|
918th
Bomb group H Archbury England GIVE UM HELL |
Jan. 23, 1943 Lorient
Squadron
Bomb Run Average:
Damage:
Mission
Description:
The
squadron had no problem to assemble and join the group. We had a good formation
across the North Sea and no enemy fighters attacked the low squadron. When we
neared the Netherlands, it seemed as if the pilots were nervous. The squadron
was loose, but fortunately no enemies took the opportunity to fight us at this
point.
One group
of 109s must have seen our poor flying earlier. A staffel of 109s attacked us
from the North and West (Table B-3 Wave #52). There were many
inexperienced pilots. They fired from too far away and broke off early. One
damaged The Flying Carpet, which had to leave.
When we
made landfall two waves attacked. The first came in from the North-West (Table
B-3 Wave #14). Four 109s went for Black Cat flying #6. It was hit in the
left inboard fuel tank. FO Carpenter began a steep dive to try to extinguish
the fire, but the wing exploded. We counted three chutes.
The second
wave (Table B-3 Wave #52) consisted of three forces, a staffel from the
North-East, one from the South and one from North-West. Again, many poor pilots
and a co-ordinated attack. By now we had reached the flak area over Vegesack
and no more fighters were seen until after the flak. General Savage took us
over the target at Vegesack, but the aim point was covered by the undercast and
he continued on to the secondary at Wilhelmshaven.
After flak,
fighters appeared again and attacked in three waves (Table B-3 Wave
#44,44,56 ). As before there were many inexperienced pilots, but now they
were accompanied with at least as many ace pilots, who hit each plane several
times. Rascal was hit in an engine which didn’t feather so Major Presley had
leave immediately after the bomb drop. Howling Wolf had a fire in the waist and
also left after the drop. White Lace was now alone and although still in
formation the German pilots singled her out and attacked without mercy. She
took a hit in the left wing tank and a fire broke out. Five men bailed out.
There were no more ships in the low squadron. All had been shot down or left the squadron to fight their way back to Archbury alone.
WHITE LACE – Capt. Johnson: White Lace was hit by fighters in the left wing. The crew bailed out due to a fuel tank fire. Five parachutes were seen.
SANDRA – Capt. Weatherby: The flak over Vegesack damaged the bomb bay doors so Capt Weatherby couldn’t bomb. Then the #3 supercharger malfunctioned so Sandra couldn’t keep up with the formation. It was a long, slow trip back home. Sandra was shot down moments later.
THE
FLYING CARPET – 2LT Armstrong: We had a shaky take-off. I almost didn’t get the heavy ship off the
ground. When the first fighters engaged us 50 miles North-West of Landfall, a
109 from 6 level hit us in the tail and destroyed the oxygen. The tail gunner,
PFC Rawlings, extingushed the oxygen fire without any trouble. At this time I
had no other choice but to leave the formation and return to Archbury.
As soon as
we had left the formation and dumped the bombs, two 190s and a 109 attacked,
and aproximately 30 miles later two waves with a total of 5 190s and two 109s continued where the
first left off. My gunners seriously damaged two and shot down one, but PFC Rawlings was killed.
The enemy
fighters continued their attack across the North Sea. Two 190s and another 109
attacked from behind and killed the right waist gunner and seriously wounded
the navigator and the engineer. On their second pass we got hit in the fuel
tank and PFC Sunderland was lightly wounded in the tail. He had moved from the
ball to the tail since the ball guns were jammed.
All of the
were undamaged and came around for a third pass at us and two of them hit. The
navigator was killed and the radio operator lightly wounded. The 109 from 6
high damaged engine #1.
FORK AND SPOON – 1LT
Fogarty: Had mechanical failures before group assembly and
aborted. Uncredited mission. LT Norcross in the 1107th Squadron was
assigned spare and filled his slot.
Crew: Captain Brodsky
Plane Name: Designed Destruction B-17F-05-BO 42-##466 [M-RL]
Primary; Vegasack, Germany: U-boat. Secondary; Welhelmshaven, Germany: U-Boat.
