Description

The industrial areas of Ludwigshafen was the traget for this mission, but the mission was frustrated by heavy cloud cover and navigational errors that resulted in the mission going haywire. 3rd Air Division and 2nd Air Division despatch heavy bombers. Mission Summary follows:



3rd Air Division: A combined forc of 245 B-17s from: 94BG; 95BG; 96BG; 100BG; 385BG; 388BG; 390BG; 447BG; and 452BG are despatched. The force runs into heavy cloud cover over France and the entire formation aborts the mission. 7 aircraft are damaged. There are no other losses, casualties or claims.



2nd Air Division: A combined force of 195 B-24s from: 44BG; 93BG; 389BG; 392BG; 445BG; 446BG; 448BG; and 453BG are despatched with the industrial areas of Ludwigshafen as the target. Cloud cover, PFF failures and navigational errors plague this formation and it flies a course nearly 100 miles south of the intended track. As a result 17 B-24s bomb Strasbourg, France and 38 others bomb Shaffenhausen, Switzerland in error. 101 managed to bomb the industrial areas of Pforzheim, Germany as a Target of Opportunity (TO) and 9 others bomb the industrial areas of Gaffenhausen, Germany as a TO. The bombing errors at Shaffenhausen, Switzerland are a serious breach of Swiss neutrality and the United Staes goverment pays the Swiss government $1,000,000 in an apology. 6 aircraft of the formations attacking at Pforzheim Failed to Return (FTR) - 23KIA 27POW 11EVD; 6 aircraft of the formations that bombed Strasbourg, France Failed to Return (FTR) - 21KIA 22POW 12EVD 8RTD (rescued by ASR). 2 aircraft are Damaged Beyond Repair (DBR), 1 in a crash landing upon return - 6KIA 4RTD and 1 ran out of petrol and was abandoned over England - 10BO/RTD. 42 aircraft are damaged. 9 airmen in returning aircraft are KIA and another 12 are WIA. The bomber gunners claim 1-1-0 of attacking German aircraft. There are no other losses, casualties or claims.