384th BG Mission

MISSION SUMMARY

Mission Date	4 July 1943
VIII Bomber Command Operations	Show Operations > Mission Number 71: >> 192 B-17's are dispatched against aircraft factories at Le Mans and Nantes, France; 166 make a very effective attack; we claim 52-14-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 7 with 1 damaged beyond repair and 53 others damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 9 WIA and 70 MIA. >> 83 other B-17's are dispatched against submarine yards at La Pallice, France; 71 hit the target between 1201 and 1204 local; we claim 0-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 1 and 1 is damaged; casualties are 10 MIA. Bombing is extremely accurate. Source: Jack McKillop, Rutgers University, used with permission. Hide Operations
Mission	384th BG Mission Number 6, VIII BC Mission Number 71 Aircraft Plant Attacked Next Mission Previous Mission The 384th Bombardment Group (H) flew as the Lead Group of the 103rd Combat Wing with a YB-40 from the 92nd BG in the #2 position of the Lead Squadron on today's mission. Weather at the primary target was clear and visual sighting resulted in accurate bombing.
Primary Target	Target: Gnome et Rhone Aircraft Engine Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Le Mans, France
Target Attacked (Mode)	Primary (Visual)
Sortie/Aircraft Summary	Completed Mission, not including spares - 15 Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused - 2 Scrubbed - 2 Aborted - 2 Failed To Return - 2
Mission Personnel	Mission Personnel Roster⇗ or Mission Loading Lists⇗
Mission Documents	Combat Mission Records and Plans obtained from the National Archives⇗

23 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
42‑3218⇗	Armstrong, Lloyd Rowland⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3222⇗	Mattes, Frank George⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3230⇗	Hall, Ralph Jackson⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3231⇗	Carrington, Richard Thompson⇗	Completed Mission	Group lead. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3235⇗	Myer, Lawrence Wayne⇗	Failed To Return	Shot down before the target was reached; crashed near Poillé-sur-Vègre about 40km WSW of Le Mans, France. MACR 3035/4495 SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑3330⇗	Estes, Thomas Jefferson⇗	Completed Mission	Low Squadron Lead. Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑30073. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5838⇗	[N/A]	Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off	Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 42‑5849. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5843⇗	Pulcipher, Ralph Robert⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5848⇗	Ogilvie, Donald Potter⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5849⇗	Frink, Horace Everett⇗	Completed Mission	Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑5838. Frink had taken off in 838, detected a short circuit that made the aircraft unusable for combat, and landed. It took him 20 minutes from landing to taking off again! SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑5852⇗	Butler, Johnny Addison⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑29956⇗	Hausenfluck, Jesse Dee⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑29960⇗	Erickson, Gordon Bennett⇗	Failed To Return	Low Squadron Deputy. Damaged by flak after the target, then further attacked by Me-109s; crashed near Belfonds, France. No MACR SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑29985⇗	Edwards, Floyd Clinton⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30026⇗	Algar, Philip Morris⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30032⇗	Dietel, William (NMI)⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron Lead, Group Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30033⇗	Kelly, James Henry⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	Turned back when ball turret gunner's oxygen valve froze up. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30039⇗	Halseth, Edwin Scofield⇗	Aborted Mission After Taking Off.	Turned back when pilot became ill. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30040⇗	[N/A]	Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused
42‑30046⇗	Wilson, Clayton Russell⇗	Completed Mission	High Squadron Deputy. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30065⇗	Keck, George Blackburn⇗	Completed Mission	SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30073⇗	[N/A]	Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off	Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 42‑3330. SORTIE REPORT ⇗
42‑30147⇗	[N/A]	Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused

Mission # 6

MISSION SUMMARY