We saw enemy activity from the get go. We were pleased to see that the RAF was up this morning joining in the fun. To start, the Spit’s chassed of one Me109 letting in a lone FW190. Our boys filled the sky around this Kraut with lead. Gallagher nicked him, throwing of the fighters aim causing him to miss. Sgt. Green further Damaged the Focke Wulf, convincing him to leave us alone. About twenty minutes later a pair of Me109’s approached our squadron and was chased away by our fighter cover. This also happened about ten to fifteen minutes later
This all came to an end about an hour and a half later when we were jumped by two unopposed Me109’s. Sgt Shaoff destroyed one of them which made the other kraut miss.
That was the last German we saw till over the primary target. That is when five Focke Wulfs attacked us. TSgt. Sizer filled the sky with lead, just to see one fighter roll over and spin out of the sky. Sgt. Forrest witnessed this fighter falling all the way to the lower cloud cover. That was around 8000 feet. The other FW190’s missed us and dropped down to a lower squadron.
Cloud cover over Vegasack was too thick to see the aim point so we turned north for the secondary target at Wilhemshaven. Enemy
fighters must have been caught off guard or they were on the ground as
we were not attacked on our run to Wilhemshaven. Flak was heavy, as
briefed, yet we weren’t hit by any fragments. This gave Lt. Golliday a chance at hitting our goal. He got a short-lived view of the target, enabling him to put around 30% of our eggs on target.
As we were forming back up two Me109’s making their way back from Vegasack, attacked us. They must have been low on petrol since they only made one half hearted pass that caused no damage to our ship.
Everything was quite till we passed over the coast off the Netherlands. This is when out of the blue our outboard starboard engine, number 4, caught fire. Lt Donelan quickly fired of one of the extinguishers which put out the fire at once. From the white smoke I believe the fire was caused by an oil leak. I’ll have the ground crew check that out first thing. The resulting smoke must have alerted the Luftwaffe as we were shortly jumped by four Me109s. With great pleasure a lone Spitfire joined in and chassed off one bandit before his attack. Plus, the forty-five minute break from combat gave our gunners a boost, as they damaged all three of the remaining fighters. Even so one German got a shot in doing little damage to our ship. This fighter must have had problems from his damage as he did not make a follow up attack.
As
we got closer to England we picked up more RAF boys and they kept off
all but two more Me109’s that damaged our control cables. This was minor as we still had complete control of the plane. These were the last enemy fighters we encountered today.
Landing was text book and everyone returned healthy. We will take a mission like this one every time.
Jan. 27, 1943 Wilhelmshaven
Subj.: Aircraft Loss Report
Sir,
It is my distasteful duty to report the loss of B-17F "Mount 'n' Ride" on today's mission to Vegsack/Wilhelmshaven.
I will write to the familes of her crew.
Respectfully,
Shannon G. Lucky,
Major, Air Corps
Air Executive Officer,
918th BG(H)
=======================================================================
Jan. 27, 1943 Wilhelmshaven
Maj. James Mullis, CO, 1269th BS(H)
After Action Report, "Alabama Annie"
Major Lucky,
I've flown harder missions in the past, but then again, maybe we just got lucky on this one.
We departed Archbury on schedule, and made formation as per briefing. Heavy cloud cover screened us from too much fighter opposition on the route to Vegesack, but also clouded over the primary target. We did note some German fighter activity on the formation as a whole, but not much directed against my element. Markings spotted were black noses on Me-109s, and yellow rudders on a different unit of -109s.
My gunners delivered excellent fire against what Germans came in for attacks. Sgt Shelby Dean managed to shoot down one yellow-rudder Me-109 (kill confirmed by Sgt Montgomery, who saw the aircraft explode). My navigator, Lt. Norwood, was wounded by enemy fire, but will return to duty before the end of the week.
Cloud cover over the target was 50 percent, and Lt. Engels says he was unable to clearly acquire the target zone, and missed completely. His bombsight was in working order, and he's a good bombardier, so in my opinion this was a miss as a result of weather conditions, not bombardier error.
Damage to "Alabama Annie" is minimal: some flak holes and damage to the right aileron, but she can be repaired and will fly again. Maintenance says she'll be down for at least a day depending on total numbers of aircraft to be repaired.
I am proud of the job performed by my crew today, and will be placing commendations in all their 66-1 files.
