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NOTES FROM ANDY'S DIARY
8/9/44 Mission #1
Flew our 1st mission today, 34 to go. They woke us at 1:50 am. Briefing time
3:00 am. So we knew it was pretty sure to be a long one. Had pineapple
juice, fresh egg, hotcakes, sausage, cold cereal, coffee.
Target Schmitt
ball bearing works, Nurnberg. Took off 0715 - left England 0856. Over enemy
coast 0921. Ran into overcast and cloudy weather. Turned back approx. 50
miles southeast of Aachen. Picked a target of opportunity - dropped on lead
ship and leveled the town of St. Vith - in Belgium. Encountered flak at
Liege - moderate. Landed 1220. Logged 5-1/4 hrs.
8/13/44 Mission #2
Woke us up at 5:45 am for mission #2. On the way to breakfast we piled out
of the truck and saw a buzz bomb. It was really moving along - stringing out
flames behind it. It sounded a bit louder then an outboard motor. What a
gliding angle! It hit about a mile and a half from the field.
The briefing
for the mission was the real Army stuff. Gave us series #3 charts and the
"Gee" signals were series #2. Mission was three-ship element bombing behind
the German lines - about 25 miles west of Paris 1 mile south of the Seine.
We went into France between Cherbourg and Bayeaux. We skirted the lines (on
the Allied side). We were lead ship of our element - I was really careful that
we stayed on course. Between St. Lo and Uire there was a 12-ship formation
flying on our left about 8 miles. They plowed right over a flak battery at
Falaise. I was looking right at them when one of the ships got a direct hit
in the right wing. The wing broke off between #3 and #4. Wing fell in flames
- the ship fell in flames, tight spin to the right. No parachutes observed.
Three minutes later another one took a direct hit. All I could see was shiny
bits of aluminum - just a ball of fire. No one had a chance. The formation
did not try evasive action. As near as I could spot the flak it was close to
Falaise.
We turned on the I.P. and made a 15-minute bomb run. Hit a road -
purpose of raid was to interrupt Jerry's supply lines. We dropped 36 100-lb
general purpose bombs. About 20 miles SW of Rouen there were about 12 rocket
bombs. They really leave a trail of smoke. Jack called out 4 planes down in
flames before I saw what he meant. Van Nostrand called 5 parachutes - it was
a high formation that the sun just hit at the right angle.
After the rally
point I called Jack to tack onto a formation. As usual Jack said, "Hell,
Andy, let's go home by ourselves - get there quicker." So we drug into
England with a formation on our tail. I can still see that B-17 in a tight
right spin. I knew they couldn't get out - it was spinning too tight. I'd
rather get a direct hit.
8/24/44 Mission #3
Was awakened at 1:45 this morning by Dick Giles. They were on their way to
briefing. I thought to myself, "Missed us this time." -- but, the CQ woke me
at 2:00 am for 2:30 briefing. So--after a breakfast of canned grapefruit - 2
eggs over easy - bologna (ugh!) - and cereal - and fresh oranges and coffee..
I was well prepared for the shock of the rising curtain (on the mission
route).
Holy Smokes! Whoever planned this one should have given it to the
Russians - it was sure a lot closer to them. Anyway - take-off was 7:45 -
departed Splasher #7 at 9:08, left England and headed for Heligoland at
9:32. Just before Heligoland Dick lost his oxygen and aborted so the deputy
lead took over. Target was a synthetic oil plant at Dresden - secondary, an
airplane assembly plant; last resort an airfield.
It had rained off and on
until take-off. The apron to my flak suit was wet (really frozen stiff at
25,000 ( 25 deg.C). Saw a hell of a lot of flak all along the route but the
nearest to us (except at the target) was approx. 300 yds - they used rockets
- not even close and saw one burst of red flak - the rest was black.
Every town we went by was smoke screened - but Bremen was getting quite a
pasting. They were putting flak all the way up to 30,000 but I observed no
hits.
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Ball Turret
We made a very fancy bomb run - evasive action for all but about 3 minutes -
then the bomb bay doors would not open electrically. So Rector cranked them
open.
Then - on bombs away only 1/2 the load dropped, 5 500-lb GPS so Chuck
hit both the salvo and the toggle switches. That did it, but it threw the
other 5 500-lb bombs about 3 sec over the target - approx. 1000 ft. Then
Rector had to hand crank the doors shut while we were making just about a
180 and diving. There were 51 sure guns at the target.
The ride home was
just a ride. Some flak but all of it wild. Back at the base when we landed
we darn near ground-looped. The pin in the tail wheel sheared and we took
off across the infield. To top it off it started raining like the devil and
everybody got wet. There was one ship (B-17-G) that landed at Lavenham that
made it all the way back from Dresden on 2 motors. They had thrown
everything they could out, including the parachutes.
Logged 8-1/2 hours - 5:05 on oxygen and traveled 1204 nautical miles not
counting evasive action. On that oxygen - I had to move to the Bomb-Copilot
line so Jack would have enough to get home - landed with the red light on
and 75 pounds on the gauge. So it ends - hope we didn't kill any women or
children with those wild bombs.
8/25/44 Mission #4
Rudely awakened at 4:30 for 5:00 briefing. Looked like a short one - but -
it was sure longer than yesterday's. Left Great Yarmouth at 9:32 and headed
over the North Sea. Right through a stationary front. It really scattered
the formation. We were reforming for 100 miles.
Came over Germany at the
Denmark peninsula about 5 miles left of course. Everything was smooth -
solid undercast - when, with no warning the Flensberg flak batteries opened
up. They must have tracked us for 10 minutes because the first bursts were
right off our left wing in the formation. The plane would jump up about six
inches every time a burst would let go underneath and there were several.
One of the ships got his, jettisoned his bombs and headed home. We got the
hell out of there.
From Flensberg we cut across Kiel Bay to Nykobing on one
of Denmark's islands. Angled across the Baltic Sea and hit Germany again
near Stettine Haff. Two flak batteries took shots at us going by but we were
just out of range. We flew west of Stettine where the flak forced us to fly
4 miles off course - that flak wasn't very well figured out.
Turned on a
6-minute bomb run and hit an experimental airfield (Recklin Field, the
Wright Field of Germany) on the SE shores of the Muritz Sea. Had about 15
flak guns at the target and they were good. One of the boys went down in
flames - the stories vary, from 3 to 9 chutes came out. It was the deputy
lead - 6 officers and 5 enlisted men. We had 7i holes from flak.
Went north
to Nykobing and home the same route as we flew out. Plane out for 4 days.
Logged 9-3/4 hours but only 2-1/4 hours on oxygen. I'll dream of that bomb
run - there were 3 bursts of 3 right across the nose. If that gunner had
loaded just a little slower, he would have had us.
Well, four down and 31 to go. Wasn't quite as scared today as yesterday -
but that's not saying much. Better get some sleep - we're alerted for
tomorrow - if we do it'll be rough - day 3 in a row is rough.
Go to Part III
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