"What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" - Part 3-c

This is the final continuation of my father's WW2 flight diary.  For Part 3-A see link and for Part 3-B see link.

As in the first two posts, the information in [ ] are my insertions.  The information in quotation marks (" ") are from the Mighty Eighth Air Force Calendar web site.

Mission 21:  April 3, 1945.  Target: Kiel, Gr.  A 6-hour and 30-minute visual mission against sub pens, shipping and docks.  Flak heavy.  Flew ship #634 with 12 - 500's.
[Note: "Mission 924.  752 B-17s and 569 P-51s are dispatched to hit U-boats yards at Kiel."]

The "Killian" U-Boat Pen (on left at red arrow) and Associated Dry Docks in Kiel after the War
The German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper is in the flooded dock next to the Killian pen.
[courtesy of web site Battlefieldsww2,com]

Mission 22:  April 6, 1945.  Target: Gera, Gr. (Leipzig area).  A 9-hour and 15-minute visual mission against marshalling yard.  No flak.  Formed over France.  Flew ship #318 with 34 150's [bomb weight not clear] and 2 M-17s [incendiaries].
[Note:  "Mission 930.  659 bombers and 593 fighters [P-47 and P-51] hit rail targets in the Leipzig, Germany area using H2X radar. [of these, 109 hit a secondary target at Gera]."

Apr 7, 1945:  Smouse [co-pilot of  #807 "Dream Gal" as of Feb 6, 1945] flew with Owens as co-pilot.  His ship was rammed by Me-109 out of control.  Suppose he was killed instantly.  [According to a roster developed by the 452nd Bomb Group Association, of which I am a member, both First Officer James I. Smouse, Jr. and 2nd Lt David L. Owens were killed inaction on April 7, 1945.] 

[Further information developed from 452nd Bomb Group's newsletter of Dec 2022 is that this mission was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (renamed a Presidential Unit Citation in 1966) "for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy."  The Group sent 37 aircraft to bomb the German jet fighter base at Kaltenkirchen, Germany.  The German resistance was intense including air to air jamming of B-17s by German fighters.  Four of the Group's planes were lost that day and thirteen suffered battle damage.]
[Note:  "Mission 931.  1,314 bombers [B-17 and B-24] and 898 fighters [P-47 and P-51] are dispatched to hit airfields, oil and munitions depots and explosive plants in C[entral] and N[orth] Germany; all primary targets are bombed visually."  Smouse's plane was one of 15 lost in this raid.]

Mission 23:  April 8, 1945.  Target:  Grafenwhr, gr.  A 9-hour and 10-minute visual mission against arsenal, supply depot, and railyards.  Another tour of Germany from 15,000 feet.  No flak.  Saw activity on front lines, P-51's strafed train.  Ship #807 with 8 500 RDX and 2 M-17s.
[NOTE:  "Mission 932.  1,173 bombers [B-17 and B-24] and 794 fighters [P-47 and P-51] attack various targets in Germany."  The part of the mission to Grafenwohr consisted of 203 B-17s.]

Mission 24:  April 14, 1945.  Target: Bayon [-sur-Gironde] France.  An 8-hour and 40-minute visual MILK RUN against flak installations and naval guns.  This was a Nazi pocket near Bordeaux.  No flak over target.  Bombed from 22,000 feet.  Ship #807 with 38 M1A1's.
[Note:  "Mission 948.  1,167 bombers [B-17 and B-24] are dispatched without escort to visually attack enemy pockets on the French Gironde estuary. Other Allied AFs [Air Forces] and French naval units attack similar targets. The air attacks precede a ground assault by a French detachment of the Sixth Army Group on the defense pockets which deny the Allies use of port facilities in the Bordeaux area.  480 of 490 B-17s hit 15 strongpoints and flak batteries in the Bordeaux/Royan, Pointe Coubre and Pointe Grave areas.  338 of 341 B-17s attack 4 strongpoints and flak batteries in the Bordeauz/Royan area."  I don't know which sub-mission was my father's.]

