Mission # 129

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date	6 June 1944
Eighth Air Force Operations	Show Operations The Eighth Air Force reaches its top strength as the 493d Bombardment Group (Heavy) becomes operational, making a total of 40 heavy bomber groups now operational. > Mission 394: >> Air Task Force 1. At first light, 659 of 882 B-17s and 418 of 543 B-24s hit coastal targets in the area of the invasion beaches between Le Havre and Cherbourg; overcast and inability of the bombers to locate (or absence of) PFF leaders causes failure of some units to attack; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 14 B-17s and 1 B-24 are damaged; 12 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 13 MIA. >> Air Task Force 2. The second mission strikes at transportation chokepoints in towns immediately around the assault area; total cloud cover causes 84 B-17s and 259 B-24s dispatched to return with their bombs but 37 B-24s manage to bomb secondary target of Argentan; 2 B-24s are lost and 1 B-17 is damaged; no casualties. > Mission 395: >> Air Task Force 3. The third mission is dispatched against the important communications center of Caen; 58 of 73 B-24s bomb through overcast skies without loss. >> Air Task Force 4. Transportation chokepoints in towns immediately S and E of the assault area are the objectives of the fourth mission; 325 of 409 B-17s and 125 of 300 B-24s hit targets including Vire, Saint-Lo, Coutances, Falaise, Lisieux, Thury-Harcourt, Pont-l'Eveque, Argentan, and Conde-sur-Noireau; 1 B-24 is lost, 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 11 B-24s and 5 B-17s are damaged; 10 airmen are KIA. In all, 1,729 bombers drop 3,596 tons of bombs during D-Day. > The VIII Fighter Command has the threefold mission of escorting bombers, attacking any movement toward the assault area, and protecting Allied shipping. The fighters fly 1,880 sorties including fighter-bomber attacks against 17 bridges, 10 marshalling yards, and a variety of other targets including convoy, railroad cars, siding, rail and highway junctions, tunnel, and a dam. Very little air opposition is encountered. The fighters claim 26-0-8 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 4-0-9 on the ground. Also destroyed are 21 locomotives and 2 carloads of ammunition. Numerous targets are damaged including locomotives, trucks, tank cars, armored vehicles, goods carriers, barges, and tugboats. Targets attacked with unreported results include warehouses, radar towers, barracks, troops, artillery, staff cars, 85 trains, and a variety of other targets. 25 fighters are lost. > Mission 396: During the night, 12 B-17s drop leaflets in France and the Low Countries. Source: Jack McKillop, Rutgers University, used with permission. Hide Operations
Mission	384th BG Mission Number 129, Eighth AF Force Mission Number 395 Weather Stymies Bombers Next Mission Previous Mission The third D-Day mission for the 384th Bombardment Group (H) sent a small group to attack a highway choke point behind the invasion beachhead as part of Air Task Force #4. Weather again had all targets socked in, and the 384th bombers, having no PFF-equipped aircraft, returned without attacking.
Primary Target	Target: Highway Choke Point in City of Caen Type: Transportation Location: Caen, France
Target Attacked (Mode)	No Target Attacked
Sortie/Aircraft Summary	Completed Mission, not including spares - 12
Mission Personnel	Mission Personnel Roster⇗ or Mission Loading Lists⇗
Mission Documents	Combat Mission Records and Plans obtained from the National Archives⇗

12 AIRCRAFT ASSIGNED TO THIS MISSION
Table is sorted by Pilot, and may be sorted by any column: click the column head.
Aircraft	Pilot	Results	Mission/Sortie Information
42‑31222⇗	Menke, Robert Arthur⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑31435⇗	Halasz, John Julius⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑31484⇗	Pompe, Bernard Joseph⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron, Group Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37792⇗	Rucker, David Leroy⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37822⇗	James, Robert Huey⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97263⇗	Cranstoun, Richard Leroy⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97273⇗	Meland, Ralph Wendell⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97510⇗	Humbles, Alfred Thomas⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron Lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102959⇗	Shearer, Wilbur Lee⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107058⇗	Ungerman, Kenneth Armistead⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107221⇗	Lane, Edward William⇗	Completed Mission	Lead Squadron, Group lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6080⇗	Dean, Ralph Merrick⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron Lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