841
22 February 1945Owner of source material
Official Description
Mission 841: 1,428 bombers and 862 fighters commence Operation CLARION, a joint RAF, Eighth, Ninth and Fifteenth AF operation with the objective of paralyzing the already decimated German rail and road system; most attacks were made visually; bombing was conducted from an optimum 10,000 feet (3,048 m) to achieve accuracy at target without flak defenses; they claim 28-2-43 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 bombers and 13 fighters are lost: 1. 522 B-17s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Bamberg (64), Zwickau (2) and Kitzingen (1); targets of opportunity are Ansbach (143), Donaueschingen (24), Reutlingen (25), Ulm (77), Freiburg (21), Hafingen (10), the marshalling yards at Aalen (24), Neustadt (26), Singen (8), Schwenningen (22), and Villgen (11) and other (42); some attacks are made with H2X radar; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft; 2 B-17s are lost and 29 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 19 MIA. Escorting are 163 of 168 P-51s; 3 are lost (pilots MIA). 2. 452 B-24s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Halberstadt (51), Sangerhausen (11), Nordhausen (30), Vienenburg (23), Peine (52), Hildesheim (55), Kreiensen (48), and Northeim (48); targets of opportunity are Nordhausen (11), Ottbergen (10), the rail and highway bridge at Lindern (1) and marshalling yards at Wallhausen (19), Oker (8), Eschwege (30), Gottingen (29) and Celle (8) and other (1); 4 B-24s are lost and 68 damaged; 2 airmen are WIA and 38 MIA. 246 P-47s and P-51s escort; they claim 19-0-16 aircraft on the ground; 4 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA). 3. 454 B-17s are sent to hit Wittenburg (72), Stendal (73), Salzwedel (59), Uelzen (73), Wittstock (11), Luneburg (39), and Ludwigslust (48); targets of opportunity are Grabow (13), Kobbelitz (24), Dannenberg (12) and Klotze (13). The escort is 268 of 280 P-51s; they claim 4-2-18 aircraft in the air and 3-0-5 on the ground; 5 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
Mission Details
Description: BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
AALEN
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
ANSBACH
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
BAMBERG
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
Notes: This commences OPERATION CLARION, a joint RAF, Eight, Ninth, and Fifteenth AF operation with the objective of paralyzing the already decimated German rail and road system. Most attacks will be made visually from an optimum altitude of 10,000 feet in increase accuracy on those targets with no flak defenses.
CELLE
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
DONAUESCHINGEN
Description: RAILROADS
ESCHWEGE
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
FRIEBERG
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
GOTTINGEN
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
Germany
Description: RAILROADS
Notes: HAFINGEN
HALBERSTADT
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
Notes: A mix of 246 P-47s and P-51s provide escort. Mix not given in available data.
HILDESHEIM
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
KITZINGEN
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
KREIESEN
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
LINDERN
Description: HIGHWAY and RAIL BRIDGES
NEUSTADT
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
NORDHAUSEN
Description: BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
NORDHAUSEN
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
NORTHEIM
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
OKER
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
OTTBERGEN
Description: BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
PEINE
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
REUTLINGEN
Description: RAILROADS
SANGERHAUSEN
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
SCHWENNINGEN
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
SINGEN
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
ULM
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
VIENENBURG
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
VILLGEN
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
WALLHAUSEN
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
ZWICKAU
Description: MARSHALLING YARDS
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 78th Fighter Group 82nd Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19147420 and O-767135
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 365th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 20307592
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 413th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 0781263
- Highest Rank: Major
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 547th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-2062494
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot/Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hard Time : A-Good-Bett : Blues in the Reich
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 412th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Nevada Avenger
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 546th Bomb Squadron 547th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: ETO Happy : Pregnant Goose : Dollys Daughter
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 335th Bomb Squadron 336th Bomb Squadron 412th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Top O The Mark
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 752nd Bomb Squadron 754th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Briney Marlin
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
Related media
- Media Type: Document
- Object Number: Document 53706
- Description: 401st Bomb Group, Mission No. 212, 22 Feb 1945, Ludwigslust, Germany. Briefing took place at 0445 hours, and all operational aircraft were off by 0905...
Revisions
Associated Media based on images associated with mission in Freeman, 'The Mighty Eighth War Diary'.
Lee Cunningham, 8th Air Force missions research database / Stan Bishop's 'Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces', the Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces and the work of Roger Freeman including the 'Mighty Eighth War Diary'.