Formation position 4-3
24 MARCH 1945 · SATURDAY · STATION 104Bombed Primary
Mission 911.Nordhorn.
Nordhorn, Netherlands
Intended Target
Nordhorn
Nordhorn, Netherlands
Operating Group
93rd BG
2AD
Takeoff Base
Hardwick
Station 104
Landing Base
Hardwick
Station 104
Aircraft Effective
58 / 480
effective / dispatched
Bomb Tonnage
121.7
tons
The cost.
§ Outcome
0
Ships Aborting
1
Ships Lost
0
Men Bailed Out
5
Men Lost
The route.
§ Takeoff to Target
Bearing Out
88° T
Bearing In
273° T
Route Length
850 nmi
Time Aloft
6 h 05 m
Operational data.
§ From the Debrief
Times & Distance
Reveille04:30
Stations07:35
Takeoff09:10
Form-Up06:05
Time Over Target10:00
Return Time15:15
Distance850 nmi
Fuel Aboard2,500 gal
Fuel Consumed1,500 gal
Weather
Cloud En-Route to TargetCompletely clear — the navigator recorded it as 'clear as hell.' The formation flew in full view of the Rhine crossing below.
Air Temp at Altitude48 °F
Lowest Temp48 °F
Wind Speed12 kt
Wind Direction166°
Bombing & Defense
Bombing Altitude50 ft
Bombing Run Heading48° True
Forming Altitude3,000 ft
Fighter CoverArea cover only
Bombing AccuracySupply drop in center area — three passes required
Flak
Small arms and 88mm fire from the ground; one piece of flak lodged in an engine
The formation.
§ 30 Aircraft Dispatched
Each ship that lifted off, and the men aboard her.▸ 1 ship carrying your selection
Formation position 1-3
Formation position 2-1
For several weeks the group had been practicing low-level formation flying, sometimes as low as 100 feet. The preparations were for Montgomery's Rhine crossing. Allied Headquarters had kept the entire area blanketed in military smoke to conceal the buildup from aerial observation. The crew could see it from hundreds of miles away. When the day came, the aircraft was loaded with parachute-equipped supply canisters in the bomb bay and a basket of blankets hung in the ball turret well, suspended on a quick-release toggle. At briefing the crew picked up an additional member: the official 8th Air Force photographer. The mission called for a nine-ship company front formation at 75 feet, nine aircraft flying tip to tip, with the crew in the deputy lead position on the right wing of the squadron lead. The high right flight held some 200 feet above. They came up on the Rhine on a clear day to find a massive flotilla of landing craft ferrying tanks, trucks, and men across the river. Ahead, smoke and fires marked the drop area. Individuals on the ground were firing up at them. The gunners returned fire. The bomb bay malfunctioned. They circled and made a second pass, then a third, before the canisters finally pulled free. Below them, gliders and C-47s lay crashed and burning. Men hung dead in their harnesses. By the third run they were the only aircraft left over the area, and every German gun that could reach them was trying to. Small arms fire hit the aircraft. One ship was lost from the larger force. The photographer shot thirteen pictures that day. The pilot later saw six of them.
Formation position 4-1
Formation position 2-2
Formation position 1-2
Aircraft commander: WILLIAM H. WOODS (name appears as header above crew block; rank not stated)
Letter suffix of ship number illegible in source document.
No crew manifest catalogued for this sortie.
Flown by 329th Bombardment Squadron
No crew manifest catalogued for this sortie.
Flown by 329th Bombardment Squadron
Stormede airfield. Flown in Wee Willie. Part of McGuire's March 21-24 sequence.
Sources.
§ Provenance
2nd Air Division · 2nd Air Division Digital Archive · 1944
Official record
Mighty Eighth War Diary
Roger A Freeman · Jane's Publishing Company Limited · 1981
Published