9th AF Patch

416th Bombardment Group (L)

Mission # 29 -- April 26, 1944, Wednesday PM

Louvain, Belgium

Marshalling Yards (S.5267)

 

 WWII-Medal

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Summary of Operations

Field Order        : 16-286
OpRep #            : 27
Nature of Mission  : Bombing
Mission Status     : Attacked
Bombing Altitude   : 11,000 - 11,500 feet 		Take-off Time      : 1840
Time Over Target   : 2022 - 2035
Landing Time       : 2169
Duration (Hrs:Min) : 3:29
 

Place of Take-Off  : AAF-170 Wethersfield RAF Station, England
A/C Dispatched     : 38 Total -- 34 A-20G's, 4 A-20J's
Target Operational Number: ZB 917B
Illustration       : 5267/1
Illustration Ref   : 049093
Secondary Target   : Chievres Airdrome (ZB50)
Summary of Results : Box 1 - Poor Box 2 - Good

Primary Target Latitude/Longitude: 50.88721,4.71527 (50° 53' 14" N, 4° 42' 55" E)
(Latitude/Longitude based on Google Maps, Visual match to Strike Photo)
(See Latitude/Longitude Coordinates and Target Identifiers for more information. Note: This coordinate represents the Primary Target Location, the Location actually attacked may differ)


Scanned original Mission 29 documents (multipage PDF files)

Mission Folder       Reports Folder       OpRep # 27       Fuel Use

If nothing happens on Click, check to see if the PDF file was automatically saved to your computer. Depending on Internet speed, the display or download may be slow.
These Public Domain, Declassified Mission documents were graciously provided to the 416th BG Archive by the dedicated staff of the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA).
An on-line index of records held by AFHRA up to 2001 is available at Air Force History Index.org.
Most of these PDF files are unaltered originals provided by the AFHRA, a few have been re-organized.
Pages may be out of sequence; files may contain scanned blank pages and/or pages scanned upside-down; some pages may be included in more than one file.
The "Mission Folder" usually contains the majority of documents for a Mission, including Field Orders, Status Reports, Pilot Interrogations, Photos (if available), etc.



Loading List 1

Loading List 1, Box I


Loading List 2

Loading List 2, Box II


Bomb Run Photo

Louvain Marshalling Yard


Bomb Run Google Overlay

Bomb Run Photo overlaid on current Google Earth display
(Overlay by Wayne Sayles)


Mission Loading Lists Transcription

Mission # 29 -- April 26, 1944, Wednesday PM
Louvain, Belgium -- Marshalling Yards (S.5267)

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.

Box I -- Flight I
  1  671st                   
  43-9914  5C-X  A-20J
  Maj Willetts, D.L.
  Lt Royalty, P.G.
  T/Sgt Larronde, F.H.
  S/Sgt Lempka, H.A.		   2  669th                   
  43-10135  2A-T  A-20J
  Capt Huff, M.J.
  Lt Kupits, J.
  S/Sgt Thompson, J.B.
  S/Sgt Hatch, H.F.		   3  669th                   
  43-9226  2A-E  A-20G
  Lt Behlmer, R.L.
  T/Sgt Kelly, W.J.
  S/Sgt Ferguson, W.G.
 
  4  671st                   
  43-9711  5C-M  A-20G
  Lt Marzolf, L.A.
  S/Sgt Wellin, H.E.
  S/Sgt Kutzer, L.G.
  		  5  671st                   
  43-9493  5C-V  A-20G
  Lt Wheeler, R.V.
  S/Sgt Corrin, E.W.
  S/Sgt Brower, J.S.
  		  6  671st                   
  43-9393  5C-K  A-20G
  Lt Zubon, M.
  T/Sgt Tanner, J.R.L.
  S/Sgt Russell, W.C.
 