Mission 25:  April 15, 1945.  Target: Royan, Fr.  A 9-hour mission against troop concentration in Nazi ppocket near Bordeaux.  Formed over Laon, France.  Flew over Paris.  Bombed visually from 15,000 feet. No flak in our formation.  Ship #807 with 6 - 600# gasoline-jelly P-51 tanks (leaked all over hell [in airplane].  Free French Navy shelling town while we bombed.
[Note:  "Mission 951.  1,348 unescorted bombers [B-17 and B-24] are dispatched to visually attack strongpoints on the French Atlantic coast; the first two forces [My father's was the first one.] below make the sole operational employment of napalm bombs by Eighth AF against German ground installations (pillboxes, gunpits, tank trenches, and heavy gun emplacements); the results are negligible and HQ recommends its discontinuance against this type of target:
1.  492 of 529 B-17s hit four strongpoints and flak batteries in the Royan area."]

Mission 26:  April 16, 1945.  Target: Saulac [sic - Soulac-sur-Mer], Fr.  An 8-hour and 20-minute mission against tank barriers and defenses on the Gironde estuary near Bordeaux.  Bombed visually from 15,000 feet.  No flak.  Ship #807 with 6 - 1000# G.P.s  french Navy and artillery shelled target.
[Note:  "Mission 955.  During the morning, 485 of 489 B-17s bomb the tank ditch defense line at Pointe de Grave on the S[outh] side of the Gironde estuary in the Bordeaux area in support of the ground assault in that area."

Mission 27:  April 17, 1945.  Target: Dresden, Gr.  An 8-hour and 35-minute mission against marshalling yards.  Weather was bad and umpteen million other groups were over, betwix and between, and under us.  So, our squadron didn't drop.  Brung 'em home.  Lot of flak but not near.  Flew ship #807 with 12 - 500's.  [This was my father's last combat mission although he didn't know it at the time.]
[Note:  "Mission 957.  1,054 bombers [B-17 and B-24] and 816 fighters [P-47 and P-51] are dispatched to hit rail targets in E[astern] Germany and W[estern] Czechoslovakia.
1.  450 B-17s are dispatched to hit rail center (152) and marshalling yard (276) at Dresden.
2.  410 B-17s are sent to Dresden area (76) ... 86 hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Dresden ... ."]

Mission 28:  May 2, 1945.  Chow hound mission to Amsterdam.
[Note:  "Mission 975.  401 B-17s are dispatched to drop food supplies in the Netherlands at Schipol (250) airfield [Amsterdam's main airport - still in operation.  In fact I flew into and out of there in September 1983 on NATO Exercise Atlantic Lion.] and other locations."]

Mission 29:  May 6, 1945.  Chow hound mission to Amsterdam.
[Note:  "Mission 981.  383 B-17s are dispatched to drop food at Schipol (249) Airfield and other locations.  693,3 tons [in total] are dropped."]
[Note:  The missions this day were the last three offensive missions flown by the Mighty Eighth.  The war officially ended the next day.]

[Historical Note:  Operations Manna (RAF and other Allies) and Chowhound (USAAF) were humanitarian food drops, carried out to relieve a famine in German-occupied Netherlands, undertaken by Allied bomber crews during the final days of World War II in Europe.  A total of over 11,000 tons of food [were dropped] into the still unliberated western part of the Netherlands, with the acquiescence of the occupying German forces, to feed Dutch civilians in danger of starvation.  After it was realized that Manna and Chowhound would be insufficient, a ground-based relief operation named Operation Faust was launched.  On 2 May, 200 Allied trucks began delivering food to the city of Rhenen, behind German lines.  On the American side, ten bomb groups of the US Third Air Division [the division to which the 452nd Group was assigned] flew 2,268 sorties beginning 1 May, delivering a total of 4,000 tons.  400 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers dropped 800 tons of K-rations during 1-3 May on Amsterdam Schipol Airport.]
{courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_Manna_and_Chowhound }

This ended my father's operational flying in Europe.  On June 29, 1945, his squadron left Deopham Green en route to the United States, flying via the Azores and Gander, Newfoundland, Canada to Bradley Field, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, where they landed on July 4.

I hope that this look at the past via my father's flight diary has been enlightening.  As I stated in the first installment, I hope to have more in future months.  But for now, "engines cut."

"What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" - Part 3-B

This is the continuation of my father's WW2 flight diary.  For Part 3-A, see link.

As in the first post, the information in [ ] are my insertions.  The information in quotation marks (" ") are from the Mighty Eighth Air Force Calendar web site.

