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Bomb Run Photo - Argentan




Bomb Run Photo - Argentan

Short article written in 1996 by Ed Renth about D-Day
(PDF - Courtesy of Sara Downing, Granddaughter of Wayne Downing)

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 # 67 -- June 6, 1944, Tuesday PM
Argentan, France -- Road Junctions

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

At about 0300 in the morning of the sixth, the crews were alerted and assembled in the crew briefing room for an early morning briefing. At the end of the regular briefing, Col. Mace addressed the crews. He announced that the invasion was on, and he described the events that were to take place on the beachheads.

The time for take-off had not yet been decided. When the crews glanced out of the windows, the bad weather dampened their spirits somewhat. They had all looked forward to a first sight of the crowded beachheads through cloudless skies. Instead, the clouds were low and rain fell intermittently. The rest of us crowded around the radios to gather in all of the news--- the Germans claiming landings a Le Havre; we, landings in Normandy.

Finally the planes took-off--- the target was a road junction at Argentan. But more of D-Day when we review our operations for the month.

...

A day of rest intervened and then D-Day. Going out in full strength, 57 planes took off to attack road junctions in Argentan, behind the enemy lines. Twenty-three tons of bombs from the third box lead by Lt. Osborne, Lt. Forma, B-N, blanketed crossroads and buildings in the target area, possibly blocking the roads. The other two boxes led by Maj. Willetts, Lt. Royalty, B-N, and Maj. Price, Lt. Hand, B-N, mistook the road and rail junction at Econde for the target. Their forty-five tons of bombs cut the railroad tracks, destroyed a railroad overpass, hit numerous goods wagons, and covered the highway with craters. For the first time since the beginning of our operations, we dropped down to low level to work, 2,500 to 3,000 feet. This was due to the bad weather and low clouds. We encountered no anti-aircraft fire, nor any enemy fighters.

"Attack Bombers, We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group"
Ralph Conte
Pages 92 - 93

D-Day and Beyond

The big day finally arrived. INVASION of EUROPE by the Allied forces. Could they not have picked a better day?? The answer was no, but with all the preparation ready to go, delays were probably more devastating than this stormy day. With the hundreds of thousands of troops and millions of tons of equipment and hundreds of planes, all primed, waiting was not the answer. The 416th was ready!

All during the night, it seemed the sky was full of planes for the drone of engines seemed endless. These, we learned later were the transport planes, pulling gliders to the beaches of Normandy, with paratroopers, so many miles away. Everyone, including the German High Command, expected the invasion to take place at the Pas de Calais, a scant 22 miles from the English coast. But to cross the entire English Channel to get to Normandy, was quite an accomplishment, considering the low hanging clouds. But, that was the mission. Just wait, you flyers, we're going to do it!

Lead crews of pilots and Bombardier-Navigators were awakened at an unusual hour on 6 June, hustled into a briefing room and the doors were locked behind them, with shades drawn - nobody more allowed in, and nobody allowed to go out. The briefing announcement was exciting, our land forces were broaching the French Coast Line at that hour, and we were scheduled to go in to help them. But, what lousy weather for flying! Low flung clouds, thousands of feet thick, which would normally call for a stand-down. But not today! If there was any sky in which to fly, we had to go up. The lead crews were briefed, and we were going, weather or not

Mission #67 - 6 June - PM - Argentan Cross Roads. At 1300 fifty-six planes lined up for take-off, three boxes of six plane flights. Major Willetts, and Lt. Royalty, BN led Box I with Lt. Col. Farmer and Lt. Pape, BN, as deputy. The second flight in Box I was Lts. Marzolf and Basnett, BN. Third flight led by Lt. Cole. The Second box was led by Major Price and Lt. Hand, BN. Deputy was Lts. Sommers and McQuade, BN. Flight II led by Captain Hulse and Lt. Conte, BN. Flight III of Box II was Lt. Ebenstein. Box III led by Lts. Osborne and Forma, BN with Captain Huff and Lt. Kupits, BN as deputy. Flight II of this third box was Lt. King and Lt. Morton, BN, and Box III was Captain Jackson and Lt. Maltby, BN.

The formation flew over the channel under a cloud bank 2000 feet off the surface, making the awesome sight of the thousands of boats, battleships, destroyers, LSTs, CSTs, and any other ocean going vessel available, visible to the crews. Crossing the beachhead was another awesome sight, with men and equipment strewn all over the beaches We were flying so low that fighter escort could not have covered us, so they weren't there. No flak was encountered, but small arms fire with tracer bullets were flying by the formation with little accuracy. Evidently the big gunners didn't feel any fools would be flying in this weather, so they must have taken some time off.