Box I -- Flight II
  1  669th                   
  43-9717  2A-N  A-20G
  Lt MacManus, P.F.E., Jr.
  S/Sgt Rogers, J.L., Jr.
  S/Sgt Carney, H.O.
  		  2  669th                   
  43-9743  2A-R  A-20G
  Lt Boukamp, T.
  S/Sgt Colosimo, R.J.
  S/Sgt Wing, J.S.
  		  3  670th                   
  43-9207  F6-B  A-20G
  Lt Gullion, A.W., Jr.
  S/Sgt Coffey, G.L.
  S/Sgt Webb, C.L.
 
  4  671st                   
  43-9951  5C-P  A-20G
  Lt DeMand, F.W.
  S/Sgt Middleton, C.W.
  Cpl Troyer, R.J.
  		  5  671st                   
  43-9937  5C-B  A-20G
  Lt Durante, A.R.
  S/Sgt Best, H.T.
  S/Sgt DeGiusti, I.R.
  		  6  671st                   
  43-9714  5C-N  A-20G
  Lt Perkins, R.D.
  S/Sgt Sherry, V.N.
  S/Sgt Linneman, R.H.
 

Box I -- Flight III
  1  669th                   
  43-9673  2A-I  A-20G
  Capt Clark, R.A.
  S/Sgt Radlich, N.
  Sgt Nicks, R.W.
  		  2  669th                   
  43-9679  2A-W  A-20G
  Lt Col Aylesworth, T.R.
  Sgt Swafford, J.O., Jr.
  S/Sgt Glynn, P.F.
  		  3  669th                   
  43-9211  2A-C  A-20G
  Lt Dontas, P.
  S/Sgt Nielsen, A.L.
  S/Sgt Fields, W.E.
 
  4  671st                   
  43-9225  5C-G  A-20G
  Lt Morton, R.J.
  S/Sgt Bresnak, J.D.
  S/Sgt Cope, G.F.
  		  5  671st                   
  43-9221  5C-F  A-20G
  Lt DeMun, E.E.
  S/Sgt Alden, S.F.
  S/Sgt Ballinger, R.L.
  		  6  671st                   
  43-9724  5C-W  A-20G
  Lt Connor, J.S.
  S/Sgt Bergeron, A.E.
  S/Sgt Kelton, H.E.
 

Box I
  SPARE  671st               
  43-9219  5C-D  A-20G
  Lt Andrews, H.D., Jr.
  S/Sgt Cook, G.M.
  S/Sgt Werley, E.R.
  		                                                           


Box II -- Flight I
  1  668th                   
  43-9640  5H-Z  A-20J
  Capt Battersby, W.
  Lt Lytle, W.M.
  S/Sgt Perkins, H., Jr.
  S/Sgt Dickenson, E.S.		   2  670th                   
  43-9439  F6-J  A-20J
  Lt McNulty, G.M.
  Lt Bursiel, F.H.
  S/Sgt White, H.E.
  S/Sgt Addleman, R.F.		   3  668th                   
  43-9684  5H-K  A-20G
  Lt Cruze, R.K.
  S/Sgt Adair, F.L.
  S/Sgt Love, C.F.
 
  4  668th                   
  43-9362  5H-L  A-20G
  Lt Shaefer, R.F.
  S/Sgt Judd, E.R., Jr.
  S/Sgt Fejes, J.A., Jr.
  		  5  668th                   
  43-9377  5H-W  A-20G
  Capt Conant, H.F.
  S/Sgt McCreery, J.E.
  S/Sgt Orr, J.R.
  		  6  668th                   
  43-9194  5H-C  A-20G
  Lt Ritchie, S.B., Jr.
  S/Sgt Newkirk, A.W., Jr.
  S/Sgt Anderson, E.A.
 

