SORTIE REPORT #810
MISSION DATA:
DATE 384th BG Mission # 8th AF Mission # 384th PRIMARY TARGET
1943‑10‑14 32 115 Target: Ball-Bearing Factory
Type: Bearings Industry
Location: Schweinfurt, Germany
"Second Schweinfurt" aka "Black Thursday": The 384th Bombardment Group (H) put up three squadrons on today's mission. However, six aircraft aborted, reducing the number that bombed the primary target. A further six aircraft were knocked out by enemy action. An all-too-familiar situation faced the returning crews - bad weather over East Anglia. Three Aircraft were lost when the crews, unable to locate a suitable place to land in England, bailed out and abandoned them, while most of the remainder landed at other airfields.
SORTIE DATA:
COMBAT CREDIT STATUS TARGET ATTACKED (MODE)
Yes Failed To Return
Comments: Knocked down by enemy aircraft; crashed near Soissons, France; MACR 842.
Primary (Visual)
SORTIE AIRCRAFT DATA:
TYPE SERIAL NUMBER SQUADRON SQ CODE NAME
B-17G 42‑31059 ⇗ 547th SO*N not known
SORTIE CREW DATA:
POSITION CREWMEMBER UNIT STATUS
Pilot Ogilvie, Donald Potter⇗ 547 POW
Co-pilot Kilmer, Robert Bruce, Jr⇗ 544 POW
Navigator Childs, Everett Lynn⇗ 544 Evaded/Wounded
Bombardier Wilson, William Hollis⇗ 547 KIA
Radio Operator Murray, James Raymond⇗ 547 Evaded
Engineer/Top Turret Hood, Emmett Alexander⇗ 547 Evaded/Wounded
Ball Turret McKeon, James William⇗ 547 Evaded
Tail Gunner Ratkiewicz, Louis Lawrence⇗ 547 Evaded/Wounded
Waist (Flexible) Gunner Martin, William Enoch⇗ 547 Evaded/Wounded
Waist (Flexible) Gunner Sylvia, Francis Robert⇗ 547 Evaded/Wounded
SORTIE-RELATED DOCUMENTS:
TYPE IDENTIFICATION
MACRMissing Air Crew Report # 842⇗
ESCAPEEscape & Evasion Report # 1122⇗
ESCAPEEscape & Evasion Report # 1661⇗
ESCAPEEscape & Evasion Report # 1951⇗
ESCAPEEscape & Evasion Report # 2090⇗
ESCAPEEscape & Evasion Report # 2213⇗
ESCAPEEscape & Evasion Report # 2413⇗
ESCAPEEscape & Evasion Report # 2425⇗
Sortie Report 810 provided by 384thBombGroup.com
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Report generated: 11 October 2026, 11:30 PM (PDT)
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