Subject: November 21, 1944 / Bomb Run
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Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2007 07:09:51 -0500

Mission Number - 135

Date - 11/21/44

Day - Tuesday

Day of Year - 326

Primary Target - Harburg, Ger.

Secondary Target -

Results - Excellant

Aircraft Assigned -

Aircraft Dispersed -

Aircraft Over Target -

#of Bombs Dropped -

Wt. of Bombs -

Type of Bombs -

Altitude of Drop -

Fighter Escort

P38 Escort -

P47 Escort -

P51 Escort -

Spitfire Escort -

Enemy Aircraft

Claimed Destroyed -

Probably Destroyed -

Claimed Damaged -

Anti Aircraft was -

Aircraft Lost -

Men Killed -

Men Wounded -

Men Missing in Action -

Type of Target - Synthetic Oil Plants

Names of Crew Killed in Action

Names of Crew Missing in Action

Names of Crew Wounded in Action

Names of Crew Made Prisoners of War

Names of Crew Interned

Mission Narrative

The 467th flew ‘low-rite’ in the Wing and was led by Major Taylor,
who flew with Lt. Addison B. Manning’s crew. Leading the second squadron,
Lt. Rothchild was command pilot with Lt. WIlliam J. Grundmann’s crew. The
third squadron was led by Capt. George E. Tormoen and his crew.
Twenty-nine aircraft were dispatched and 29 aircraft attacked.

On the bomb-run everything indicated H2X bombing, and the group was
formed to bomb as a group. No enemy aircraft were seen, but the flak was
intense and accurate, causing minor damage to 17 ships and major damage to
1. The mickey operator on the lead ship, Lt. James W. Holt, was all set up
to give the word for bombs away when Lt. Charley J. Good, the
bombardier,  found that he could make a visual. In only 45 seconds he
was able to adjust his bomb sight and to have his pattern called by the 2
BD publication “BEST HIT OF THE WEEK”.

Added by Jim Pippenger, 789th BS pilot:
“This was another
1100 plane day.  Weather was not the greatest over the target, but
our Bomb Group was cited as the one who really hit the target. For a few
moments on the bomb run we had a clear view of the target. Our load was
twelve 500lb GPs going for Oil refineries again. Flak was as bad as we had
ever seen, and very accurate. Thirteen planes sustained heavy damage out
of 29. Every plane of ours returned. Our plane had at least 34 holes of
different sizes and shapes from flak. One of the waist gunners came close
to [getting the] Purple Heart. When he was undressing after debriefing, a
piece of flak clunked onto the cement floor, dropping out of a tear caused
by the steel fragment.”

Details of Aircraft Loss

Mission Label

Mission #135
Harburg, Ger
11/21/44

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