Grafton Underwood, England (Station 106) 1943-1945
Combat History of the 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) in WWII
384th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
"Keep The Show On The Road"
| Serial Number: | 42-31211 |
| Name: | RENO'S RAIDER |
| Manufacturer: | Built by the Boeing Airplane Company, B-17G-5-BO, Camouflage |
| Squadron: | 546th Bombardment Squadron (H) |
| Squadron ID Code: | 546th‑BK*H |
| Ground Crew Chief: | Pierce, Howard Bundy |
| Start Date: | 23 November 1943. New Replacement AC. |
| Missions: | This aircraft was credited with 34 combat missions with the 384th. |
| End Date: | 8 May 1944. Failed to return from combat operations: MIA 5/8/44 mission to Sottevast, France. |
| Related Documents: | Missing Air Crew Report # 4560⇓ (55.398 MB) |
| Photo Album: | Aircraft 42-31211 Photo Album⇗ |
| History: |
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| Bits & Pieces: |
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| Number | Date | Target | Results | Mission/Sortie Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | 30 November 1943 | Solingen, Germany, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 39⇗ | 1 December 1943 | Target: Non-Ferrous Metals Plant Type: Industry Location: Solingen, Germany | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Low Squadron. Aborted due to excessive icing (3/4' on wings, etc.); aircraft stalled and went into a spiral. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 40⇗ | 5 December 1943 | Target: Fighter Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Saint-Jean-d'Angély, France | Returned To Base | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 41⇗ | 11 December 1943 | Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Emden, Germany | Completed Mission | High Squadron deputy. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 42⇗ | 13 December 1943 | Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Bremen, Germany | Completed Mission | Lead group. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 43⇗ | 16 December 1943 | Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Bremen, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 44⇗ | 20 December 1943 | Target: Port Area/Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Bremen, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 45⇗ | 22 December 1943 | Target: Steel Shops/Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Osnabrück, Germany | Spare, Completed Mission | Flying Spare; joined formation. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 46⇗ | 24 December 1943 | Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Croisette, France | Completed Mission | Composite group. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 47⇗ | 30 December 1943 | Target: I. G. Farben Industrie, Chemical/Synthetic Rubber Plants Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 48⇗ | 31 December 1943 | Target: Blockade Runner 'Orsone' (name of ship) Type: Transportation Location: [Mouth of River Garonne], France | Completed Mission | Landed away at Kimbolton; bombs jettisoned. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 51⇗ | 7 January 1944 | Target: Powerhouse Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Became separated from formation in dense clouds after group assembly; failed to make wing rendezvous. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 52⇗ | 11 January 1944 | Target: Ju-88 Aircraft Parts Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Halberstadt, Germany | Completed Mission | Group lead. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 53⇗ | 14 January 1944 | Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Le Meillard, France | Completed Mission | Group lead. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 54⇗ | 21 January 1944 | Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Preuseville, France | Completed Mission | 41B Group Deputy. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 24 January 1944 | Frankfurt am Main, Germany, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | B Grp Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 55⇗ | 29 January 1944 | Target: Aircraft Parts Plants Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany | Completed Mission | Low Squadron lead, low group. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 56⇗ | 30 January 1944 | Target: Aircraft Assembly Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Brunswick / Braunschweig, Germany | Completed Mission | Lead group. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 57⇗ | 3 February 1944 | Target: Submarines (under construction) Type: Submarine Facility Location: Wilhelmshaven, Germany | Completed Mission | Low Group, High Squadron Deputy. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 58⇗ | 4 February 1944 | Target: Alfred Teves Main Works: Aircraft Parts Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany | Completed Mission | High group deputy, 41st A Combat Wing. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 59⇗ | 5 February 1944 | Target: Bricy Aerodrome, Luftwaffe Training and Bomber Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Orleans, France | Completed Mission | Low Squadron lead. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 60⇗ | 6 February 1944 | Target: Nancy/Essey Aerodrome Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Nancy, France | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 61⇗ | 8 February 1944 | Target: Piston Ring Factory Type: Industry Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany | Completed Mission | Low Squadron Deputy. Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑31606. High Squadron deputy. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 67⇗ | 25 February 1944 | Target: Aircraft Assembly & Ball Bearings Plants Type: Industry Location: Augsburg & Stuttgart, Germany | Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off | 41A Group. Replaced by Ground Spare aircraft 42‑37885. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 68⇗ | 28 February 1944 | Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Preuseville, France | Completed Mission | Low Squadron deputy. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 69⇗ | 2 March 1944 | Target: Alfred Teves Main Works: Aircraft Parts Plant and Machine Shop Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany | Completed Mission | Lead group, low Squadron lead. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 71⇗ | 4 March 1944 | Type: Military Location: Berlin, Germany | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | |
| 72⇗ | 6 March 1944 | Target: Erkner Ball-Bearing Factory Type: Bearings Industry Location: Berlin, Germany | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Landed almost immediately after takeoff because an exhaust stack on #1 cylinder of #2 engine had broken. Crew list not available in Group records (as of 8/2013). Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 74⇗ | 9 March 1944 | Target: Heinkel Aircraft Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Oranienburg, Germany | Completed Mission | Low Squadron lead. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 76⇗ | 18 March 1944 | Target: Aircraft Assembly & Repair Works Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany | Completed Mission | High Squadron lead, lead group, 41st Combat Bombardment Wing. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 77⇗ | 19 March 1944 | Target: NOBALL (V-2 Storage and Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Wizernes, France | Completed Mission | Group deputy. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 78⇗ | 20 March 1944 | Type: Industry Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany | Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off | Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 42‑97477. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 79⇗ | 22 March 1944 | Target: Heinkel Aircraft Assembly Plant at Annahof Airfield Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Oranienburg, Germany | Completed Mission | High Squadron, composite high group. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 80⇗ | 23 March 1944 | Target: Airdrome and Airpark Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Gütersloh, Germany | Completed Mission | High Squadron lead, lead group. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 81⇗ | 24 March 1944 | Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany | Completed Mission | Group deputy. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 86⇗ | 9 April 1944 | Target: FW-190 Fighter Aircraft Assembly Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Marienburg, Germany | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Turned back at 0928 hrs; could not locate formation due to bad weather. Landed away at RAF Witchford, Cambridgeshire. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 88⇗ | 11 April 1944 | Target: FW Aircraft Parts Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Sorau, Germany | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | |
| -- | 12 April 1944 | Schweinfurt, Germany, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 89⇗ | 13 April 1944 | Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany | Completed Mission | High Squadron deputy. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 21 April 1944 | Leuna, Germany, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 93⇗ | 22 April 1944 | Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Hamm, Germany | Completed Mission | High Squadron lead, high group. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 96⇗ | 27 April 1944 | Target: V-Weapon Service Bunker (under construction) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Sottevast, France | Flight Completed | Weather Ship Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 97⇗ | 27 April 1944 | Target: Toul/Croix de Metz Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Nancy, France | Completed Mission | High Squadron deputy. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 99⇗ | 1 May 1944 | Target: Launch Site in Foret Nationale de Tournehem Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Foret Nationale de Tournehem, France | Completed Mission | Wing Lead. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 100⇗ | 4 May 1944 | Target: Friedrichstrasse Railroad Station Type: Transportation Location: Berlin, Germany | Completed Mission | Low Squadron lead, lead group, 41st CBW. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 101⇗ | 7 May 1944 | Target: Friedrichstrasse Railroad Station Type: Transportation Location: Berlin, Germany | Completed Mission | Low Squadron lead, low group. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 103⇗ | 8 May 1944 | Target: V-Weapon Service Bunker (under construction) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Sottevast, France | Failed To Return | Group lead. Was hit by continuously tracking flak about 40 seconds before bomb release; aircraft received direct burst beneath the pilot's compartment; started in to a steep spiral; crashed about 7 miles SW of Valognes, France. MACR 4560 Sortie Report ⇗ |