Recommendations for decorations:
Purple Heart to Lt. Norwood
Air Medal to Sgt. Dean
Respectfully submitted,
James Mullis,
Major, Air Corps
Commanding Officer,
1269th BS(H)
Major,
I have the sad duty to report the confirmed loss of B-17F "Outhouse Mouse" with all crew. She came under serious fighter attack just outside Vegesack, and apparently her ordnance detonated in the air.
No one spotted any chutes. All crew are presumed dead.
I'll be writing their families.
Respectfully,
James Mullis,
Major, Air Corps
Commanding Officer,
1269th BS(H)
Archbury, England
Jan. 27, 1943 Wilhelmshaven
Maj. Shannon Lucky, Air Executive Officer, 918th BG(H)
Subject: AAR, Wilhelmshaven
Sirs,
This was a long and rough mission, but we came through it very well. I am extremely proud of the performance of the 918th on this run.
We took off into pretty bad weather, and stayed in it up to about 24,000 feet. That bad weather saved our butts, as it kept much of the Germans’ fighter strength grounded.
We reached the primary target, Vegesack, about four hours after take-off. The primary was totally clouded over, and we received orders to make for the secondary, Wilhelmshaven.
Wilhelmshaven
was covered with about 50 percent clouds, but my bombardier, 1Lt
Schilling, managed to place about half his bombs squarely in the target
area... a remarkable bomb pattern!
Enemy fighter opposition was determined, but amateurish. I
suspect the Krauts have moved their best pilots to France and the Low
Countries to intercept us there, and have left their training command
with the job of defending Germany itself. I doubt that will last long, though. The more we attack Germany, the better their defenses will get, and the more losses we will sustain.
My gunners did score some kills against those German kids: Sgt. Goldman shot down a black nosed Me-109 (confirmed). Sgt. Goldman also was wounded, but not seriously. He’ll
be back on duty in a few days. Sgt. Gammill scored two black-nosed
Me-109s (also confirmed), and MSgt Leary got an Me-109 with a yellow
rudder (confirmed). Total kills for “Hellzadroppin’!” on this mission is four Kraut fighters.
Flak was intense, but not very accurate. We caught the Krauts napping today! Don’t count on them being asleep next time, though.
Damage to my aircraft was minimal. We had our crew raft destroyed, and the right landing gear was damaged, requiring it to be hand cranked on the way back. “Hellzadroppin’!” will be ready to fly again by the day after tomorrow.
I wish to commend all members of my crew for a job well done. This mission had the potential to be a disaster, but they turned it into a milk run.
DECORATIONS: Goldman, Harry, Sgt - Purple Heart, Air Medal for fifth mission.
Redman, Colin, Sgt - Air Medal for fifth mission
Respectfully Submitted,
Shannon G. Lucky
Major, Air Corps
Air Executive Officer,
918th BG(H)
Archbury, England
Jan. 27, 1943 Wilhelmshaven
Subj.: Lost Aircraft
Jan. 23, 1943 Lorient
Crew: Captain Brodsky
Plane Name: Designed Destruction B-17F-05-BO 42-##466 [M-RL]
This was a long and rough mission.
We were jumped right of the bat, when Jerry attacked us over the
channel. Three 109s jumped us with one hitting us doing minimal damage.
Sgt. Forrest downed one before he had a chance to pull his trigger. As
the one who hit us came around for a second go at us, SSgt. Green
poured lead into the cockpit, resulting in Jerry falling out of the
sky. Around an hour out we ran into cloud cover that caused our
formation to loosen up.
Jerry noticed this and we were jumped by five FW190s. MSgt. Gallagher
shot the one from 6 o'clock down. Thank God only one of the four left
hit us on their first pass. Yet he raked the whole plane. Due to Gods
grace all but one shell did minimal damage. The one round lightly
wounded SSgt. Green. After this attack we were attacked by another lone
FW190. This fighter missed us and left for other bombers.
Over the target we had one Me109 damage our tail plane. MSgt. Claimed a
probable on this fighter, causing him to leave. We plastered the target
when Lt. Erler put 50% within the target zone.
We had to fight our way out of the target and all the way home. The
Jerry's were everywhere. First we tangled with three 190s. They took
out our #4 engine. Making it extremely difficult to keep up with the
rest of the squadron. Our starboard took 20% damage as well as our
waist oxygen system being damage. These fighters pressed their attack
multiple times. Luckily, causing mostly superficial damage to our
plane. The one other major damage was SSgt. Green lost
the use of his tail turret.
