SORTIE REPORT #771
MISSION DATA:
DATE 384th BG Mission # 8th AF Mission # 384th PRIMARY TARGET
1943‑10‑10 31 114 Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards
Type: Transportation
Location: Münster, Germany
Coesfeld Mistaken for Münster: The 384th Bombardment Group (H) provided 21 aircraft for today's mission. Aborting aircraft reduced the number attacking to fifteen. At the start of the bomb run, 'we observed a town burning and, mistaking it for the target, made the bomb run. The town was later identified as Coesfeld [Germany].' On the return, weather interfered with recovery operations, forcing seve to land at other fields, and one crew to bail out, leaving their aircraft to crash near Eye.
SORTIE DATA:
COMBAT CREDIT STATUS TARGET ATTACKED (MODE)
Yes Completed Mission
Comments: Group lead.
Other (Visual)
Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards
Type: Transportation
Location: Coesfeld, Germany
SORTIE AIRCRAFT DATA:
TYPE SERIAL NUMBER SQUADRON SQ CODE NAME
B-17F 42‑3441 ⇗ 547th SO*E PATCHES II / SPOTTED COW
SORTIE CREW DATA:
POSITION CREWMEMBER UNIT STATUS
Commander Beckett, Thomas Pope⇗ GpHQ Completed, Uninjured
Co-pilot Frink, Horace Everett⇗ 547 Completed, Uninjured
Navigator Martin-Vegue, James Raymond⇗ GpHQ Completed, Uninjured
Navigator Hegstad, Lester Olaf⇗ 547 Completed, Uninjured
Bombardier Carlson, Clyde Pemberton⇗ 547 Completed, Uninjured
Radio Operator Griffith, Roy Wesley⇗ 547 Completed, Uninjured
Engineer/Top Turret Ralston, William Clark⇗ 547 Completed, Uninjured
Ball Turret Shelton, William Abner, Jr⇗ 547 Completed, Uninjured
Waist (Flexible) Gunner Savage, Clyde Henry⇗ 547 Completed, Uninjured
Waist (Flexible) Gunner McNutt, Julius Frederick⇗ 547 Completed, Uninjured
Observer Fields, Leon (NMI)⇗ 547 Completed, Uninjured
SORTIE-RELATED DOCUMENTS:
TYPE IDENTIFICATION
Photo1943-10-10, Group Lead, T. Beckett, H. Frink
Sortie Report 771 provided by 384thBombGroup.com
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Report generated: 11 October 2026, 2:50 AM (PDT)
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