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19 April 1944
8th Air Force mission 308; Lippstadt Air Field, Germany; April 19, 1944. 447th Bomb Group (A group) strike photo
8th Air Force mission 308; Werl Air Field, Germany; April 19, 1944. 447th Bomb Group (B group) strike photo
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BOMB TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY
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BOMB TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY
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INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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AIRFIELD
B-17 Flying Fortress
457th BG MISSION NO. 28
ESCHWEGE, GERMANY
19 APRIL, 1944
The target was the Air Park and Airdrome at Eschwege, twenty-six miles east-southeast of Kassel. This was an important center for equipping field-workshop units which went into action on the front lines. The 457th flew with the 40th Combat wing rather than the 94th. Major Rod Francis was Air Commander of the Group, which flew the low box, and Lt. Edward R. Bender was pilot.
The primary target was not bombed because of smoke and haze over the target area. Secondary targets and targets of last resort were bombed, with varied bombing results. The 457th bombed an air field at Kassel. Eleven craft sustained battle damage.
The 457th furnished four aircraft for Air-Sea Rescue. This assignment was completed without incident.
Group
The 381st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Ridgewell, Essex between June 1943 and April 1945. The Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations, the first for bombing shipyards at Bremen, whilst under heavy attack, on 8 October 1943 and...
Group
The 457th Bomb Group began combat operations during the Big Week of 20-25 February when American bombers carried out concentrated raids against German aircraft bases, factories and assembly plants. The air crews' targets on that first mission were...
AIRFIELD
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AIRCRAFT FACTORIES
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AIRCRAFT FACTORIES
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AIRCRAFT FACTORIES
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1st Bomb Division was made up of 91st Bomb Group, 92nd Bomb Group, 303rd Bomb Group, 305th Bomb Group, 306th Bomb Group, 351st Bomb Group, 379th Bomb Group, 381st Bomb Group, 384th Bomb Group, 401st Bomb Group, 457th Bomb Group. This mission was part of the effort to achieve Allied air superiority in advance of the D-Day invasion. These important aircraft factories were all in the Berlin area. Low claims of enemy aircraft by the bomber crews were a testament to the effectiveness of fighter support.
Division
The groups under the command of the 1st Bomb Wing came under the command of the 1st Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 1st Air Division.
| Tonnage dropped | 433.5 T HE 181.1 T IB |
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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AIRFIELD
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3rd Bomb Division was made up of 94th Bomb Group, 95th Bomb Group, 96th Bomb Group, 100th Bomb Group, 385th Bomb Group, 388th Bomb Group, 390th Bomb Group, 447th Bomb Group, 452nd Bomb Group.
Division
The 3rd Bomb Division was Constituted in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.
| Tonnage dropped | 402.5 T HE 168 T IB |
AIRFIELD
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2nd Bomb Division was made up of 44th Bomb Group, 93rd Bomb Group, 389th Bomb Group, 392nd Bomb Group,445th Bomb Group, 446th Bomb Group, 453rd Bomb Group, 458th Bomb Group, 466th Bomb Group, 467th Bomb Group.
Division
The groups under the command of the 2nd Bomb Wing came under the command of the 2nd Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 2nd Air Division.
| Tonnage dropped | 184.5 T HE 305 T IB |
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
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AIRFIELD
B-17 Flying Fortress
Note in my father's log.. Horace Turner, states, "Raided Werl, aircraft factory, perfect bombing, flak very light. It was a milk run."
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Waist Gunner | 466th Bomb Group
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball turret gunner | 389th Bomb Group
James Braa served as a ball turret gunner with the 566th Bomb Squadron of the 389th Bomb Group, flying bombing missions out of Hethel, England. He completed his tour of 30 missions between March and June 1944, flying his final two missions on D-Day.
Military | Master Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
Ball Turret gunner, Rayburn Crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 19 April 1944 in B-17 #42-38004 "Ol' Man Tucker". Mission #94 to Eschwege, Germany. MACR 4052. Not an original member of the crew. Assisted the wounded S/Sgt DeForest E. Main out...
