SORTIE REPORT #820
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 Completed Mission
Comments: Landed away at Molesworth.
Primary (Visual)
SORTIE AIRCRAFT DATA:
TYPE SERIAL NUMBER SQUADRON SQ CODE NAME
B-17F 42‑29703 ⇗ 544th SU*E KATHY JANE TALLYWACKER
SORTIE CREW DATA:
POSITION CREWMEMBER UNIT STATUS
Pilot Robinson, Robert Lawrence⇗ 544 Completed, Uninjured
Co-pilot Baylor, Robert Bledsoe⇗ 544 Completed, Uninjured
Navigator Holzbaur, Frederick Morris⇗ 544 Completed, Uninjured
Bombardier Kramer, Herman Drummond⇗ 544 Completed, Uninjured
Radio Operator Stumpf, Howard Martin⇗ 544 Completed, Uninjured
Engineer/Top Turret Hutchison, William Wilds⇗ 544 Completed, Uninjured
Ball Turret Maziarka, Stanley Walter⇗ 544 Completed, Uninjured
Tail Gunner Ripley, Carlyle David⇗ 544 Completed, Uninjured
Waist (Flexible) Gunner Porter, Edward Eugene⇗ 544 Completed, Uninjured
Waist (Flexible) Gunner Johnston, Thomas Theadora, Jr⇗ 544 Completed, Uninjured
Sortie Report 820 provided by 384thBombGroup.com
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