On the next attack, we encountered a pair of Me109s. These two Jerry's
were able to kill Lt. Erler. This will be a great loss to our crew.
Erler was well liked by the crew as well as others in the squadron. For
the next half hour home numerous enemy fighters approached us, but our
squadron mates fended off their attacks.
Respectfully,
Captain Virgil F. Brodsky (pilot)
1107th BS/918 BG (H) - "Designed Destruction" 42-27466
===========================================================================
Jan. 23, 1943 Lorient
1104th Squadron.
Crews Assigned: Rascal (Major Presley),
Sandra (Capt Weatherby), Queenie (2Lt Harrison), Daisy’s Coffee Shop (Capt
McEntire), Special Delivery (1Lt Bogard), Miss Louise (2Lt Rainwater).
Our first
mission was disastrous for the 1104th. Captain Weatherby aborted after group
assembly due to a mechanical failure. His ship was the only B-17 during the
four practice missions that didn’t have a mechanical problem. Lieutenant Bogard
moved from #5 to fill his slot.
The first
enemies attacked already over Weymouth. We counted eight 109s (Table B-3
Wave #62) on patrol. With no friendly fighters around today, there is no
wonder that they could get so close to England. They saw an opportunity to
attack the vulnerable low squadron.
40 miles
west of Alderney, 12 190s attacked (Table B-3 Wave #63). These were the
unit stationed at Maupertus, near Cherbourg. We had a good formation, but not
as tight as I would like to see, so the fighters made only one attack.
All five
B-17s reached the target. It was heavily defended, by fighters and flak. We
managed to fly a tight formation for the first time on this mission. It seems
that the training has payed off some. The target was defended by a 190 unit. We
counted 12 that attacked our squadron from a vertical dive (Table B-3 Wave
#21). Many fighter pilots seemed to be inexperienced, so I suspect that
this unit is new or a training unit is stationed in this area. Several Radio
Operators and Top Turret Gunners claim hits on these fighters.
The next
group of planes were above us and driven off by the group. It was a mix of 109s
and 190s (Table B-3 Wave #36).
Flak
situation was heavy as briefed (Table O-3 4x Heavy Flak To Hit) . All of
the ships took hits. Lieutenant Bogard got in one of the tanks in the right
wing which caught on fire. We counted 8 chutes before the drop and two after.
He must have ordered his crew to bail out safely while they could and then
stayed with the formation for as long as he could until the bombs had been
dropped.
Lieutenant
Rainwater in Miss Louise, flying #6, was also hit in a tank which began to
leak. He left formation 150 miles later, over Guernsey.
As soon as
the flak had ceased two waves attacked. The first was a staffel of 109s (Table
B-3 Wave #62). Many of the pilots were aces or veterans, and at least four
made a second and third pass on two of the ships. They hit Queenie and
Lieutenant Harrison had to leave formation.
The second
wave of 109s (Table B-3 Wave #52) was from the same unit as the first,
but no fighter made any successive attacks.
From the
target to 30 miles North of Alderney, we were surrounded by fighters. Units
from St. Brieuc and St. Malo were engaged. When we crossed the French coast
over Plènuef-Val-Andrè eight 109s tried an attack from 6 o’clock (Table B-3
Wave #11). We managed to fight them off. Lieutenant Rainwater had leave the
formation at this point due to a fuel leak. We don’t know what his status is.
The last we heard was SOS in morse sent from his plane.
At this
point we met 109s from Maupertus again (Table B-3 Wave #42). Daisy’s
Coffe Shop was it in a wing tank and the crew bailed out. We counted ten
parachutes. Rascal was now the only B-17 from the 1104th squadron
left.
For the
Intelligence Officer: The fighters attack mostly from 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9. There
is a slight change in their tactic when they come around for successive
attacks. They begin to attack from the front.
QUEENIE
- 2Lt Harrison: We
had a problem with the Top Turret Gun which jammed during the attack over
Guernsey on the outbound leg. The Armorer and Left Waist Gunner, Corporal
Caldera, struggled with them for a long time, but there was something permanent
and the Top Turret was useless for the remainder of the mission.