Mission 11:  February 20, 1945.  Target: Nurnburg, Gr.  A 9-hour mission against marshalling yards.  We lost the group in clouds and flew with six different groups till back to the lines [presumably the front lines between Allied and German armies].  The we took off alone for home.  A "milk run" but sorta long.  We flew ship #807 with 20 - 250's [250 pound general purpose bombs].
[Note:  "Mission 836.  1,264 bombers and 726 fighters are dispatched to hit the main station and marshalling yard at Nurnburg, Germany; the target is bombed visually and using H2X radar."]

Mission 12:  February 23, 1945.  Target: Ansbach, Gr.  A 9-hour visual mission against marshalling yards.   A beautiful job of bombing from 14,000 feet.  No flak whatever.  A cook's tour of central Germany.  Went in over Belgium and came out through southern Germany, saw Alps and Switzerland.  We flew ship #917 with 12 500's.
[Note:  "Mission 843-1.  As a follow-up to the yesterday's attacks on transportation facilities as part of Operation CLARION, 1,274 bombers and 705 fighters are dispatched to hit marshalling yards in Germany.  ... B17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at ...Ansbach (109) ... ."]

Mission 13:  February 25, 1945.  Target: Munich, Gr.  A 9-hour and 30-minute visual mission against marshalling yards.  Flak was extra heavy, barrage and tracking, but we got thru without a hole.  Good bombing, column of smoke visual for over hour after we left target.  25,000' [presumably altitude of bomb release].  We flew ship #807 with 6 RDX 500's and 6 M-17 incendiaries.
[Note:  "Mission 847-1 or -2.  1,197 bombers and 755 fighters are dispatched to hit tank factories, airfields associated with jet aircraft, oil depots and tail target visually.  1-- B-17s are sent to hit ... the station and marshalling yard (73) and oil storage tanks and marshalling yard (174) at Munich ... 2-- B-17s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yard at Munich (315) ... ."]  [I'm not sure which of these sub-missions my father was on.]

Mission 14:  March 3, 1945.  Target: Edmison, Gr.  A 7-hour and 30 minute P.F.F. [Pathfinder Force led] mission against oil refinery and depot.  No flak near us.  Passed Hamburg.  Missed target, one bomb hit railroad, others messed up Ludwig's potato patch.  Good weather but prop-wash was terrific.
Saw my first Jerry jetfighter.  An Me-262 with two dozen P-51's on it's tail.  Two of them made a head-on pass at our low squadron.
We flew ship #807 with 12 - 500's.
[Note:  "Mission 861.  1,102 bombers and 743 fighters are dispatched to bomb oil refineries, oil plant works, motor transport factory, tank plant, and rail bridge in NC [north central] and E[ast] Germany."]  [I cannot identify the town of Edmison so I do not know exactly which sub-mission was involved.  There were many targets struck during the overall mission.]

Mission 15:  March 4, 1945.  Target: Nurnburg, Gr.  We flew 7 hours and 30 minutes before division was re-called.  Just over bomb-line.  Bad weather.  Flew ship #868 with 6 - 500's and 6 - M-17 incendiaries.  Formed over France.  [This is first instance of him remarking about formation occurring over France.]
[Note:  "Mission 863.  1,028 bombers and 522 fighters are dispatched to bomb targets in SW Germany; bad weather causes 300+ aborts."]

Mission 16:  March 5, 1945.  Target: Chemnitz, Gr.  A 9-hour P.F.F. mission against synthetic oil depot and marshalling yard.  Formed over France.  Saw a few bursts of flak but none over target.  Weather bad.  We left group on way home and come back with #3 ship.  Rumored that jets were around but I didn't see them.  We flew ship #807 with 10 - 500# R.D.X.'s.
[Note:  "Mission 865.  429 bombers and 689 fighters are dispatched to hit oil targets in Germany; the primary target for the B-17s is the synthetic oil plant at Ruhland but weather forces them to hit the secondary target; all bombing is with H2X radar; ... 233 of 303 B-17s hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Chemnitz."  Note:  This diversion may explain the lack of flak over the target.]