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Flew 27 missions
DFC, AM, Unit Citation
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
My dad, Enrico 'Rick' Carpini was from Linden, NJ and served as a radio gunner on a B-17G with the 305th Bomb Group/365th Bomb Squadron. He flew 30 missions from 1/4/44-5/22/44. The pilot was John F. Schleifer from Buffalo, NY.
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 381st Bomb Group
Co-Pilot, Rayburn Crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 19 April 1944 in B-17 #42-38004 "Ol' Man Tucker". Mission #94 to the airfield at Eschwege, Germany. MACR 4052. Killed in Action (KIA). Not an original member of the crew. Very first mission....
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 525BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 17 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Sorau, Germany mission 11-Apr-44 'Tenny Belle' exploded in mid-air near Downham Market, England. Sole survivor, blown out of A/C with chute. Wounded in Action (WIA) RTD....
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
Tail Gunner, Rayburn Crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 19 April 1944 in B-17 #42-38004 "Ol' Man Tucker". Mission #94 to Eschwege, Germany. MACR #4052. Prisoner of War (POW) at Stalag Luft XVIIB, Krems, Austria.
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Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier/Navigator | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Charles Gordon flew 17 missions as a navigator and 18 as a bombardier with the 44th Bomb Group, flying missions out of Shipdham, England.
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B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 27/1/44; Kearney 1/2/44; Presque Is 5/3/44; Assigned 560BS/388BG Knettishall 6/3/44; Missing in Action Liege 25/5/44 with Bill Warren, Bombardier: Jerome Fontaine (2 Killed in Action); Navigator: Gene McClellan, Flight engineer/top...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 31/10/43; Kearney 13/11/43; Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-G] Horham 1/1/44; flak damage Berlin 6/10/44 with Lester Lennox, Co-pilot: Bob McCoy (2 Returned to Duty); Navigator: Bill Tate, Bombardier: Dick White, Flight engineer/top turret...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 6/3/43; Morrison 31/3/43; Assigned 427BS/303BG [GN-Y] Molesworth 2/6/43; Missing in Action Hanover 29/4/44 with Jim Fisher, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Gus Johnson[body recovered from lake 20/5/44] (2 Prisoner of War); Co-pilot:...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 6/1/44; Kearney 15/1/44; Romulus 23/1/44; Grenier 25/1/44; Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-J] Horham 2/2/44; transferred 412BS [QW-J]; 98m, with S.D. Reed, force landed RAF Coltishakk, 8RTD, 1WIA; Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 21/6/44;...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 10/11/43; Presque Is 30/11/43; Prestwick, UK 7/12/43; Assigned 534BS/381BG [GD-A] Ridgewell 6/1/44; 6 Missing in Action Eschwege 19/4/44 with Bob Rayburn, Co-pilot: Maynard Craft, Radio Operator: Don Peterson (3 Killed in Action);...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 11/2/44; Dalhart 3/3/44; Grenier 26/3/44; Assigned 412BS/95BG [QW-L] Horham 28/3/44; with Horace O. Turner, 24/4/44, Bombardier/Navigator [wia]; with J.C. Bertram 11/7/44, Waist gunner: Ray Carpenter [wia]; with T.G. Bek 24/12/44,...
B-24 Liberator
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 03 November 2017 04:00:46 | ARowe95 | Changes to person associations and aircraft associations |
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ARowe95 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 November 2017 03:58:25 | ARowe95 | Changes to event |
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ARowe95 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 March 2016 08:14:03 | aquaflow1 | Changes to event |
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Added by Karen Turner, daughter of Horace Turner, based on his handwritten log. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 20 May 2015 12:18:42 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Mission details added courtesy of Diane Elizabeth Reese from 457th Bomb Group Mission Documents. http://www.457thbombgroup.org/ |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:43:06 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
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'. |
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