When we
were over the target two waves attacked the formation on the way to the Rally
Point. A 109 hit the Nose and knocked out the heat for the Bombardier and
Navigator, so I had to leave. I didn’t want them to risk a frostbite.
As soon as
we left two 109s attacked (Table B-3 Wave #52) and they both came around
for successive attacks. We were also fired at by light flak batteries and were
hit in the nose and the tail. My Tail Gunner, Private First Class Paul Haggard,
was lightly wounded by shrapnel.
The next
wave of five 109s (Table B-3 Wave #65) found us over Jersey. Two of these were aces or veteran fliers,
but all of them hit us several times. The Radio Operator, Corporal Philip Doran
was KIA and the rafts destroyed. The AFCE, and Pilot Compartment heat was also
knocked out. Second Lieutenant Thomas Poole was seriously wounded in this
attack. The Top Turret was out of order so the Engineer, Corporal Zaragoza,
took the right seat.
Two 190s (Table
B-3 Wave #35) lurked behind us for 50 miles before they moved in for the
kill 25 miles South of Isle of Wight. One was an ace. The Tail Gunner was
seriously wounded and died of his wounds. Right Brake was out, window hit, wing
roots hit, engines out, control cables damaged... We thought that they would
come around again, but after two successive attacks they left.
Medal Recommendations: Second Lieutenant Russel Harrison, the Pilot of QUEENIE is recommended The Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions on January 23, 1943, on the mission to Lorient. For 200 miles QUEENIE was alone at 10000 feet over enemy territory and the Channel. His plane was hit several times and severely damaged, but he managed to bring it home and land the B-17 safely. There was a severley wounded crew member who could not bail out, so Second Lieutenant Harrison ordered the remaining crew members to bail out and chose to stay onboard with the Engineer, Corporal Philip Zaragoza, in the right seat. The rest of the crew refused the bail out order and took crash positions in the Radio Room.
DAISY’S COFFEE SHOP - Capt McEntire: Reports from 918th BG: Capt McEntire was hit in the fuel tank in the right wing. Due to a fuel tank fire the crew had to bail out. We counted ten parachutes.
==========================================================================
Jan. 23, 1943 Lorient
Crew: 1LT Howard
Plane Name: Angel Wings
We took of as scheduled and formed up with the rest of the group.
The first German fighters attacked as we neared the Channel
Islands. The fighters were driven off by the defensive fire of the
formation. However, we were hit in the starboard wing and tail by
friendly fire from an unidentified B-17. Damage was
superficial.
More fighter attacks were met as we turned onto the course heading to run
up to the target. Port waist gunner Rycroft shot down a FW190
attacking from 1030 high. Starboard waist gunner Smyth shot down a
FW190 attacking from 130 high. Tail gunner Lund shot down the FW190
attacking from 1200 high that broke off attack after being damaged by
Ferby in the top turret.
The run over the target was uneventful and we put 40% of our bomb load on
the target..
Additional fighter attacks were encountered on the return trip over west
of Rennes. A group of FW190s and ME109s made several passes at our
AC. Pilot Howard suffered a light wound during these attacks.
Ball turret gunner Lukowich damaged a ME109 attacking in a vertical
climb. The fighter broke off attack and was seen diving for
safety.
Attacks continued as we turned and head north crossing the coast.
Over the Isle of Jersey five ME109s attacked. Rycroft in the port
waist damaged one attacking from 1030 high but the fighter continued its
attack. A ME109 attacking from 1200 high hit the nose section of
our AC killing bombardier Martin and wounding navigator Rauter.
Smyth in the starboard waist damaged a ME109 attacking from 300 high
causing the fighter to break off its attack.
The overall impression of the new formation is that the defensive fire
from the group is better but there are concerns with being hit by
friendly fire from other AC. The lack of adequate fighter escort
remains the biggest problem. Despite the new formation many enemy
fighters were able to attack repeatedly.
=========================================================================
Jan. 23, 1943 Lorient
Crew: 1LT Howard
Plane Name: Angel Wings
==========================================================================
Jan. 13, 1943 Lille
Crew: Captain Brodsky
Plane Name: Designed Destruction B-17F-05-BO 42-##466 [M-RL]
Our short hop to Lille today
was a painful one. The good news is that our fighter escort was spot
on, as well as our accuracy with the
new directive for bomb runs.
