Loading List 1, Box I
with Three Additional Window Mission Aircraft




Loading List 2, Box II




Primary Target area around MBS Coordinate (NGZ) rA085080
Extracted from GSGS-4416/AMS-M641 Sheet Q1 - "Essen" 1:100:000 Military Topographic Map
(Downloaded from Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection - Army Map Service Topographic Map Series,
Central Europe, Series M641, 1:100,000, U.S. Army Map Service, 1943-,
Essen sheet)
(Note: This coordinate and map display represent the Primary Target Location, the Location actually attacked may differ)
(Annotated Full Map PDF)

Missing Air Crew Reports, Aircraft Accident Reports, and other incidents

Date	Report		A/C Serial # Type	Mis- sion #	Bomb Sq	Location	Personnel (Status when available)
Feb 9, 1945 Friday	No_Report		43-22337 A-26B	201	670	A-54 or B-75	Borman, Henry W. (Not Injured) Perujo, Raphael J. (Not Injured)
Feb 9, 1945 Friday	AAR 45-2-9-525		41-39331 A-26B	201	668	6 miles SW of Sittard, Holland	Cannon, Lovick E. (Not Injured) Robinson, J. W. (Not Injured)

To view more information regarding an Incident/Report, click on the Report hyperlink.
( = Entries having actual Reports available for review.   = Entries having additional Images or Photos.)
To view an individual's Memorial page, click on the "Name" hyperlink.

Included are Box, Flight and Position; Bomb Squadron; Aircraft Serial Number, Fuselage Code and Model; and Crew Members
transcribed from individual mission Loading List documents by Chris and Mary Adams and Carl Sgamboti.
Some information, such as Squadron, Serial Number, etc. has been expanded from other documents.

Group and Unit Histories

Mission # 201 -- February 9, 1945, Friday PM
Kempen, Germany -- Communications Center

"416th Bombardment Group (L) - Group History 1945"
Transcribed from USAF Archives

On the following day, the 9th, while the 668th and 670th Bomb Squadrons were packing their equipment preparatory to moving, two boxes of aircraft took off to attack the Kempen communications center. The PPF plane did not drop and in the bad weather, the formation split up. Only one aircraft attacked the primary target with Gee equipment. Three aircraft attacked the town of Lichpenare on Gee equipment. Nineteen aircraft dropped on ETA, in the vicinity of Scherfede. The formation encountered moderate accurate flak from Cologne and intense accurate flak from Dusseldorf and Dortmund. Six aircraft received category "A" damage. One plane, with Capt H.M. Borman as pilot and Sgt R.J. Perujo as gunner, was forced down by battle damage, which caused loss of gas at A-54. The nose wheel broke landing when the plane hit some buckled steel planking on the runway. The plane piloted by L.E. Cannon, with S/Sgt J.W. Robinson as gunner, also crash-landed. They were forced down in a field just inside the bomb line. None of the crews were injured. Capt Stebbins, Lt Calloway, B-N, and Capt Evans, Lt McCartney, B-N, were the box leaders.

"Attack Bombers, We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group"
Ralph Conte
Pages 206 - 207

Mission #201 - 9 February - Kempen, Germany. Captain Stebbins with Lt. Calloway BN and Captain Evans with Lt. McCartney, BN led boxes. Captain Greenley and Lt. Basnett, BN, Lts. Chalmers and Eckard as a new BN team, led flights. For some unknown reason the formation separated, - got lost - so the primary target was not bombed. The PFF equipment failed to function, and the GEE techniques didn't work. The first box leader made a second run at the target, but did not drop because of a foul up malfunction of the bomb rack releases, so eight planes did not drop. The second box went on to a secondary target, dropping their bombs on Lingen, using GEE equipment. Three planes dropped their load on Lichenare, 19 planes dropped on Scherfede. Two planes had to make emergency landings, Lt. Cannon with S/S Robinson in Holland and Lt. Montrose with S/S Felkel at A-89 airfield. Lt. Cannon's plane was totally destroyed, while Montrose made a safe landing, returning to our base the next day, with his plane. None of the crews of either plane were injured. Captain Borman with gunner Sgt. R. J. Perujo had taken a shot in the gas tank, depleting his fuel, requiring him to land emergency at A-54 in Belgium.

"669th Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcription from USAF Archives

On the ninth of the month, this squadron led the entire group in an attack on the Kempen Communications Center. The formation was led by Capt. Stebbins and Lt. Calloway.

"670th Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcription from USAF Archives

The following day the Kempen communications center was attacked. Heavy accurate flak was met at the Cologne area and also at Dusseldorf and Dortmund. Captain Borman had a gas tank shot up and because of the loss of fuel had to land at Station A-54 in Belgium.

Also on the 9th, the rail convoy of the squadron left for the new base. Major Morris was in charge of 10 officers and 145 enlisted men. They loaded into the French "40 and 8" box cars and left Melun in the evening. After a very uncomfortable twenty-two hours they arrived at the new base.

The truck convoy with Captain Geffinger in charge, left at 0100 hours, 10 February. Seven Officers and fifty four Enlisted men drove through the night and arrived at A-69 about 0900 hours. Practically all men in the squadron had been without sleep for about thirty-six hours, but there was a big job ahead so they went to work. By evening we were settled enough to accommodate everyone, either in tents or in what few buildings we found on the new base.

"671st Bomb Squadron (L) Unit History"
Gordon Russell and Jim Kerns

February 9th, 1945

Advancing British and Canadian ground forces at the northern end of the Seigfried line drew support from the 416th Bomb Group on February 9th, 1945. The Invaders struck at the heavily defended village of Kempen, 20 miles northwest of Dusseldorf. It is a built up area including road and rail communi¡cations in the path of the British Second Army.

The PFF special equipment and Gee set failed in the first box. The box leader made a second run, but did not drop this time due to a rack malfunction. Eight aircraft failed to bomb on this account. Three planes, having lost the formation at the bomb line, dropped on Gee at Lichpenau, quite a distance from the Primary. One plane bombed with Box II. Lt. Herman upon losing the 416th formation tagged on with a B-26 outfit and bombed with them. One ship dropped by GEE on the primary. Due to weather condition the second box became separated from Box I and dropped near Lingen by using ETA.

Captain Greenley and Lt. Basnett were the only crew to bomb the primary. Captain Greenley will remember this mission for years and years to come...not just because he was the only one to drop on the primary, but because it was his 65th mission and the finale of his tour in the E.T.O. There was one more reason why he will not forget this one. Captain Greenley had to go badly when Lt. Basnett called over the interphone, "Keep her straight and level...this is the bomb run!" Wearing a badly wet flight suit Captain Greenley said upon landing: I just had to let it go. I guess I'm not the first one to do this on the bomb run". One of the bombs hung up in the bomb bay and Captain Greenley dropped the 1000 pounder at the bombing range.

Captain Greenley is one of the few remaining pilots who came across wit the 671st Bomb Squadron. He became flight leader in the early part of July and was made Captain a short time before chalking up his final mission. He flew his last six missions with Lt. Basnett, as his bombardier.

[February 9, 1945], HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map Map showing Western Allies and Axis troop position details in Western Europe as of approximately 1200 hours, February 9, 1945 World War II Military Situation Maps Collection Library of Congress

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