9th AF Patch

416th Bombardment Group (L)

Mission # 37 -- May 7, 1944, Sunday AM

Blanc Misseron, France

Locomotive Works

 

WWII-Medal

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Summary of Operations

Field Order        : 28-300
OpRep #            : 37
Nature of Mission  : Bombing
Mission Status     : No Attack
Take-off Time      : 0820
Time Over Target   : No Attack
Landing Time       : 1143
Duration (Hrs:Min) : 3:23

Place of Take-Off  : AAF-170 Wethersfield RAF Station, England
A/C Dispatched     : 37 Total -- 31 A-20G's, 6 A-20J's
Target Operational Number: Z 610
Illustration       : F5560/2
Illustration Ref   : 056025
Secondary Target   : Tourcoing Marshalling Yards (S5785) (Z835)
Summary of Results : Thirty-six ships were abortive because of cloud cover over target area. One aircraft was abortive and returned early because of engine trouble.

Primary Target Latitude/Longitude: 50.40718,3.65904 (50° 24' 26" N, 3° 39' 33" E)
(Latitude/Longitude based on Google Maps, Visual match to Target Illustration)
(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 37 documents (multipage PDF files)

Mission Folder       Reports Folder       OpRep # 37       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



Mission Loading Lists Transcription

Mission # 37 -- May 7, 1944, Sunday AM
Blanc Misseron, France -- Locomotive Works

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  671st                   
  43-10129  5C-I  A-20J
  Lt Stockwell, R.E.
  Lt Jedinak, A.
  S/Sgt Harp, C.J.
  S/Sgt Adams, V.P.
  3  671st                   
  43-9493  5C-V  A-20G
  Lt Smith, R.H.
  S/Sgt Sherry, V.N.
  S/Sgt Linneman, R.H.
  [Basnett, R.J., Lt, scratched]
 
  4  671st                   
  43-9937  5C-B  A-20G
  Lt Hixon, S.M.
  S/Sgt Best, H.T.
  Sgt DeGiusti, I.R.
 
  5  671st                   
  43-9393  5C-K  A-20G
  Lt Greenley, R.E.
  S/Sgt Worden, H.C.
  S/Sgt Rzepka, J.J.
 
  6  671st                   
  43-10165  5C-H  A-20G
  Lt Zubon, M.
  T/Sgt Tanner, J.R.L.
  S/Sgt Russell, W.C.
 

Box I -- Flight II
  1  670th                   
  43-9439  F6-J  A-20J
  Lt Marzolf, L.A.
  Lt Basnett, R.J.
  S/Sgt Wellin, H.E.
  S/Sgt Kutzer, L.G.
  2  671st                   
  43-9951  5C-P  A-20G
  Lt Adams, J.D.
  S/Sgt Clearman, P.L., Jr.
  Sgt Zeikus, A.J.
 
  3  669th                   
  43-9214  2A-C  A-20G
  Lt Wheeler, R.V.
  S/Sgt Corrin, E.W.
  S/Sgt Brower, J.S.
 
  4  671st                   
  43-9225  5C-G  A-20G
  Lt Platter, E.T.
  S/Sgt Johnson, K.L.
  Cpl Mirabella, P.A.
  [Mirabella (4th CCU)]
 
  5  671st                   
  43-9724  5C-W  A-20G
  Lt Cole, H.P.
  S/Sgt Fandre, B.G.
  S/Sgt Chvatal, F.R.
 
  6  671st                   
  43-9221  5C-F  A-20G
  Lt Andrews, H.D., Jr.
  S/Sgt Cook, G.M.
  S/Sgt Werley, E.R.
 

Box I -- Flight III
  1  669th                   
  43-9211  2A-C  A-20G
  Capt Huff, M.J.
  S/Sgt Hatch, H.F.
  S/Sgt Thompson, J.B.
 
  2  669th                   
  43-9983  2A-J  A-20G
  Lt Street, M.S.
  S/Sgt Prindle, C.A.
  S/Sgt Epps, E.T.
 
  3  669th                   
  43-9900  2A-Q  A-20G
  Lt Hewes, H.E., Jr.
  S/Sgt Kasper, J.F.
  S/Sgt Boyer, H.E.
 
  4  669th                   
  43-9840  2A-V  A-20G
  Lt Peck, W.A.
  S/Sgt Bergeron, A.E.
  S/Sgt Kelton, H.E.
 
  5  669th                   
  43-9189  2A-P  A-20G
  Lt Dontas, P.
  S/Sgt Nielsen, A.L.
  S/Sgt Fields, W.E.
 
  6  669th                   
  43-9743  2A-W  A-20G
  Lt Siggs, W.C.
  S/Sgt Radlich, N.
  S/Sgt Nicks, R.W.
  [Not Airborne]
 

Box I
  SPARE  669th               
  43-9717  2A-N  A-20G
  Lt DeMun, E.E.
  S/Sgt Rosenstein, M.
  S/Sgt Carney, H.O.
 