The trip out was good with the RAF and our squadron mates driving most
of the Luftwaffe boys away. Of the
two that got through the
fighter screen, one was severely damaged by Sgt. Kittels and the other
one missed us. Flying straight and level
helped greatly with our bomb
drop, we put a minimum of 30% into the pickle barrel. Turning off the
target and forming up today was a bit
of a nightmare. Be for we could
get into position we were jumped by four Jerry's. again, two were
driven off by the RAF lads, and one
was shot down by MSgt.
Gallagher as the fourth was nicked by Sgt. Forrest. Even though, this
Jerry was able to walk his shot from tail
to nose, wounding Lt. Eler,
Sgt. Kittel, Sgt. Shoaff and myself. All four of us were treated and
released within two hours of landing.
After this the only this of the Luftwaffe we saw was their tails as the Spits chased them away.
Respectfully,
Captain Virgil F. Brodsky (pilot)
1107th BS/918 BG (H) - "Designed Destruction" 42-27466
Crew: 1LT Howard
Plane Name: Angel Wings
Prior to the mission 1LT
Howard personally went over pre-flight checks of the bomb site with
bombardier Martin and made sure the crew was
properly dressed for the mission in accordance with directives from HQ.
Angel Wings took off at
appointed time and formed up with rest of squadron. First fighter
attacks come near over the channel south of
Calais. Four ME109s attacked
but fighter cover drove off two and the other two flew through the
formaiton but made no hits on Angel Wings.
Just after crossing the coast
five FW190s penetrated the fighter screen and made attacks on our AC.
Ryan in the radio room and Lund in
the tail mamaged to damage two
fighters which broke off their attack. A third fighter was damaged by
Johnston in the port waist but pressed
home its attack. Lund in the
tail also shot down an FW190 attacking from 12:00 high which was seen
to explode in flames before hitting the
ground.
One FW190 attacking from 1:30
high scored hits on our AC knocking out the heat for the pilot and
co-pilot, damaging controls cables and
causing minbor damage to the
nose section. A second FW190 attacking from 3:00 high scored hits which
damaged the tail gunner's oxygen
system, rendered the port elevator inoperable and caused minor damage to the tail.
Two FW190s turned and made a
second pass. Lukowich on the ball turret shot down one attacking from
3:00 level. The second fighter attacking
from 3:00 level scored hits in
the cockpit wounding copilot Werenich and knocking out the starboard
wing flap and causing addition damage
to the starboard wing. Port
gunner Johnston was severely wounded during this attack. A follow up
attack by one FW190 at 12:00 high
resulted in minor damage in the nose section.
Despite losing heat in the cockpit we stayed in formation as directed to maintain mutual defensive fire.
The bomb run over target had light flack. Unfortunately our bombs missed the aiming point.
Leaving the target zone three
FW190s came in to atack, two driven off by fighter cover. The third
attacking from 1:30 high scored hits in
the bomb bay area. Top turret gunner Ferby damaged the fighter and tail gunner Lund followed it and shot it down in flames.
The rest of the trip home was
uneventful and we returned safely to base. Port waist gunner Johnston,
Pilot Howard and co-pilot Werenich
were taken to the base infirmary for treatment of wounds and frostbite. All three recovered but were invalided home.
Intellegence Officer's note:
It is noted that the frostbite
wounds suffered by Howard and Werenich occurred despite the protective
clothing worn by the crew and likely
resulted from Howard's decision
to keep the plane in formation rather than dropping to lower altitude.
Howard deliberately put himself and
his co-pilot in harm's way to complete the mission and stay in formation.
Crew: Brigader General Savage
Plane Name: Piccadilly Lily
Crew: 2LT Mitchell
Plane Name: Nazi-Fly Swatter
Take-off and assembly went well, and we were on time for the rendezvous with the Spitfires over Brighton.
There were no enemy fighters over he Channel, but as we neared the
French coast a group of 109s and a aproximately ten 190s attacked the
formation. Four bandits went for my plane, but all except one at 6 high
were driven off by the 4th Fighter Group. His aim was thrown off
by accurate bursts by three of my gunners, and he missed. These fighters had white and black spinners.
Flak was moderate and inaccurate, but one burst hit very near and
lighly damaged the fuselage to the radio room and the left wing.
