Sortie2BDB-24Bombed Primary
“Solid Comfort”.Over Paderborn.
Mission 665 · 05 October 1944 · Paderborn, Germany
Serial
42-50501
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
→

2LtPeter Scott
Co-Pilot
Station 2
O-772526
—
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 flight.
§ Ship’s Record
The Record
ResultBombed Primary
Record confidenceValidated against a source
Formation
Flew with330th Squadron
Fuel & Equipment
H2X scope photoNo
The target.
§ As Briefed
PaderbornAirfield
LocationPaderborn, Germany
Notes.
§ From the Record
The sixth mission was a comparatively straightforward one. The target was an airfield at Paderborn, and the route in followed the familiar track over Egmond, Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, and Osnabrück. Flak came up at Osnabrück and Bielefeld but nothing reached the formation over the target itself.
Passing near Bad Oeynhausen, the crew counted 25 barrage balloons floating above the railroad bridge over the Weser River.
Bombing conditions were good, with clear visual sighting across a formation of 750 aircraft. Results were assessed as very good. The aircraft, "Solid Comfort," came back without a mark. No fighters, no flak holes, all crew safe.