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12 March 1945
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Heavies Hit Near Rhine, Along Baltic
Well over 3,500 heavy bombers and fighters of the 8th and 15th Air Force and the RAF roared over Germany yesterday in attacks that shook the Reich from the Rhine to the Oder and south to Vienna,
The Tremendous blow, spearheaded by the 8th in an assault that spreadeagled both Eastern and Western fronts, gave direct aid to the U.S. and Russian troops battling on both approaches to the heart of Germany.
Half the forces of 1,350 Fortresses and Liberators and 750 escorting fighters split to attack naval and military installations at the Baltic port of Swinemunde. 35 miles north of Stettin, and marshalling yards at six towns in an area about 60 miles long parallel to the Rhine and 40 to 60 miles east of the river opposite Cologne and Coblenz.
RAF Smashes Dortmund
While the 8th was blasting its string of targets in the Rhineland, more than 1,000 Halifaxes and Lancasters of the RAF, protected by a screen of Spitfires and Mustangs, struck 40 miles to the north, bombing the communications center of Dortmund, 15 miles east of Essen, which was still smoking from the RAF's raid the previous day.
The 15th's effort, fashioned by Forts and Libs and a strong shield of fighters, was directed at oil installations in the Vienna area.
The attack on Swinemunde was the closest blow to the Eastern Front the 8th has yet delivered. It fell only 16 miles from where Marshall Zhukov's forces are striking for Baltic port of Stettin. Plans for the attack were laid after photo reconnaissance three days ago showed the one-time seaside resort on the Oder estuary teeming with activity.
Clouds Obstruct View
Specific targets attacked were not disclosed and results were not observed because of heavy cloud. But the port is known to be a strong naval base, with shipyards and oil storage depots, and a likely base for the pocket battleship Adm. Sheers and U-boats which may have left the East Baltic.
The marshalling yards opposite the Rhine were at Siegen, Betzdorf, Dillenburg, Wetzler, Friedburg and Marburg. Here, too, as over Swinemunde, there was heavy cloud. Bombardiers used instruments over the targets.
One bomber and three fighters failed to return.
Last night, German radio broke out with ringing Achtungs, describing a strong force of fast enemy bombers approaching the Hanover-Brunswick area_"bomb alley" to Berlin_ indicating that Mosquitoes were out to hit the capital for the 21st successive night.
MARSHALLING YARDS
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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A nix of 192 P-47s and P-51s provide escort. Mix not given in available data.
MARSHALLING YARDS
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MARSHALLING YARDS
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MARSHALLING YARDS & PORT
B-17 Flying Fortress
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Group
The 385th Bomb Group, who took the nickname "Van's Valiants" after their first Commanding Officer Col. Elliot Vandevanter, flew B-17s from Great Ashfield, Suffolk. The Group led the famous attack on the Focke-Wolfe aircraft factory at Marienburg on 9...
MARSHALLING YARDS
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Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | waist gunner, toggelier, B-17 | 452nd Bomb Group
Military | Chief Master Sergeant | B-17 Toglier in WWII; Aircraft Maintenance until 1967 retirement | 96th Bomb Group
Assigned Dec 1944. Flew 55+ missions in B-17 as togglier. Adcock grew up on a farm in Ellisville, Mississippi, USA. He was career Air Force, retiring in 1967 as a Chief Master Sergeant (CMSAF). Born 3/8/1924 Died 3/16/2017
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 453rd Bomb Group
Robert Atkins served as a tail gunner with the 733rd Bomb Squadron of the 453rd Bomb Group, flying missions out of Old Buckenham, England.
Military | Lieutenant | Navigator | 95th Bomb Group
John Barnes was born January 31, 1922 in Philadelphia, PA, the son of Leonard and Gertrude Barnes of Emporium, PA . He received his undergraduate and Ph.D from Penn State University. He served in WWII as the navigator of the “Spirit of Martinez with...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Togglier | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Flight Officer | Co-Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Military | First Lieutenant | B-17 Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Frank Calicura served as a pilot with the 95th Bomb Group.