More fighters waited for us after the flak, but most of them were
driven off by the Little Friends. One 109 attacked from 6 high. PFC
Sprague was seriously wounded and the intercom was knocked out in this
attack. As this 109 went around for a second attack, two Spits shot
him down.
We left Belgium behind us and flew across the North Sea without seeing any enemy fighters.
It was difficult fly in this new formation in combat. Many pilots flew
closer to each other than during the practice missions and sometimes
prop wash made it hard to fly safely near your wing man or flight leader.
Crew: Major Lucky
Plane Name: Hellzadroppin
This was a rough one, but then, as my old Pappy used to say, the only easy day was yesterday.
We departed Station 100 at approximately 1235 into remarkably good, but cold weather. We
formed up with squadron, group and wing. By the time we crossed the
enemy coast, the weather was getting progressively worse, and
visibility was reduced considerably.
The Krauts used that lousy weather to ambush us. Gunners couldn’t see much beyond 500 yards, which reduced lead time on being able to respond to fighter attacks. The
first Kraut attack hit “Hellzadroppin’!” hard. An
FW-190 (yellow nosed, Abbeville Boys) hit my aircraft on the left side. My
left waist gunner, Sgt. Matthew H. GOLDBERG managed to shoot down that
FW-190, but also reported that his heating connection was damaged and
out. He told me he was wrapping a scarf around his neck
and stomping his feet to keep warm, so he WAS actively trying to avoid
frostbite. The problem was that the
thermometer was showing -55 degrees at 28,000 feet, and we had a long way to go yet to complete this mission.
A gaggle of -109s with white and black spirals on their prop spinners (I’ve never seen those markings before. They may be a new transfer in from Germany or Russia) swarmed us next. Their marksmanship was very good, as they made Swiss cheese out of the tail section of “Hellzadroppin’!” My tail gunner, TSgt. Carl J.McNABB dueled it out with one of those bastards. TSgt.
McNABB was hit seriously, but stayed at his guns and shot down the
attacking –109, but also was killed by the enemy pilot’s fire. Confirmation of that kill was made by TSgt Curtis P. GAMMILL, my ball turret gunner. I recommend TSgt Carl J. McNABB for a posthumous Silver Star. I
as well would like to commend the marksmanship of TSgt Curtis P.
GAMMILL for his skill in shooting down both an Me-109 and a
yellow-nosed FW-190 on this mission (kills confirmed by both Sgt
Goldman and Sgt Goldberg).
The black and white nosed -109s kept at me, and shot out my Number 3 engine. It
was increasingly difficult to maintain formation altitude, so I
increased the throttle settings on my remaining three engines and
compensated for the loss of the third engine. The next pass knocked out the compartment heating in the nose of my aircraft. Lieutenants Hull and Weston fought off the Messerschmitts with a great amount of skill and courage. However, the cold was proving to be a problem for them.
As we came off the IP and started on the bomb run, the Me-109s were still swarming us. My radio operator, SSgt Colin REDMAN scored a kill against an Me, and was wounded in the shoulder in the process. I have checked with the Flight Surgeon’s office, and SSgt REDMAN will be able to return to duty in about three days.
We made target, and 1LT WESTON set up on target. This boy has developed into quite a good bombardier, and he showed it by getting 70 percent of his bombs on target. At this point, I received a message over the interphone that Sgt GOLDBERG was getting frostbitten, as was 1LT HULL. I became quite concerned for my men, as we had a long way to go until we were back at Archbury.
Those
damned yellow-nosed FWs were all over us again, and stayed on us like
bulldogs as we approached the coast. They were joined by some white
nosed Me-109s with a type of gray and green camouflage I have never
seen before. The white-nosed Me’s also had green rudders. Air Intelligence should make note of this. Although the Krauts were stubborn, they failed to gain any hits on us during the return trip. About an hour from Archbury, I was informed that 1LT WESTON had also become frostbitten.
Over the base, I popped green flares to alert to the presence of wounded. I landed “Hellzadroppin’!” and turned her over to Engineering to have her damage repaired. She will need a new right aileron, new left elevator, and holes to be patched in her empennage. I have been informed that she will fly again.