Mission 17:  March 8, 1945.  Target: Langendrier [sic, actually Langendreer], Gr.  An 8-hour and 35-minute PFF mission against synthetic oil plant.  Flak light.  Lost our hydraulic pressure and landed at Woodbridge [Note:  RAF Woodbridge is in Suffolk, England; constructed in 1943 to assist damaged aircraft to land on their returms from raids over Germany.].  Came back here [to Deopham Green] the same night.  We flew ship #807 with 14 - 500's.
[Note:  This may be the mission that my father had to manually hand-crank the landing gear into its down position, similar to what was depicted in the movie "Memphis Belle."  He told this story a couple of times.]
[Note:  Mission 872.  1,353 bombers and 326 fighters are dispatched to hit benzol plants, an oil plant and rail targets in Germany using PFF; NO AIRCRAFT ARE LOST AND THERE ARE NO CASUALTIES! [Capitalized in original document.]  ...  B-17s are dispatched to hit the Robert Muser (99) and Bruchstrasse (63) benzol plants at Langendreer ... bombing is with H2X radar."

Mission 18:  March 15, 1945.  Target: Oranienburg (Berlin area).  An 8-hour and 15-minute mission against marshalling yard in town 15 miles from Berlin.  Flak heavy, but inaccurate.  I flew tail today [I think this means he was in the tail gunner position.]  We flew ship #807 with 12 - 500's.
[Note:  Mission 889.  1,353 bombers and 833 fighters are dispatched to hit German Army HQ [at Zossen, which later became the headquarters of the Group of Soviet Forces, Germany] and a marshalling yard at Oranienburg.  ...  612 of 675 B-17s attack the marshalling yard at Oranienburg visually."]

Mission 19:  March 17, 1945.  Target: Plaun [sic - Plauen], Gr.  An 8-hour mission against marshalling yards.  P.F.F. from 27,800 feet.  Briefed for Ruhland.  Flew over but didn't bomb.  Ship #807 with 12 - 500's.
[Note:  Mission 892.  1,328 bombers and 820 P-51s are dispatched to hit oil, industrial, and rail targets in Germany; clouds extend from 1,000 to 15,000 feet (305 to 4,572 m) and over targets there is 9/10 and 10/10 cloud cover [Note: Totally overcast.] necessitating PFF methods for bombing. ... 527 B-17s are sent to hit the oil refinery at Ruhland (214) ... targets of opportunity are the Vomag munitions factory at Plauen (125) ... ."

Vomag Munitions Factory, Plauen, Germany, before the war

Mission 20:  March 19, 1945.  Target: Ruhland, Gr.  A 9-hour and 45-minute P.F.F. mission against synthetic oil plant.  I flew with LT. Tennant's crew.  Three ME 262's jumped us just before "bombs away."  made one pass at our formation but did no damage.  Other jets hit rest of group and knocked down eight.  Flew ship #356.
[Note:  Mission 896.  1,273 bombers and 675 fighters are dispatched to hit airfields and industrial targets in Germany visually and with H2X radar; clouds force 2 [both B-17] of the 3 forces to hit secondaries; 100+ Luftwaffe fighters including 36 Me 262s in formation (largest number of jets seen as a unit) are encountered."  I'm not sure in which of the two B-17 forces my father was a member.  Neither description list Ruhland as the target.]

And on March 20, 1945, my father indicates that he "went to Walhampton House in Lymington for flak-leave."  [Note:  From the Imperial War Museum's American Air Museum in Britain web site, the Walhampton House was "one of sixteen country houses or 'flak-homes' which housed airmen for Rest and Recuperation away from the stress of flying missions ... for a week away from the horrors of war.  Each serviceman was entitled to at least one rest period during their 25-30 mission tour.  ...  It was set up to accommodate 50 enlisted men and was allocated to the 3rd Bomb Division."  More details are at the link, above.]

Walhampton House as it stands in 2020, a boarding preparatory school.

Today's view over the Solent to the Isle of Wight

And as this ends another ten missions and my father is resting at Walhampton, this is a good place for us to take a break.  Part 3-C, the final missions and return to the States is forthcoming.

"What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" - Part 3-A

It has been a long time since I made any posts in this series about what my father, Leslie Pelham Pitts, did during WW2.  The two previous posts, Part 1 and Part 2, were made in December 2011 and January 2012, respectively.

These three posts (3-A, 3-B, and 3-C) will list the missions in which my father participated as a crew member of a B-17 in the 731st Bombardment Squadron, 452nd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, flying out of Deopham Green Air Base in the United Kingdom.  They are copied verbatim from his flight diary which is in my possession.  At the time he was a Tech Sergeant and was top turret gunner and flight engineer for all of the missions.

