

#23 - October 6, 1944 - Harbourg, Germany (Little Hamburg). Oil installations. PFF bomb run. Heavy flak over target.

#24 - October 9, 1944 - Koblenz, Germany. PFF bomb run. Flak inaccurate. Hit the center of town.

#25 -  October 14, 1944 - Cologne, Germany. PFF run with a long time in the flak. Hit the marshaling yards.

#26 - October 17, 1944 - Cologne, Germany, again. Practically no flak. Hit the marshaling yards again.

#27 - October 22, 1944 -  Hamm, Germany. Marshaling yards. Deputy division lead. No flak.

#28 - October 26, 1944 - Bottrop, Germany (Happy Valley) otherwise known as the Ruhr Valley. Good hits on synthetic oil plant.

#29 - November 2, 1944 -  Bielefeld, Germany. No flak, first attack by jet fighters, the ME-262.

#30 - November 4, 1944 -  Hannover, Germany. Oil installations. Heavy flak, no fighters. -- THE LAST ONE

Also tomorrow: Philip the Bard's Harappan Blog. More Dusty Waters.