The target was a major crossroads which was in heavy use by German ground forces to bring men and equipment up to the beaches. Bombing at low level without the use of the Norden Bombsight was different for the bombardiers, but they managed to get their bombs down to destroy the intended target. Rather unfortunately, there were many French civilians in or near the crossroads, waving their welcomes to our planes, but, eventually, practically the entire town was blown off the map. Bombing was at 1700 feet.

All personnel and planes returned to base without damage.

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

The Sixth of June dawned bright and clear; CAVU over the Station. Early morning radio reports soon confirmed the rumors that this, at long last, was it. Soon after, dark scuds of cloud appeared in the blue sky, and by noon the weather had closed in. Low-hanging clouds blanketed Southern England, and the rains came in sudden, intermittent squalls. In spite of adverse weather, our ships took off for a mission against Argenton on the afternoon of D-Day. The crews saw the Channel filled with ships "so thick you could almost walk across"; and the fields of Normandy strewn with gliders that had landed the first wave of airborne infantry behind the German lines.

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

On D-Day, the Group went out in strength in the morning in an attack on road junctions in Argentan. Fifteen of our crews were on this mission. They were:

                 BOX I----FLIGHT III 
4. Lt. T Boukamp                           5. Lt A J Vleghels 
   Sgt C Vafiadis                             Sgt R W Rice 
   Sgt R C Hoffman                            Sgt C E Young 



6. Lt J E Connor                           Spare-- Lt E J Renth 
   Sgt H C Rodgers                                 S/Sgt O D LaNave 
   Sgt J E Van Duyne                               S/Sgt F M Citty 



                 BOX II----FLIGHT I 
2. Lt H L Sommers 
   Lt R J McQuade 
   S/Sgt H E Kelton 
   S/Sgt A E Bergeron 



                           FLIGHT III 
4. Lt P F E MacManus                        5. Lt W H Land 
   S/Sgt J L Rogers                            S/Sgt S F Alden 
   S/Sgt G I Flieschman                        S/Sgt R L Ballinger 
                              6. Lt C Church 
                                 S/Sgt H E Shatzer 
                                 S/Sgt P P Maciulewicz 



                 BOX III----FLIGHT I 
2. Capt M J Huff 
   Lt J Kupits 
   S/Sgt J B Thompson 
   S/Sgt H F Hatch 



                            FLIGHT II 
1. Lt R L Morton                      4. Lt M S Street 
   Sgt J W Sabadosh                      S/Sgt C A Prindle 
   Sgt C F Floyd                         S/Sgt F T Epps 



2. Lt E E DeMun                       5. Lt E R Hayter 
   S/Sgt M Rosenstein                    Sgt F E Melchoir 
   S/Sgt H O Carney                      S/Sgt R G Holloway 



3. Lt P Dontas                        6. Lt W F Tripp 
   S/Sgt A L Nielsen                     Sgt J O Scott 
   S/Sgt W E Fields                      S/Sgt D F Mallory 

The mission was uneventful except for the view of the shoreline as the boats fought up to the beaches.

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

During a stand down on 5 June, all our airplanes were painted the battle color of the day - the black and white "zebra" stripes which they were to wear into the affair we knew was coming soon.

D-Day arrived on June 6th. After listening a good part of the previous night to the roar of fleets of airplanes going over, we awoke to the full realization that the long awaited day had arrived. Lt Geffinger and Lt Gruetzemacher had served as alert officers in Group Operations during the night, which was truly something to be remembered in the way of administrative activity. The tempo of work on D-day was speeded up. There was added zest as the men went to their work in high spirits.