Aerial image of RAF Deopham Green, Norfolk, England, Jul 1946
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

His first ship, #702, was named "Sweet Sue" and the second, #807, was named "Dream Gal."  I think the first name was after his sweetheart, my soon to be mother, Sue.

Note:  Any notes or comments made by me are in square brackets [ ] .  I've also used an on-line 8th Air Force mission calendar to verify his recollections.  Quotations are from the mission calendar.

Mission 1:  November 24, 1944.  Target: Lutzendort.  A 9-hour P.F.F. [Pathfinder Force led] mission against synthetic oil plant.  Flak very heavy.  Looked like a thick black cloud.  We got hit in #1 [fuel] tank.  No ships lost.  We flew ship # 745 with 12 500# G.P.'s [500 pound general purpose bombs].  Our ship was late taking-off so we went to war all by ourselves.  Later we fell in with a 1st Division group but left them after the target.  [The 452nd Group was in the 3rd Air Division.]
[Note:  The mission calendar has no missions on the 24th, stating that all were cancelled because of weather.  There was a small mission on the 23rd against the Norstern benzoil plant near Gelsenkirchen and a large mission on the 25th against a synthetic oil plant at Merseburg.  I believe that latter mission is the one on which my father flew his first mission, since it was apparently postponed from the 24th.]
[Note:  "Mission 723.  1,043 bombers and 965 fighters are dispatched to hit synthetic oil plant at Merseburg, Germany using H2X ... .  671 of 766 B-17s hit the Leuna oil plant at Merseburg."]

Mission 2:  November 25, 1944.  Target: Hamm, Gr [Germany].  A 6-hour P.F.F. mission against railroad installations and marshaling yards.  Flak very light (milk-run).  We flew ship #726 with 12 500# G.P.'s.
[Note:  No mission to Hamm on this date, see above.  The marshalling yard at Hamm was hit on the 26th, which was probably his second mission.]
[Note:  "Mission 725.  1.137 bombers and 732 fighters are dispatched to make attacks on rail viaducts,marshalling yards and oil installations in W Germany.  ...  381 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Hamm (266)."]

Mission 3:  December 4, 1944.  Target: Giessen, Gr. An 8-hour visual mission against marshaling yards.  Flak heavy in spots.  Jerry tracked us and got two hits in our left wing and Haas [one of the crew] got his tail feathers singed in ball [turret].   There was [sic] three changes in lead, the third navigator screwed up and took us over Frankfurt - lost two ships.  We flew #702 with 10 - 500# G.P.'s and 2 M-17 500# incendiaries.
[Note:  "Mission 736.  1,191 bombers and 977 fighters are dispatched to make PFF attacks on rail targets in Germany.  ...  457 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at ... Giessen (62 aircraft).]

Mission 4:  December 5, 1944.  Target: Berlin (Big "B").  An 8-hour visual mission against tank and mobile gun factory.  Flak heavy - but none near us.  Jerry hit groups behind us with fighters.  Our lead-ship went down with 3 engines out.  But for us - another milk-run. We flew ship #702 with 20 250# G.P.'s.  Big "B" ain't so big any more.
[Note:  "Mission 738.  589 bombers and 884 fighters are dispatched to make attacks on Germany.  ...  451 B-17s are dispatched to make PFF attacks on munitions and tank plants at Berllin (404 aircraft)"]

Mission 5:  December 18, 1944.  Target: Mainz, Gr.  We flew a 7-hour and 15-minute raid as chaff ship against marshaling yards.  We took-off in fog so thick that the birds were sitting along the edge of the runway looking at us in wonder.  They weren't even walking.  Our ship was #934 - an ole war-weary job.  It couldn't stay with the others - so again we went off to war all by our lonesome.  Jerry fighters hit the group right behind us.  And there we were "flubbin-th-dub" all over the Jerry sky.  A P-51 named "Lady Ovella" picked us up and escorted us to France.  We hit the deck and came back over Dover.  Those white cliffs so looked good!
[Note:  "Mission 754.  985 bombers and 773 fighters are dispatched to hit communication and tactical targets in Germany using PFF.  ...  157 of 220 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Mainz.]

