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416th Bombardment Group (L) Mission # 226 -- March 9, 1945, Friday AM Butzbach, Germany Marshalling Yards
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416th Bombardment Group (L) Mission # 226 -- March 9, 1945, Friday AM Butzbach, Germany Marshalling Yards
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Place of Take-Off : A-69 Laon/Athies, France A/C Dispatched : 43 Total -- 41 A-26's, 2 B-26's (PFF) Modified British System Reference: G-663040 Secondary Target : Westerburg (G-170180) Summary of Results : Unobserved due to cloud cover. Three A-26's dropped Window, 19 attacked Butzback M/Y (Primary) and 19 attacked Westerburg. Primary Target Latitude/Longitude: 50.43195,8.67099 (50° 25' 55" N, 8° 40' 16" E) (Latitude/Longitude based on The "Coordinates Translator", (NGZ) wG663040) (See Latitude/Longitude Coordinates and Target Identifiers for more information. Note: This coordinate represents the Primary Target Location, the Location actually attacked may differ) |
Mission Loading Lists Transcription
Mission # 226 -- March 9, 1945, Friday AM
Butzbach, Germany -- Marshalling Yards
| 1 671st 43-22497 5C-E A-26C Maj Dunn, L.F. Lt Brewer, W.E., Sr. Lt Beck, J.T. S/Sgt Rose, J.W. |
2 668th 43-22523 5H-N A-26C Capt Andersen, C.J., Jr. Lt Babbage, W. S/Sgt Schafer, E.L. |
3 671st 43-22356 5C-C A-26B Capt Sears, A.C. M/Sgt Wells, J.J. |
| 4 671st 41-39249 5C-F A-26B Lt Ames, W.H. S/Sgt Fessler, H.S. |
5 671st 41-39250 5C-A A-26B Lt Wallman, M. Sgt Hardin, M.F. |
6 671st 41-39332 5C-P A-26B Lt Graeber, T.E. Sgt Appleman, M. |
| 1 669th 43-22521 2A-N A-26C Lt Col Napier, J.G. Lt Moore, D.L. S/Sgt Carstens, R.W. |
2 669th 41-39244 2A-I A-26B Lt VanRope, R.W. Sgt West, N.D. |
3 669th 41-39252 2A-D A-26B Lt Anderson, C.M. Sgt Gilbert, C. |
| 4 669th 41-39362 2A-Y A-26B Lt Jordan, C.S. S/Sgt Jensen, K.F. |
5 669th 41-39314 2A-H A-26B Lt Smith, D.E. Sgt Kirik, S.J. |
6 669th 43-22351 2A-F A-26B Lt Willard, J.A. Sgt Hinker, C.V. |
| 1 669th 43-22487 2A-J A-26C Lt Miller, E.L. Lt Conner, J.K. S/Sgt Malloy, J.F. |
2 669th 41-39271 2A-R A-26B Lt Hayter, E.R. Sgt Dalton, A.A. |
3 669th 43-22381 2A-Q A-26B Capt DuFault, W.F. S/Sgt Vorce, K.E. |
| 4 669th 43-22344 2A-C A-26B Lt Turner, D.O., Jr. S/Sgt Reyes, M.R. |
5 669th 43-22354 2A-S A-26B Lt Weinert, C.E. Sgt Dubi, R.J. |
6 669th 41-39263 2A-G A-26B Lt Depner, A.W. Sgt Gillespie, R.H. |
| SPARE 671st 43-22313 5C-B A-26B Lt Remiszewski, A. S/Sgt DiOrio, F.M. |
| 1 671st 43-22499 5C-G A-26C Maj Price, R.F. F/O Blount, J.H., Jr. S/Sgt Fetko, C., Jr. S/Sgt Robinson, J.W. |
2 670th 43-22334 F6-G A-26B Lt Sewell, J.C. Capt Reichert, D.J. S/Sgt Hummer, J.A. Sgt Langley, T.R. |
3 670th 41-39315 F6-F A-26B Lt Errotabere, M. Sgt Bowie, E.A. Sgt Lynch, P.R. |
| 1 671st 43-22498 5C-R A-26C Lt Brown, C.J. Lt Kerns, J.E. Lt Muir, R.C. S/Sgt Corbitt, C.H., Jr. |
2 669th 43-22492 2A-E A-26C Lt Cornell, R.H., Jr. Lt Enman, R.E. Sgt Reid, K.A. |
3 671st 41-39297 5C-T A-26B Lt Withington, D.L., III S/Sgt Huss, C.F. |
| 4 671st 41-39209 5C-M A-26B Lt Murray, T.J., Jr. Sgt Fidler, W.H. |
5 671st 41-39239 5C-N A-26B Capt Hixon, S.M. S/Sgt Hinson, A.H. |
6 671st 43-22419 5C-Z A-26B Lt Eastman, D.M. S/Sgt Eaton, A.B. |
| 1 668th 43-22508 5H-Z A-26C Lt Mish, C.C. Lt Shaft, R.E. S/Sgt Roberts, J.H. |
2 668th 41-39325 5H-L A-26B Lt Hale, W.L. S/Sgt Geyer, J.F. |
3 668th 41-39213 5H-A A-26B Lt McCready, T.D. S/Sgt Lagerman, K.G. |
| 4 668th 41-39335 5H-W A-26B Lt Montrose, J.H. S/Sgt Felkel, J.W. |
5 668th 43-22378 5H-O A-26B Lt Blevins, J.W. S/Sgt Brzezinski, E.P. |
6 668th 41-39361 5H-M A-26B Lt Lackner, R.J., Jr. S/Sgt Euga, P.G. |
| 1 670th 43-22507 F6-Q A-26C Lt Grunig, D.B. Lt Morris, B.C. S/Sgt Dias, M.E. |
2 670th 41-39416 F6-O A-26B Lt Green, J.A. Sgt Kubjalko, A. |
3 670th 43-22330 F6-P A-26B Lt Chitty, W.D., Jr. Sgt Riggs, P.H. |
| 4 670th 41-39286 F6-D A-26B Lt Barausky, P.P. Pvt Wilson, B.R. |
5 670th 41-39205 F6-M A-26B Lt Turman, A.R. S/Sgt Leahigh, L.L. |
6 670th 43-22320 F6-S A-26B Lt O'Brien, J.V. Sgt Wright, H.T. |
| SPARE 671st 41-39300 5C-K A-26B Lt Jokinen, W.R. Sgt Creeden, E.J. |
Group and Unit Histories
Mission # 226 -- March 9, 1945, Friday AM
Butzbach, Germany -- Marshalling Yards
"416th Bombardment Group (L) - Group History 1945"
Transcribed from USAF Archives
Two missions were flown on the 9th. The Butzbach marshalling yards were to be attacked. The first box attacked on PPF. The equipment in the second PPF plane failed so the leader of the second box took over the lead and bombed the Werterburg communications center with good results. An ME 163 jet plane and an ME 210 fighter were reported, but neither made an attack. Again, there was no flak. Major Dunn, Lts Brewer and Beck, B&N, and Lt Brown, Lts Kerns and Muir, B&N, led the two boxes.
