401st Bomb Group, Mission No. 213, 23 Feb 1945, Ottingen, Germany. Another early briefing-- at 0345 hours. Aircraft loading was twelve 500 pound G.P.'s and 2,780 gallons of gas. All ships were airborne by 0755 hours. One aircraft was forced to abort, and two spares also returned early. This was the second day of Operation Clarion--low level (10,000 feet) attacks on German road and rail facilities. The 401st provided the three squadrons making up the 94th Combat Wing "C" Group. Although the weather was generally clear, the Group encountered some clouds over Hamburg, the primary target. The Air Commander therefore elected to bomb targets of opportunity, two bridges and a small railroad marshalling yard at Ottingen, Germany. With visual sighting from low level, the three lead bombardiers were able to achieve commendable results, hitting all three targets. No enemy fighters appeared, and flak was negligible. However, because of weather related problems, five Group aircraft landed on the Continent, and the others landed at diversion bases in the U.K. Upon returning from the mission, the 401st's aircraft were diverted to other fields because of bad weather and low visibility at Deenethorpe. While several were able to return to Deenethorpe later in the evening, most of the diverted aircraft remained overnight at diversion bases.