Mission 6:  December 24, 1944.  Target: Darmstadt, Gr.  An 8-hour and 15-minute visual mission against Jerry airfield.  It was a max effort with 7,000 Allied planes in the air.
[Note:  "Mission 760.  A high pressure front across W Europe brings clear weather and the Eighth AF launches a maximum effort against airfields and communications in W Germany; this was the largest air strike of WWII; 2,034 bombers and 853 fighters are dispatched; they claim 92-6-21 Luftwaffe aircraft; 12 bombers and 10 fighters are lost.]
Jerry was also up in force.  He hit the group right ahead of us.  I saw two ships fall in flames.  We ran into heavy flak over the front lines.  The lead fell and we got several bad jolts.  We stayed with the group altho No's 1 and 2 engines were hit.  The primary was knocked out and also the secondary.  So we hit the last resort target.  Murad [the bombardier] really did a job on a bridge and both sides of the river [not further identified]. (Marshaling yards)  [Note:  26 targets of opportunity are hit by 37 B-17s.]
Then "we had it."  Had to feather #1 and #2 was windmilling.  We lost altitude and fell behind the formation.  Fuel was getting low so we landed at Laon, France on Christmas eve.  Stayed there till the 27th when we got a ride back on a C-47.  The nite before, ole Jerry strafed the field and shot-up a B-24 and a C-64.  Didn't touch our ole ship.  But, she was a wreck anyway.  Over 70 holes, 2 engines out and the other two almost as bad, and the main spar in the right wing almost shot in two.
That was ship #702 ["Sweet Sue"] with 12 500# Mk. II incendiaries.
[Note:  Calendar states 11 B-17s were damaged beyond repair.  Evidently "Sweet Sue" was one of them.]

B-17s dropping bombs on Dec. 24, 1944
Photo courtesy of  the Imperial War Museum's American Air Museum

Mission 7:  January 5, 1945.  Hanau, Gr.  An 8-hour & 15-minute visual mission against marshalling yards.  Flak was high and to the right - big stuff - 155 mm.  Gave the place a good plastering.  They gave us 9 hours worth of gas for a 10 hour mission.  So we landed at Laon again.  Had a good time there and came back on the 7th.  We flew ship #318 with 8 250's and 2 M-17 incendiaries.  (Koerber [original pilot] made command pilot so we checked out with Lewis [former co-pilot] as pilot.)
[Note:  Mission 871.  "1,032 bombers and 584 fighters are dispatched to hit rail targets and airfelds in C Germany. ... 370 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Hanau (57) ... .]

Mission 8:  February 6, 1945.  Target: Chemnitz (Leipzig area).  A 9-hour P.F.F. mission against synthetic oil plant.  We were the first group over the target.  Must have taken them by surprise 'cause the flak came up after we left.  On the way in we got flak over the Frisian Islands and coming home lead screwed-up and took us over Frankfort and Weisbaden.  Saw one ship go down in flames.  We flew ship #700 with 6 500's.  Gas was very low so we came home alone.
[Note:  "Mission 821.  1,383 bombers and 904 fighters are dispatched to attack oil targets in Germany; the expected clear weather does not materialize and the bombers attack secondary targets and targets of opportunity using H2X radar. ... 474 of 494 B-17s hit the secondary target in 2 forces, the marshalling yard at Chemnitz ... .]

B-17s from 3rd Air Division bombing Chemnitz marshalling yard on Feb. 6, 1945
Photo courtesy of  the Imperial War Museum's American Air Museum

Mission 9:  February 9, 1945.  Target: Fulda, Gr.  A 7-hour and 35-minute mission to the Leipzig area.  Chemnitz was primary target but we couldn't hit it because of weather.  Missed secondary and last resort.  So we dropped on target of opportunity.  We flew ship #807 with 10 500's.
[Note:  "Mission 824.  1,296 bombers and 871 fighters in 6 forces hit oil targets in Germany; except where noted, attacks were made with PFF; ... targets of opportunity are ... the munitions industry at ... Fulda (24)"]

Mission 10:  February 19, 1945.  Target: Osnabrueck, Gr.  A 6-hour and 30-minute mission against marshalling yards.  A milk-run.  We flew ship #143 with 10 500's.
[Note:  Part of Mission 835, "196 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Osnabruck (155)"]


This ends the first part of my father's mission log.  Parts 3-B and 3-C will be along later.

