Mission # 254

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date 10 January 1945
Eighth Air Force Operations Operations description not yet available.
Mission
384th BG Mission Number 254, Eighth AF Force Mission Number 789
Two Marshalling Yards Bombed
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Previous Mission
The 384th Bombardment Group (H) flew as the 41st Combat Wing B Group on today's mission. As the result of the loss of the group leader, as well as multiple equipment failures, portions of the group attacked the primary and secondary targets: low squadron attacked the primary, high squadron attacked the secondary on the first run, and the lead squadron attacked the secondary on the second run. All attacks were visual.
Primary Target Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards
Type: Transportation
Location: Bonn, Germany
Target Attacked (Mode) Secondary (Visual)
Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards
Type: Transportation
Location: Cologne, Germany
Sortie/Aircraft Summary Completed Mission, not including spares - 31
Flying Spare, Completed Mission - 2
Landed In Allied Territory - 4
Crashed - 1
Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused - 3
Scrubbed - 2
Aborted - 3
Failed To Return - 1
Mission Personnel Mission Personnel Roster⇗ or Mission Loading Lists⇗
Mission Documents Combat Mission Records and Plans obtained from the National Archives⇗

47 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
42‑32106⇗Peterson, Calvin James⇗Spare, Completed MissionLow Squadron flying spare; joined formation. Landed away at Chelveston on return due to low fuel.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑37822⇗Milligan, George Robert⇗Completed Mission SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑38013⇗[N/A]Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused 
42‑97150⇗Buswell, Richard Grant⇗Landed In Allied TerritoryGround Spare Aircraft; replaced 43‑38757. Left formation after target; force-landed on the Continent; aircraft salvaged.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97251⇗[N/A]Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused 
42‑97263⇗Whitesides, John Boyce⇗Crashed In Allied TerritoryCrashed on takeoff; aircraft a 'complete wreck', all crew survived, two seriously injured, one minor injuries.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97320⇗Hoppen, Jack Stewart⇗Landed In Allied TerritoryLeft formation after first bomb run; did not attack; damaged by flak; force-landed in Belgium; aircraft salvaged.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97521⇗Baughman, John R⇗Landed In Allied TerritoryLow Squadron. Left formation at Channel on return; force-landed on continent; aircraft salvaged.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97592⇗Hartness, Joseph George⇗Completed MissionHigh Squadron lead. PFF ship. Bombed secondary target on first run, PFF with visual assist.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97960⇗Smisek, William Joseph⇗Completed MissionLow Squadron.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑97986⇗Herring, Harold F⇗Completed MissionLow Squadron lead. PFF ship. Left his position and assumed lead at IP and led group on a PFF bomb run on secondary target (primary was obscured with clouds). The (secondary) target was picked up visually half-way down the bomb run but prior to release it was found that the bomb racks were frozen. He circled around and completed a second run with successful bomb release.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑98027⇗[Non-384th Pilot]Completed MissionGee-H ship. Loaned to 351st BG with Gee-H navigator; unidentified crewmembers provided by the 351st BG. Attacked assigned 351st BG primary target.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102501⇗Ramsay, Walter E⇗Spare, Completed MissionHigh Squadron flying spare; joined formation (low Squadron).
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102518⇗Starr, William George⇗Aborted Mission After Taking Off. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102620⇗Wyatt, William Glenn⇗Completed MissionLead Squadron hot camera ship.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑102661⇗Warner, Henry L⇗Completed MissionLead Squadron hot camera ship.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑107125⇗[Non-384th Pilot]Scrubbed: Did Not Take OffGee-H ship. Loaned to 457th BG with Gee-H navigator; unidentified crewmembers provided by the 457th BG.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37703⇗Kramer, William Leo⇗Completed Mission SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑37843⇗Belsinger, Harry Flair⇗Completed MissionHigh Squadron. Landed at RAF Bradwell Bay, Essex, on return due to low fuel.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38016⇗[Non-384th Pilot]Completed MissionGee-H ship. Loaned to 92nd BG with Gee-H navigator; unidentified crewmembers provided by the 92nd BG. Attacked assigned 92nd BG primary target.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38501⇗McKay, William Monroe⇗Completed MissionHigh Squadron.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38548⇗Gilmer, Charles E⇗Completed MissionHigh Squadron.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38616⇗McLean, William S⇗Completed MissionHigh Squadron deputy. Crash-landed at RAF Manston, Kent, upon return. Crew OK, but aircraft was salvaged.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38673⇗Hewes, Charles Pershing⇗Aborted Mission After Taking Off.Turned back due to personnel illness (Hughes).
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38678⇗Miley, Harold L⇗Completed MissionLow Squadron hot camera ship.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38721⇗Fletcher, Graydon James⇗Completed MissionLow Squadron hot camera ship.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38747⇗Ultcht, John Preston⇗Completed Mission SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38752⇗Ruckman, George Francis⇗Completed MissionHigh Squadron.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38757⇗[N/A]Scrubbed: Did Not Take OffReplaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 42‑97150.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38800⇗Klatt, Merton Dale⇗Completed Mission SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38823⇗Boyette, Irving H⇗Completed MissionLow Squadron.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38850⇗McKone, Joseph Francis⇗Completed MissionLead Squadron flying spare. Joined formation (low Squadron).
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38927⇗Fisher, Robert Jeremy⇗Completed Mission SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑38994⇗Johnson, Donald Ernest⇗Completed MissionHigh Squadron.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39053⇗Holmes, George W⇗Completed MissionLow Squadron deputy.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
43‑39060⇗Gregg, William G⇗Completed MissionHigh Squadron hot camera ship.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6105⇗Tebo, Clerance L⇗Completed MissionLanded away at Chipping Ongar on return due to low fuel.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6109⇗Kinkead, Robert Miller⇗Aborted Mission After Taking Off.Low Squadron.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6135⇗Richardson, George P⇗Landed In Allied TerritoryHigh Squadron. Left formation prior to target and did not attack. Force-landed on Continent; aircraft salvaged.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6476⇗Rush, Joseph Henry⇗Completed MissionHigh Squadron hot camera ship.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6514⇗Bennett, Ralph J⇗Completed Mission SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑6592⇗Molder, Charles Richard⇗Completed MissionLow Squadron.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8007⇗[Non-384th Pilot]Completed MissionGee-H ship. Loaned to 401st BG with Gee-H navigator; unidentified crewmembers provided by the 401st BG. Attacked assigned 401st BG primary target.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8216⇗Hicks, Kenneth Delmont⇗Failed To ReturnGroup lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. Left formation 20 minutes prior to the IP, apparently due to flak damage. No communication was received from this aircraft regarding the abort. Crash site and fate of crew are unknown. MACR 11578
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8221⇗Rice, Robert Eugene⇗Completed MissionGroup deputy. PFF & Gee-H ship. Assumed group lead immediately upon departure of the group lead. PFF & Gee-H in this aircraft were inoperative, so Rice ordered low Squadron lead to take over (high Squadron lead was not reachable via radio) and returned to #2 position. Left formation after first attempted bomb run because oxygen system was shot away.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗
44‑8401⇗[N/A]Ground Spare Aircraft, UnusedLead PFF Ground Spare Aircraft.
44‑8430⇗Spangler, George Knox⇗Completed MissionHigh Squadron. Landed away at Polebrook on return due to #2 engine out.
SORTIE REPORT ⇗