"Attack Bombers, We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group"
Ralph Conte
Page 223
Mission #226 - 9 March - AM - Butzbach Marshalling Yard. Major Dunn with Lts. Brewer and Beck, BNs, with Lts. Brown and Kerns - Muir, BNs led boxes. Lts. Mish and Shaft flew flight leads. Lt. Anderson and Lt. Babbage, BN flew deputy to the box leader. Major Price and F/O Blount flew a window plane. Bombing was through clouds with PFF resulting in good results. One of the boxes of our formation missed the signal of the PFF leader and it went on to bomb the communications center at Werterburg with good results. Of the eleven Bomb Groups of the 9th Air Force, six were attacked by enemy fighters today. Three groups actually engaged an estimated 30 ME-109s, along with other German fighters. Three groups felt the brunt of the fighter attacks, with three A-26s shot down. Our gunners claimed damage to some of the Germans. The 416th saw fighters in their bombing area, but they did not attack. The fighter escorts of our groups must have had a great time shooting at the ME 109s. At least they kept those yellow nosed guys away from us.
"669th Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcription from USAF Archives
Again, on the morning of March 9th, it was necessary to have a PPF aircraft fly with each box of the group formation. The Bitzbach Marshalling Yards were attacked. Lt. Col. Napier, with Lt. Moore, led the second flight of the first box, while Lt. Miller and Lt. Conner led the third flight of that box. Lt. Cornell and his B/N, Lt. Enman flew with the second box of the formation in the deputy leader's position. Enemy aircraft were seen near the formation, but they did not attack.
For the afternoon mission of the same day, blind bombing equipment had to be used. The Wulfen Ammunition Filling Plant was bombed with excellent results. Enemy fighters were seen along the route, but they made no attempt to approach the formation.
"670th Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcription from USAF Archives
The following morning, 9 March, eight of our crews took part on an
attack on the Butzbach Marshalling Yards. The results were again
unobserved due to no photo cover and cloud cover. That afternoon the
Wulfren Ammunition Filling Plant was the target. Twelve of our crews
participated with good results, hitting buildings and in the woods.
There were violent explosions which indicated that ammunition storage
areas were probably hit.
Second Lieutenant's Forbes, Fry and Wilbur, Bombardier-Navigators,
joined the squadron on 9 March.
"671st Bomb Squadron (L) Unit History"
Gordon Russell and Jim Kerns
March 9th, 1945
Running their string of March missions to 10, the 416th Bomb Group chalked up two sorties on March 9th, 1945. Striking in the morning at the Butzbach Marshalling Yard and in the afternoon at the Ammo Filling Plant at Wolfen. The A-26s lent their support to the forces battling the Germans along the Rhine River. Due to a heavy cloud cover, blind bombing had to be employed in both instances.
Six of the 11 Groups dispatched by Bomb Division on the morning mission observed enemy fighters and three Groups experienced combat. In the Luftwaffe's biggest show against the medium and light bombers since the battle of the bulge, three A-26s were lost. Thirty FW 190s attacked the 386th A-26 formation in the Weisbaden area. The battle lasted ten minutes and when it was over three A-26s were gone. Several claims were made by A-26s pilots and gunners on the FW 190s. A B-26 outfit was also attacked, but no loses were reported. Two enemy fighters were sighted by the 416th formation, but no combat resulted.
The Butzbach Marshalling Yard had been reported crammed with military traffic moving up from central Germany for defense of the Ruhr. The first box bombed on PFF, but the Pathfinder aircraft leading the second box failed and the group box leader dropped on Gee at the secondary. There was no observation.
The Wulfen ammunition factory, which the Invaders hit in the afternoon, is one of the largest factories manufacturing artillery and anti-aircraft shells. The PFF leading the first box dropped on Gee, but the bombs did not fall on the target. The second box received a good rating on observations through the clouds. Roads and buildings were hit and violent explosions resulted. Five planes received flak damage, but all ships and crews returned.
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[March 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, March 9, 1945 World War II Military Situation Maps Collection Library of Congress |