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Military | Captain | Pilot on B-17 | 379th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Tail Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 336BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Holzwickede 23-Mar-45. Mid air collision with B-17 44-8754, crashed Campsea Ash, Suffolk. Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: AM (3 OLC), PH.
Military | Captain | Pilot | 34th Bomb Group
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 28/8/43; Scott 16/9/43; Assigned 544BS/384BG Grafton Underwood 7/11/43; transferred 547BS [SO-N]; transferred to 364FG Leiston, Sfk, UK. 11/43; Returned to the USA Bradley 14/7/45; 4185 BU Independence 17/7/45; Reconstruction Finance...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 28/7/44; Hunter 8/8/44; Dow Fd 30/8/44; Assigned 569BS/390BG [CC-V] Framlingham 2/9/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 30/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 6/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Lincoln 14/9/44; Grenier 27/9/44; Assigned 548BS/385BG [GX-P] Gt Ashfield 1/10/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 24/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 26/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 28...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Lincoln 20/9/44; Grenier 11/10/44; Assigned 334BS/95BG [BG-B] Horham 13/10/44; 67m, Returned to the USA Bradley 26/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 28/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 29...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Lincoln 14/10/44; Dow Fd 26/10/44; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 29/10/44; while on navigation exercise 17/5/45 with H.J. Cole, cp V. Ferguson, two navigators and two grounded crew, on as makeshift ttg and r/op (6 Killed in Action); crash...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Lincoln 28/8/44; Grenier 15/9/44; Assigned 748BS/457BG [H] Glatton 30/9/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 8/6/45; Sth Plains 13/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 25/11/45.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Hunter 27/11/44; Grenier 16/12/44; Assigned 335BS/95BG [OE-E] Horham 1/1/45; battle damaged Chemnitz 6/2/45 with D.V. Tregoning, force landed B-53, Merville, Bel. then rep; 53m, Returned to the USA Bradley 21/6/45; Sth Plains 23/6/45;...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Lincoln 31/10/44; Grenier 15/12/44; Dow Fd 15/12/44; Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-X] Horham 17/12/44;with Bill Dunwoody force landed B-53 Merville Afd, Bel. 19/3/45; battle damaged Holzwickede 23/3/45 with Bill Dunwoody, Co-pilot: M. Burrows,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 16/11/44; Hunter 12/12/44; Dow Fd 17/12/44; Assigned 369BS/306BG Thurleigh 6/1/45; Salvaged 9AF Germany 31/7/46. DRIVE IT HOME!
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 30/11/44; Hunter 20/12/44; Grenier 6/1/45; Assigned 350BS/100BG [LN-J] Thorpe Abbotts 8/1/45; transferred as PFF 336BS/95BG [ET-F] Horham 23/1/45; 13m, Returned to the USA Morrison 20/10/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 18 September 2018 03:35:35 | spiritofmartinez45 | Changes to description |
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Newspaper article |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 September 2018 03:09:02 | spiritofmartinez45 | Changes to media associations |
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Owner of source material (newapaper) corresponding with date of mission |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 September 2018 00:50:37 | spiritofmartinez45 | Changes to description and media associations |
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fixed errors |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 September 2018 00:40:25 | spiritofmartinez45 | Changes to person associations and aircraft associations |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 September 2018 00:39:30 | spiritofmartinez45 | Changes to description |
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owner of source material (newspaper) |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 July 2017 03:58:00 | Virginiawise50 | Changes to event |
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Official 385th Bombardment Group website Database-Missions |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 July 2017 03:56:45 | Virginiawise50 | Changes to person associations and aircraft associations |
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Official 385th Bombardment Group website Database-Missions |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 July 2016 02:40:35 | jjaustin0308 | Changes to event |
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My Grandfather flew in this Mission on 12 Mar 1945: |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:43:09 | 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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