Sortie2ADB-24Bombed Primary
“Joker, The”.Over Worms.
Mission 791 · 13 January 1945 · Worms, Germany
Serial
44-40472
B-24J
Fuselage Code
AG
Squadron
330th
Ted's Traveling Circus
Aboard
10
men
The crew.
§ 10 aboard
Name
Position
Serial
Hometown
On this flight
1LtWalter F. Hughes
Pilot
Station 1
O-764680
Santa Barbara
Completed his tour
Returned
→
LtDouglas A. Schetter
Co-Pilot
Station 2
—
—
Returned
→
2LtLouis H. Windsor
Navigator
Station 3
O-712976
—
Returned
→
2LtRalph Hendershot
Bombardier
Station 4
O-0768958
—
Returned
→
SgtConway Thorstenson
Engineer / Top Turret
Station 5
39464774
—
Returned
→
T/SgtNorbert L. Ecclesfield
“Eck”
Radio Operator
Station 6
3904111
—
Returned
→
SgtMichael J. Kusnir
Waist Gunner
Station 8
35236546
—
Returned
→
SgtBoyd L. Justice
Tail Gunner
Station 9
38440786
—
Returned
→
SgtRobert T. Lee
“The Old Man”
Nose Gunner
18215267
—
Returned
→
SgtCarroll F. Ruby
Gunner
33734687
—
Returned
→
The load.
§ 6,000 lb aboard
AN-M65
1,000-pounder
6× 1,000 lb
TypeGeneral Purpose · TNT/Amatol
Weight6,000 lb
FuzingHughes Memoir
The flight.
§ Ship’s Record
The Day
Took off fromHardwick (Sta. 104)
Landed atHardwick (Sta. 104)
The Record
ResultBombed Primary
Record confidenceValidated against a source
Formation
Flew with330th Squadron
Fuel & Equipment
H2X scope photoNo
The target.
§ As Briefed
WormsRail Bridge
LocationWorms, Germany
Notes.
§ From the Record
The next mission came on January 13th, to a railroad bridge over the Rhine at Worms. The route ran down into southern France and back up along the Moselle. Patchy low cloud forced a second run over the target before the bombs went down through the bomb bay doors. Accurate flak came up from Mannheim but caused no damage. Bombing results were assessed as very good. No fighters, no losses, all crew safe.