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7 January 1944
Not yet known
A combined fighter force of 571 aircraft are despatched to provide escort for the bombers attacking at Ludwigshaven, Germany. Three elements of fighters are despatched.
The first element is a combined force of 71 P-38s despatched from: 20FG and 55FG. 1 aircraft Fails to Return (FTR) 1POW. None of the rest of the element are damaged and there are no other casualties. The fighters of the element claim 1-0-2 of attacking German fighters.
The second element is a combined force of 463 P-47s despatched from : 4FG; 56FG, 78FG; 352FG; 353FG; 355FG; 356FG; 358FG and 359FG. 5 aircraft Failed to Return (FTR) 5KIA. 1 aircraft is damaged. There are no other casualties in this element. The fighters of this element claim 6-0-1 of attacking German fighters.
The third element is a force of 354 P-51s from IX Fighter Command. There are no losses or claims in this fighter element.
FIGHTER ESCORT
P-38 Lightning
These aircraft for 20FG and 55FG escort the bomber stream all the way to the target and back. They are also combind with 37 P-51s from IX Fighter Command.
Group
In August 1943, the 20th Fighter Group arrived in Clyde, Scotland, before travelling to Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, which was to be their base for the rest of the war. The Group flew 312 missions before their last mission on 25 April 1945. The...
Group
The 55th Fighter Group were the first P-38 Lightning Group to go fully operational from England. The pilots flew long-range escort missions for bombers flying over occupied Europe and racked up 'kills' of their own by destroying enemy aircraft in...
| Number of aircraft Sent | 71 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 1 |
| Number of people Prisoners of War | 1 |
FIGHTER ESCORT
P-47 Thunderbolt
This is a large despatch of 463 P-47s that provide penetration and withdrawal support to the bomber stream attacking Ludwigshaven. Fuel capacity prevents them from escorting all the way to the target and back.
Group
The 352nd Fighter Group were based at Bodney, Norfolk from July 1943 until November 1945 but in the winter months of 1944/1945 detachments moved to bases in Belgium to provide extra air support to ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge and to...
Group
The 353rd Fighter Group was assigned to the Eighth Air Force on 7 June 1943. The group flew P-47 Thunderbolts, and from October 1944, P-51 Mustangs, as escorts for bombing missions across occupied Europe and to strafe targets on the ground. Tactical...
Group
Where the 353rd Fighter Group had pioneered ground strafing techniques, it was the 355th Fighter Group who destroyed more enemy aircraft by ground strafing than any other Eighth Air Force Group. Based at Steeple Morden from July 1943 to July 1945, the...
Group
The 356th Fighter Group flew 413 missions between 15 October 1943 and 7 May 1945 and suffered the highest ratio of losses to enemy aircraft claims of any Eighth Air Force Group. This gave the Group the reputation of being the 'hard luck' outfit. The...
Group
The 358th Fighter Group flew seventeen missions with the Eighth Air Force from Leiston air base. At the beginning of February 1944 the Group were transferred to the Ninth Air Force in exchange for the 357th Fighter Group. With the Ninth, the Group went...
Group
The 359th Fighter Group flew 346 missions from East Wretham between December 1943 and April 1945. In the main these missions were escorting bombers flying over occupied Europe. The Group, soon after converting from Thunderbolts to Mustangs, were...
Group
Some of the pilots of the 4th Fighter Group had seen many hours of combat by the time they joined the 4th Fighter Group as they had volunteered with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The three 'Eagle Squadrons' of RAF Fighter...
Group
Flying P-47 Thunderbolts throughout their time stationed in England, the Group, known as "the Wolfpack", had more ace pilots than any other Eighth Air Force Fighter Group. The 56th Fighter Group also destroyed more enemy aircraft in air combat than any...
Group
The 78th Fighter Group was initially based at Goxhill but moved to Duxford in April 1943 and stayed there until October 1945. The 78th FG flew each of the three US built principal fighters of the AAF in the ETO. In their Thundetbolts, the 78th FG ...
| Number of aircraft Sent | 463 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 5 |
| Number of people Killed In Action | 5 |
FIGHTER ESCORT
P-51 Mustang
37 P-51s are despatched from 354FG of IX Fighter Command to assist 8th Air Force fighter units in escorting the bomber stream to and from Ludwigshaven, Germany.
Group
The Group moved to England in the autumn of 1943 and was assigned to the Ninth Air Force in December 1943. The Group were the first to fly P-51 Mustangs operationally and in their bomber escort missions pushed to find the long-range limits of the...
| Number of aircraft Sent | 37 |
| Number of aircraft Effective | 37 |
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 358th Fighter Group
Corlys Bedford was Pilot of P-47D # 42-75064, shot down by enemy fighters on return from an escort mission to Ludwigshaven, Germany, 7 January 1944. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | First Lieutenant | 353rd Fighter Group
Military | Captain | Fighter Pilot | 353rd Fighter Group
Jesse W Gonnam enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and graduated as a fighter pilot.
...
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 358th Fighter Group
Lance Pousette was Pilot of P-47D #42-74678 shot down by Flak and fighters on return from the 7 January 1944 escort mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Killed in Action (KIA). Missing Air Crew Report - MACR 2004.
Military | Major | Fighter Pilot | 358th Fighter Group
Donald Younglas was killed in action (KIA) on 7 January 1944, while providing fighter escort on a mission to Ludwigshaven, Germany. His P-47D Thunderbolt #42-75124 was shot down by German fighters. Missing Air Crew Report - MACR 2003.
P-47 Thunderbolt
Shot down by enemy fighters on return from an escort mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Crashed Cousolre, 13km SE of Maubeuge, France. Pilot Lt Lance A. Pousette Killed in Action (KIA). Missing Air Crew Report - MACR 2004.
P-47 Thunderbolt
Pilot Lt Corlys A. Bedford was killed in the crash. Missing Air Crew Report - MACR 2005.
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 06 January 2016 19:24:42 | Lee8thbuff | Created event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Jan-2016. Added Mission Event covering despatch of P-51 fighters from 354FG of IX Fighter Command based on "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", Roger A. Freeman |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 January 2016 19:19:36 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Jan-2016. Added Note to P-47 element based on "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", Roger A. Freeman. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 January 2016 19:16:03 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Jan-2016. Corrected note to P-38 element per "The Mighty Eight War Dairy", Roger A. Freeman. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 January 2016 19:11:36 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to name and description |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Jan-2016. Edited mission title and added mission description based on "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", Roger A. Freeman |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:43:20 | 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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