VIII Bomber Command 8

29 August 1942

Official Description

12 B-17’s attack Courtrai/Wevelghem A/F, an FW-190 base.

Description

97BG despatches 13 B-17s to attack German airfields at Courtrai, France.

Mission Details

COURTRAI (Primary)

Description: AIRFIELD

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress

Notes: No fighter escort. The RAF has been bombing targets in Germany and other Occupied countries since 11 -May-40, but only at night. The daylight raids of the American 8th Air Force seem to have taken the Germans off guard, so resistance has been light. Also the number of bombers sent by 8th Air Force to the target have been much smaller in number than those currently being despatched to target by the RAF.

Ground personnel of the 97th Bomb Group reservice a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-9023) nicknamed "Yankee Doodle", following the raid on Rouen. Image stamped on reverse: 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 18 Aug 1942.' [stamp], 'Air=SER (Boeing).' [written annotation] and '216112.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'U.S FLYING FORTRESSES RAID ROUEN IN DAYLIGHT. Associated Press Photo Shows: No sooner had one of the huge Fortresses landed after the raid than ground crew im
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Mission Statistics

  • Tonnage Dropped: 28.15
  • Enemy aircrafts probably destroyed by bomber: 1
  • Enemy aircraft damaged by bomber: 1
  • Aircraft sent: 13
  • Aircraft effective: 11
  • Aircraft damaged: 3

STEENE (Opportunistic)

Description: AIRFIELD

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress

Notes: A single aircraft drops its bombs on the German airfield Steene at COURTRAI, France as a target of opportunity.

Ground personnel of the 97th Bomb Group reservice a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-9023) nicknamed "Yankee Doodle", following the raid on Rouen. Image stamped on reverse: 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 18 Aug 1942.' [stamp], 'Air=SER (Boeing).' [written annotation] and '216112.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'U.S FLYING FORTRESSES RAID ROUEN IN DAYLIGHT. Associated Press Photo Shows: No sooner had one of the huge Fortresses landed after the raid than ground crew im
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Mission Statistics

  • Tonnage Dropped: 1.00
  • Aircraft sent: 1
  • Aircraft effective: 1

Revisions

Date
ContributorEmily
Changes
Sources

Air Force Combat Chronology

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 15-Feb-2015. Added Bomber Gunner claims to statistics on Courtrai per "The Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman.

Date
ContributorEmily
Changes
Sources

Changed Stene back to to Steene based on information at 8th AF HS

Date
ContributorEmily
Changes
Sources

Moved Mission pin & changed title from STEENE/COURTRAI (Opportunistic) to STENE (Opportunistic).

Steene in France is a small town- modern satellite images on Google Maps do not suggest that there was an airfield nearby. There was a German airfield at Stene in Belgium, close to the current location of Ostend Airport, which falls on a more direct route from Courtrai to Polebrook/Grafton Underwood.

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

test

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Oct-2014. Mission description based on "USAAF Combat Chronology" Hack McKillop, http://www.usaaf.net/chron/42/aug42.htm

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
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'.