The first mission on D-Day was a fifty-six ship attack on a highway intersection at Argantan. The second mission was another fifty-six ship attack. This time the target was the Serqueux marshalling yards. It was a late evening attack and probably the roughest mission yet flown. Major Meng led the group, which included eleven crews from the 670th squadron. Because of unfavorable weather and the lateness of the mission it was necessary for Major Meng to lead the attack in at low level. Approaching the target, the left engine of Major Meng's aircraft was hit and started to burn. However, with a flaming engine which could blow up at any moment, he stayed on course and led the formation into the bomb run. A hail of intense cross-fire of light and heavy flak greeted the planes as they made the bomb run at 3,000 feet. Three airplanes were shot down. The bombs dropped on the target area, starting wide-spread fires and explosions of nazi equipment destined for the coasts of France to be used in opposing the allied forces. Major Meng then turned off the target and started his formation homeward before he dropped out of formation and extinguished the blazing engine. On one engine he returned to the base and landed. The formation returned to its home base with almost 100% battle damage. Lts Atkinson, Harrold and Ostrander displayed skill in bringing their ships in for landings with flat tires and shot-out hydraulic systems, which caused all three planes to swerve off the runway on to the soft ground. The work of our gunners and bombardiers on this mission was outstanding. It is believed that S/Sgt Stobert of Major Meng's crew knocked out a German machine gun emplacement which was shooting at them. The other gunner of the crew, S/Sgt Glynn, recorded excellent scenes of D-Day activities with the planes camera. Major Meng and Sgt Swafford were awarded the Purple Heart for flak wounds sustained on this mission.

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

This Is It

June 5th brought a complete standdown, on which day no planes were to fly. Battle paint was being put on and all the ships were to be in the best possible condition...they were. Late that night hundreds of planes going out and returning were heard, and everyone had the feeling that something was up, and it was. About 0500 on June 6th , 1944 the crews were alerted for a special stand-by. No one was allowed in or out of the Briefing until almost noon, and by that time the radio had announced that the big show was on û the invasion of the continent by land forces.

The first D-Day mission was off at 1300 and this Squadron was furnishing 15 crews of the 54 that went out. Ceiling was low and the ships crossed over the channel and beaches covered with landing barges, men and equipment, at just some 2,000 feet. The target was a cross-road located in the center of the town Argentan, about 60 miles inland. Dropping from 1700 feet not only the crossroad, but practically the whole town was blasted of the face of the earth. Everyone was sweating it out, going in and out at such an unorthodox altitude, but not a shot was fired at the ships. The ships all returned safely to the base, and each had their story to tell about the show they had seen.

At 2015 the ships went out for the second time in weather which even birds were grounded and under normal conditions the mission would have been scrubbed. The formation flew at low altitude again, making their entry at Coyeaux at 3000 feet. A few seconds passed and it seemed as if all Hell broke loose. Light flak, heavy flak, tracers and small arm fire were met continuously on the route, and all there was to do was pray. However, Major Meng, leading the first box of three box formation, stuck to the course, for the target... a vital Marshalling Yard on the main line southeast of Dieppe, and hit it, amid the greatest concentration of defenses this Group has ever seen. It was impossible to avoid the stuff. Lt. Wipperman's ship caught fire and went down over the target with Sgt. Mazza and Sgt. Ahrens. One chute was seen to have opened. Another plane conked out from one of the other Squadrons, and three chutes were seen opening. Then Major Campbell, Commanding Officer of the 669th Bomb Squadron, went down, but no one knew exactly what happened to him or the ship. Finally the coastline was in sight, and with a few odd shots at the ships for a farewell greeting, the channel was crossed. Two ships from another Squadron crash landed on the coast of England. Everyone was glad to get home from this battle, although there will probably be many more like it.

June 6th , 1944

First Mission: Argentan Results: Good

Evening Mission: Sergveux Results: Unobserved

"671tst Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcribed from USAF Archives

Shortly after June 1st the white markings of Allied aircraft was painted on all the ships. There was some speculation as to the purpose of the markings but since our aircraft had been marked and remarked so many times previously no one thought seriously that this was the final preparation for the invasion. On June 6th however, the combat crews assembled for an early morning mission were given the entire plan by Colonel H. L. Mace. Our part in the first phase of the attack was to destroy lines of transportation immediately behind the beach-head. On the morning of the first day we attacked road junctions and marshalling yards at Argentan and Ecouche, attacking for the first time from an altitude of 3000 feet. Later in the day crews of the squadron attacked the heavily defended Marshalling Yards at Sergveux. Both missions were successful, although the aircraft flown by Lt. R. A. Wipperman was lost due to enemy flak. S/Sgt. H. S. Ahrens and S/Sgt. L. C. Mazza were also missing.

[June 6, 1944], HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map Map showing Western Allies and Axis troop position details in Western Europe as of approximately 1200 hours, June 6, 1944 World War II Military Situation Maps Collection Library of Congress

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