| MISSION DATA: | |||
| DATE | 384th BG Mission # | 8th AF Mission # | 384th PRIMARY TARGET |
| 1944‑01‑21 | 54 | 187 | Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Preuseville, France |
| Weather Affects Bombing: The 384th Bombardment Group (H) provided two group formations of two squadrons each for today's mission: one flew as the Lead Group of the 41st A Combat Bombardment Wing (41A Group) and the other flew as the Low Group of the 41st B Combat Bombardment Wing (41B Group). The 384th was alerted for an operational mission just as they were about to take off for a practice mission. In the space of one and one-half hours, these 34 aircraft were reconfigured for combat, and dispatched to attack 'NOBALL' targets in France. The 41A Group of 18 aircraft, led by Major Alfred C Nuttall, attacked the Preuseville target on their fourth bomb run. The 41B Group of 16 aircraft, led by Major George W Harris, were unable to locate the assigned target in the Pommereval area due to cloud obscuration, despite making seven bomb runs, and returned their bomb loads to base. | |||
| SORTIE DATA: | ||
| COMBAT CREDIT | STATUS | TARGET ATTACKED (MODE) |
| No |
Aborted Mission After Taking Off. Comments: 41B Group. Turned back at 1350 hrs over Beachy Head because 'this aircraft took off late and could not find a position open in the formation.' |
No Target Attacked |
| SORTIE AIRCRAFT DATA: | |||||
| TYPE | SERIAL NUMBER | SQUADRON | SQ CODE | NAME | GROUND CREW CHIEF |
| B-17F | 42‑29723 ⇗ | 546th | BK*B | WOLF PACK | McIntire, Bruce Dodson |
| SORTIE CREW DATA: | |||
| POSITION | CREWMEMBER | UNIT | STATUS |
| Pilot | Reed, Merlin Howard⇗ | 546 | Aborted |
| Co-pilot | Rininsland, Bruce Martin⇗ | 546 | Aborted |
| Navigator | Gudyka, Peter (NMI)⇗ | 546 | Aborted |
| Bombardier | Heiss, John Lawrence⇗ | 546 | Aborted |
| Radio Operator | Wellman, Robert Francis⇗ | 546 | Aborted |
| Engineer/Top Turret | Johnson, Robert O (1943)⇗ | 546 | Aborted |
| Ball Turret | Osepchook, Arthur John⇗ | 546 | Aborted |
| Tail Gunner | Hardy, Emmet Francis⇗ | 546 | Aborted |
| Waist (Flexible) Gunner | Jacobson, Joseph (NMI)⇗ | 546 | Aborted |
| Waist (Flexible) Gunner | Casey, Robert Joseph⇗ | 546 | Aborted |