Visit to the B-17 "Aluminum Overcast"

Last weekend (Oct. 13-15), the B-17G "Aluminum Overcast" paid a visit to the Jackson, MS area.  She flew into the John Bell Williams Airfield in nearby Raymond.  There were both flying tours and static tours available.  I went out to see her since my father flew on one during WW2.  You can see the other posts I made about my father's service by following the "8th Air Force" subject link.

She belongs to the Experimental Aircraft Association who were the ones who brought her here.  She was delivered to the Army Air Force in May 1945, too late to see active service.  But with the exception of a replica top turret, she has been restored to her 1945 glory.  The latter is a shame since that was my father's duty position.

I took a number of pictures which are included below for your enjoyment.  Remember to click on them to see a larger view.

She carries the colors of the 398th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and is dedicated to B-17G #42-102516 which was shot down on its 34th combat mission over Le Manior, France on August 13, 1944.

Poster on display which is cropped and blown up in the three images below.

The tour entered here at the nose.

The nose art

Bomb bay with decommissioned bomb load.

Looking forward through the bomb bay toward the top turret and cockpit.

Ball turret position

Port side waist gun position

Outside showing ball turret with hatch opened to show gunner's cramped position

Looking up through bomb bay into top turret position

I tried to get some other pictures, particularly in the nose bombardier/navigator position and in the cockpit but the glare from the outside was too much for my camera.  Hope you enjoyed the ones I did take.

"What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" -- Part 2

While looking through a box of files, the outside of which had been damaged by water at my rented storage facility, I found a document of my father's that I had thought was lost.  And I am so pleased that I did find it!!

Commonly known as a "blood chit" (link), this item was used primarily by air crews to aid in escape and evasion if shot down behind enemy lines.  My father's blood chit was issued to US Army Air Force flight crews who might fall into Russian hands in order to identify them as Americans.  It is in almost perfect condition and included the heavy-duty plastic sleeve with the "dummy cord" still attached.

"Front" of the blood chit with pronunciation guide for "I am an American" and message to contact the American military mission in Moscow.

"Back" of the blood chit with smaller version of front image/phrases and instructions for using the chit.  Notice the warning in number 5 and the caveat in number 6.

"Front" of chit in the heavy-duty plastic sleeve, with attached "dummy cord"

"Rear" of chit in heavy-duty plastic sleeve, with attached "dummy cord"

According to the Snyder's Treasure web site (link), these chits were made of very thin dense woven rayon and measured approximately 9-1/2" x 7-1/2" when unfolded.  When folded into quarters and put into the plastic sleeve, these chits could be carried in the pocket of the airman's flight suit.  Luckily my father never had to use his!

The first part of this series is here:  link.

"What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" -- Part 1

In response to a question about where our father was stationed during WW2 from my younger brother, I did some more examination of his "flight diary."  My father kept a small notepad in which he recorded very basic information about the bombing missions he flew as a flight engineer and top turret gunner of a B-17 assigned to the 731st Bombardment Squadron, 452nd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, from November 24, 1944 through May 6, 1945.  They were based at Deopham Green Air Base (link).  He flew a total of 29 missions, 27 of them were combat and 2 were humanitarian.  The targets were throughout Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, etc.) and France (German enclaves along Atlantic Coast).  The two humanitarian missions were in early May 1945, delivering food to Amsterdam.  He called them "chow hound" missions.  His plane and crew left England on June 29, 1945, and flew back to the USA via the Azores.  They were in the midst of transitioning to B-29s at Sioux Falls Army Air Base, South Dakota, when the Pacific War ended.

In the back of the notepad, my father had drawn his B-17:

The Square L was the tail symbol of the 752nd group

To give you a little better perspective of his in-flight duties, I can highly recommend the movie The Memphis Belle.  My father told me one time that, like the crew of the Memphis Belle, he had to crank down the landing gear by hand.  

One of the two planes in which he flew (the "Sweet Sue") was shot up on a bombing mission against Darmstadt on December 24.  They were extremely low on fuel and had to make an emergency landing at Laon, France, where they spent Christmas before being flown back to their base on December 27.

I will probably be posting more as I do a better examination of his flight diary and compare it to the history of the squadron and group.

And for those who are interested, Ancestry.com is making their WW2 records available free of charge until midnight on December 7.  link