9th AF Patch

416th Bombardment Group (L)

Mission # 3 -- March 6, 1944, Monday AM

Conches, France

Airfield

 

 WWII-Medal

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Summary of Operations

Field Order        : 225
OpRep #            : No OpRep
Nature of Mission  : Bombing
Mission Status     : No Attack 		Take-off Time      : 1145
Time Over Target   : No Attack
Landing Time       : 1339
Duration (Hrs:Min) : 1:54

Place of Take-Off  : AAF-170 Wethersfield RAF Station, England
A/C Dispatched     : 21 Total -- 21 A-20's
Target Operational Number: Z 661
Illustration       : S 5611/3
Summary of Results : Formation turned back because fighter rendezvous was not made.

Primary Target Latitude/Longitude: 48.95999,0.94442 (48° 57' 36" N, 0° 56' 40" E)
(Latitude/Longitude based on Google Maps, Selected Town center - Conches, France)
(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 3 documents (multipage PDF files)

Mission Folder       Reports Folder       Summary       Fuel Use       Additional Documents

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

Loading List


Route Map

Route Map


Briefing

Briefing Notes


Mission Loading Lists Transcription

Mission # 3 -- March 6, 1944, Monday AM
Conches, France -- Airfield

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.

Flight I
  1  670th                   
  41-3380  F6-C  A-20B
  Lt Col Ford, T.R.
  Lt Smith, W.L.
  S/Sgt Bresnak, J.D.
  S/Sgt Cope, G.F.		   2  670th                   
  43-9200  F6-A  A-20G
  Lt Gullion, A.W., Jr.
  S/Sgt Webb, C.L.
  S/Sgt Coffey, G.L.
  		  3  670th                   
  43-9207  F6-B  A-20G
  Lt MacManus, P.F.E., Jr.
  S/Sgt Rogers, J.L., Jr.
  S/Sgt Fleischman, G.I.
 
  4  670th                   
  41-3387  F6-M  A-20B
  Maj Napier, J.G.
  Lt Lytle, W.M.
  S/Sgt Alden, S.F.
  S/Sgt Ballinger, R.L.		   5  670th                   
  43-9227  F6-F  A-20G
  Lt Dontas, P.
  Pfc Nicks, R.W.
  S/Sgt Fields, W.E.
  		  6  670th                   
  43-9224  F6-E  A-20G
  Lt Raines, A.A., Jr.
  S/Sgt Nielsen, J.O.
  S/Sgt Bender, G.J.
 

Flight II
  1  669th                   
  41-3377  2A-K  A-20B
  Maj Campbell, M.W.
  Lt Kupits, J.
  S/Sgt Epps, E.T.
  S/Sgt Shields, J.J.		   2  671st                   
  43-9203  5C-A  A-20G
  Lt Peck, W.A.
  S/Sgt Bergeron, A.E.
  S/Sgt Kelton, H.E.
  		  3  671st                   
  43-9219  5C-D  A-20G
  Lt Street, M.S.
  S/Sgt Prindle, C.A.
  S/Sgt Huber, A.J.
 
  4  669th                   
  43-9181  2A-A  A-20G
  Lt Morton, R.J.
  S/Sgt Norton, C.Q.
  S/Sgt Citty, F.M.
  		  5  669th                   
  43-9226  2A-E  A-20G
  Lt Siggs, W.C.
  S/Sgt Nielsen, A.L.
  S/Sgt Radlich, N.
  		  6  669th                   
  43-9202  2A-B  A-20G
  Lt DeMun, E.E.
  Sgt Rosenstein, M.
  S/Sgt Ferguson, W.G.
 

Flight III
  1  669th                   
  41-3386  2A-A  A-20B
  Maj Price, R.F.
  Lt Hand, A.R.
  Sgt Molver, V.E.
  T/Sgt Robbins, L.G.		   2  668th                   
  43-9195  5H-D  A-20G
  Lt Kleopfel, M.E., Jr.
  Sgt Simpson, D.H.
  Sgt Bankston, R., Jr.
  		  3  668th                   
  43-9194  5H-C  A-20G
  Lt Shaefer, R.F.
  S/Sgt Judd, E.R., Jr.
  S/Sgt Fejes, J.A., Jr.
 
  4  668th                   
  43-9379  5H-G  A-20G
  Capt Conant, H.F.
  S/Sgt Herttua, J.R.
  S/Sgt McCreery, J.E.
  		  5  668th                   
  43-9182  5H-B  A-20G
  Lt Bradford, B.H.
  S/Sgt MacDonald, R.W.
  S/Sgt Hill, A.A.
  		  6  668th                   
  43-9223  5H-F  A-20G
  Lt Peede, L.G.
  S/Sgt Hibbs, C.L.
  S/Sgt Daugherty, L.M.
 

 
  SPARE  671st               
  43-9221  5C-F  A-20G
  Col Mace, H.L.
  S/Sgt Sieg, B.C.
  S/Sgt Orr, J.R.
  		  SPARE  671st               
  43-9220  5C-E  A-20G
  Capt Battersby, W.
  S/Sgt Shaw, L.R.
  S/Sgt Gray, C.M.
  		  SPARE  671st               
  43-9225  5C-G  A-20G
  Lt Siracusa, L.J.
  Sgt Newell, S.P.
  S/Sgt Perkins, H., Jr.
 


Group and Unit Histories

Mission # 3 -- March 6, 1944, Monday AM
Conches, France -- Airfield


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

On the 6th of March, Colonel Ford led twenty-one planes to the French coast in what was to be an attack on the Airfield at Conches, France. The formation turned back at the French coast and returned to the base because fighter rendezvous was not made.


"Attack Bombers, We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group"
Ralph Conte
 Pages 42 - 43

Mission #3 - Conches Airdrome. This was another miscue of the rendezvous with our fighter escort, so the mission was aborted, and everyone returned to base with their bombs. The formation leader in Box I was Lt. Colonel T. R. Ford, with Lt. W. L. Smith, BN - Major J. G. Napier with Lt. Lytle, BN - Major M. W. Campbell and Lt. J. Kupits, BN - Major R. F. Price with Lt. A. R. Hand, BN, led flights.

During the briefing, the flyers were told that while the number of missions they were expected to fly to complete their tours was 50, that did not necessarily mean their tours would be over. Whether this was a precursor of things to come was not clear, -but eventually pilots and bombardier-navigators would be required to complete 65 missions before looking forward to returning to the states. Gunners were to complete 50 missions, and many of them did that in short order.


"668th Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcription from USAF Archives

On the sixth we took off, but failed to make rendezvous with the fighter escort, and were forced to return with our bombs.


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

Major Campbell with Lt. Kupits as Bombardier-Navigator let the second Box of the formation that went out on the 6th. Lack of fighter escord caused the planes to return after they had reached the Coast.


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

Captain Meng received a well-deserved promotion on March 6th, when he received his orders and became Major Meng.

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