                                                           


Box II -- Flight I
  1  668th                   
  43-9640  5H-Z  A-20J
  Capt Battersby, W.
  Lt Lytle, W.M.
  S/Sgt McCreery, J.E.
  S/Sgt Orr, J.R.
  2  668th                   
  43-10125  5H-M  A-20J
  Lt Osborne, A.E., Jr.
  Lt Forma, W.
  S/Sgt Kelly, E.E.
  S/Sgt Coe, W.H.
  3  668th                   
  43-9745  5H-I  A-20G
  Lt Kleopfel, M.E., Jr.
  Sgt Shaw, L.R.
  S/Sgt Bankston, R., Jr.
 
  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                   
  43-9379  5H-G  A-20G
  Lt Peede, L.G.
  S/Sgt Hibbs, C.L.
  S/Sgt Daugherty, L.M.
 
  6  668th                   
  43-9195  5H-D  A-20G
  Lt Hill, L.E.
  S/Sgt Yost, C.H., Jr.
  S/Sgt Burch, R.W.
 

Box II -- Flight II
  1  670th                   
  43-9455  F6-T  A-20J
  Capt Jackson, C.R.
  Lt Maltby, A.H.
  S/Sgt Binney, I.
  Capt McClellan, A.
  2  670th                   
  43-9224  F6-E  A-20G
  Lt Sewell, J.C.
  S/Sgt Allred, F.D.
  S/Sgt Stephens, D.W.
 
  3  670th                   
  43-9217  F6-D  A-20G
  Lt Leonard, T.J.
  S/Sgt Evans, O.D.
  Sgt Palmer, T.A.
 
  4  670th                   
  43-9209  F6-K  A-20G
  Lt Crispino, J.C.
  S/Sgt Walsh, T.I., Jr.
  S/Sgt Conopask, R.E.
  [Returned Early No Sortie]
 
  5  670th                   
  43-9380  F6-N  A-20G
  Lt Johnson, E.L.
  S/Sgt Donahue, W.J.
  S/Sgt Brayn, M.R.
 
  6  670th                   
  43-9387  F6-H  A-20G
  Lt Nordstrom, A.W.
  S/Sgt Gossett, J.D.
  S/Sgt Miller, R.L.
 

Box II -- Flight III
  1  670th                   
  43-9200  F6-A  A-20G
  Lt Rudisill, R.S.
  S/Sgt Riley, R.K.
  S/Sgt Bonamo, A.J.
 
  2  670th                   
  43-9978  F6-S  A-20G
  Lt Rooney, R.J.
  S/Sgt McCleary, H.M.
  S/Sgt DiNapoli, S.F.
 
  3  670th                   
  43-9892  F6-L  A-20G
  Lt Gruetzemacher, R.O.
  S/Sgt Kidd, W.L.
  S/Sgt Risko, S.
 
  4  670th                   
  43-9207  F6-B  A-20G
  Lt Harrold, F.J., Jr.
  S/Sgt Griffin, E.L.
  Sgt Maziasz, C.W.
 
  5  670th                   
  43-9696  F6-G  A-20G
  Lt McBride, L.R.
  Pvt McKee, J.C.
  S/Sgt Driskill, P.B.
 
  6  670th                   
  43-9689  F6-I  A-20G
  Maj Napier, J.G.
  S/Sgt Cope, G.F.
  S/Sgt Webb, C.L.
 

Box II
  SPARE  668th               
  43-9216  5H-E  A-20G
  Lt Meredith, R.G., Jr.
  S/Sgt Molver, V.E.
  S/Sgt Gray, C.M.
 
                                                           



Group and Unit Histories

Mission # 37 -- May 7, 1944, Sunday AM
Blanc Misseron, France -- Locomotive Works


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

Four days of bad weather intervened before we were able to get off again. On the seventh, Blanc Misseron was chosen to be our target for the third straight time. Weather interfered, though, and the mission was aborted. In the afternoon, another mission took off to bomb a Noball target at Behan. Weather again caused it to be aborted. Eleven planes received battle damage.


"Attack Bombers, We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group"
Ralph Conte
Page 70

Mission #37 - 7 May - AM - Blanc Misseron Marshalling Yard. Again?!? The luck of this target was shown again when a cloud cover prevented the boys from dropping their loads. Major Willetts and Lt. Royalty, BN with Lts. Marzolf and Basnett, BN participating.


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

After five days of inactivity due to unfavorable weather our combat activities were resumed. On 7 May the Blanc Misseron marshalling yards and the Behen Noball sites were attacked. However, because of bad weather over the target, no bombs were dropped. Twenty one crews took part in these two missions.


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

After a four day recess the 416th Bomb Group reached a new bombing high, crossing the English Channel 11 times from May 7th thru May 13th to smash enemy installations in France and Belgium. The Havocs were out in force twice on the 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12th of May, while just once on the 13th. No mission was flown on May 10th because of poor weather.

Marshalling Yards, Airdromes and "No-Balls" were hit in the weeks operations which culminated in a great loss to the 671st Bomb Squadron.


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