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Jan. 8, 1943 Le Havre - Practice Mission #2
Crew: Captain Brodsky
Plane Name: Designed Destruction B-17F-05-BO 42-##466 [M-RL]
Take off and assembly went
well and we assembled for our run on Fortress Europe. As we crossed
into France we were jumped by three Me109's from a low attitude. Erler
and Green both damaged a Me109 each. The Jerry's broke off their attack
with out hitting us.
About five minutes from bomb away we experienced the German 88's. We
took a solid hit amid ship. This knocked TSgt. Sizer off his feet and
started an oxygen fire. TSgt. Sizer was able to quickly put out the
flames but the damage was done and we had to drop out of formation.
With all the commotion we were off target. Our estimated is that we
would have totally missed the target.
Unable to assembled with the rest of the group and made began to make
our way home. Well a flight of Folke-Wulf 190's and a flight of
Messerschmitt 109. Lt. Blanche destroyed one 109 before he could open
up. These four Krauts peppered us with no less than ten shells, doing
absolutely no critical damage to our ship. Lt. Kettel and Sgt. Green
both shot up two of the Germans on their last pass. Sending them both
home smoking heavily.
This was the last enemy opposition for this trip. Land back at base we
are just glad to have survived the oxygen fire. We hope that if we're
going to risk our necks that next time we drop real bombs!
Captain Brodsky
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Jan. 8, 1943 Le Havre - Practice Mission #2
Crew: Major Lucky
Plane Name: Hellzadroppin
Took off Station 100 at assigned hour. Weather was lousy, as is usual for England, apparently. In overcast up to formation altitude. Informed at briefing to maintain radio silence after takeoff, only to break silence for emergencies.
Reached operational altitude and broke free of overcast, proceeded along a heading of 175 until we hit the channel, and then corrected to 180. Navigation was much better on this mission than previous missions.
While still over the Channel, we were bounced by mass formations of FW-190s and Me-109s. One group of yellow-nosed -190s (Abbeville Boys) flew head on at my element. Nose and cheek gun positioning is NOT adequate to handle these attacks! We need to increase the armament in the nose of the B-17. In this attack, I was wounded slightly in my left arm, 2LT Weston was hit in the leg and Capt. Mullis was hit in the right shoulder. I also sustained damage to nos. 1 and 2 engines.
In the second attack, my gunners did an OUTSTANDING job. TSgt Mattingly locked onto a yellow-nosed -190 and scored a CONFIRMED kill. There are 20 mm shell holes near his turret, but TSgt Mattingly was uninjured. Further attacks on the way into the IP were fought off, but "Hellzadroppin'!" was not undamaged. I lost my left aileron, as well as most of my rudder. During the attack that shot out most of my rudder, TSgt McNabb shot down an Me-109. This kill is also confirmed by Tsgt Gammill. TSgt Gammill got a piece of an FW-190. Sgts Goldman and Goldberg weren't quite as golden. They did use their weapons, but scored no hits.
We were briefed to expect moderate flak, but the flak was so thick you could get out and walk on it! I suppose that's what VIII BC Intelligence defines as "moderate." I have a hole in my right wing that you could drop a basketball through from that "moderate" flak.
Cloud cover over the target was between 25 and 35 percent, averaging out to 30 percent as briefed. Lieutenant Weston did an excellent job of bombing, as he placed 70 percent of his bombs in the target area. Cross winds at altitude were higher than expected and this effected bombing accuracy. The RAF has a weather reconaissance squadron that collects data at bombing altitudes. I suggest VIII BC make arrangements with RAF Bomber Command to share resources. Perhaps the RAF could second us some Mosquitoes so we could get more accurate wind readings at altitude. In my opinion, that could assist in increasing bombing accuracy.
Fighter opposition coming off the target was fierce, but damage to "Hellzadroppin'!" was minor (damage to the radio room, damage to the tail compartment), and no further wounds were sustained.
Weather over Station 100 was much improved upon return. The ambulances were ready when we popped green flares to alert to the presence of wounded aboard.
General, I am extremely proud of the
performance of my crew on this mission. I wish to issue commendations
to all of them and suggest the adjutant of the 1269th BS place said
commendations in the 66-1s of Mullis, Weston, Hull, Mattingly, Redman,
Goldman, Goldberg, Gammill and McNabb.
Respectfully submitted,
Shannon G. Lucky,
Major, Air Corps
Air Executive Officer, 918th BG(H)
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