Box II -- Flight II
  1  668th                   
  43-9745  5H-I  A-20G
  Capt Prentiss, R.B.
  S/Sgt MacDonald, R.W.
  S/Sgt Kelly, E.E.
  		  2  668th                   
  43-9182  5H-B  A-20G
  Lt Miracle, R.V.
  S/Sgt Sieg, B.C.
  S/Sgt Burkhalter, J.C.
  		  3  668th                   
  43-9893  5H-P  A-20G
  Lt Poindexter, R.D.
  S/Sgt Simpson, D.H.
  T/Sgt Robbins, L.G.
 
  4  668th                   
  43-9195  5H-D  A-20G
  Lt Bradford, B.H.
  S/Sgt Coe, W.H.
  S/Sgt Hill, A.A.
  		  5  668th                   
  43-9379  5H-G  A-20G
  Lt Kleopfel, M.E., Jr.
  S/Sgt Shaw, L.R.
  S/Sgt Bankston, R., Jr.
  		  6  670th                   
  43-9978  F6-S  A-20G
  Lt Lesher, R.D.
  S/Sgt Antanaitis, A.J.
  S/Sgt Hedrick, H.R.
 

Box II -- Flight III
  1  670th                   
  43-9689  F6-I  A-20G
  Lt Rudisill, R.S.
  Pvt McKee, J.C.
  S/Sgt Bonamo, A.J.
  		  2  670th                   
  43-9696  F6-G  A-20G
  Lt Shea, D.F.
  S/Sgt Falk, F.G.
  S/Sgt Lee, R.E., Jr.
  		  3  670th                   
  43-9387  F6-H  A-20G
  Lt McGlohn, C.L.
  S/Sgt Moran, J.W.
  S/Sgt Driskill, P.B.
 
  4  670th                   
  43-9680  F6-R  A-20G
  Lt Ostrander, W.B.
  S/Sgt Binney, I.
  S/Sgt Wilson, J.E.
  		  5  670th                   
  43-9386  F6-W  A-20G
  Lt Harrold, F.J., Jr.
  S/Sgt Evans, O.D.
  S/Sgt Palmer, T.A.
  		  6  670th                   
  43-9224  F6-E  A-20G
  Lt Monroe, H.A.
  S/Sgt Risko, S.
  S/Sgt Kidd, W.L.
 

Box II
  SPARE  670th               
  43-9227  F6-F  A-20G
  Lt Peede, L.G.
  S/Sgt Hibbs, C.L.
  S/Sgt Daugherty, L.M.
  		                                                           


Group and Unit Histories

Mission # 29 -- April 26, 1944, Wednesday PM
Louvain, Belgium -- Marshalling Yards (S.5267)


"416th Bombardment Group (L) - Group History 1944"
Transcribed from USAF Archives

Major Willetts with Lt. Royalty, B/N, and Capt. Battersby with Lt. Lytle, B/N, led 38 planes against a Marshalling Yard at Louvain, Belgium, on the 26th. One hundred five-hundred-pound bombs were dropped with good results.


"Attack Bombers, We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group"
Ralph Conte
 Page 55

Mission #29 - 26 April - Louvain Railroad Junction. The formation was being threatened by enemy fighters, but our P-47 escorts convinced them to stay away from our boys. Major Willetts and Lt. Royalty, BN and Captain Battersby with Lt. Lytle, BN led boxes. The first box got out of position so did not drop, but the second box zeroed in rather well, causing explosions and fire.


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

Two missions on the 25th of April, one on the 26th, and two on the 27th brought about the attacks on one noball target, a coastal battery at St Pierre du Mont, the Louvain Marshalling yards, the Monceau Sur Sambre marshalling yards and the Arras marshalling yards. Forty-five sorties were accomplished on these missions, concluding a busy but gratifying three days for the squadron.


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

This Squadron furnished eight crews for the mission on April 26th , 1944 against a "No-Ball" at Louvain. The exact narrative on the course, target, and so forth is unavailable because of so many missions being run in such a short length of time. However, no crews were lost and battle damage was slight. The bombs dropped on the target with fair concentration, but did not put the target in the suspended category.

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