Unidentified ship
409th SQDN
Bombed Primary
Pos
Airman
Status
14 OCTOBER 1944 · SATURDAY · STATION 104
Mission 676
Kaiserslautern
Bombed Primary
Intended Target
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern, Germany
Operating Group
93rd BG
2BD
Takeoff Base
Hardwick
Station 104
Landing Base
Hardwick
Station 104
Aircraft Effective
117 / 117
effective / dispatched
Bomb Tonnage
330.8
tons
ROUTE PLATE · TAKEOFF → TARGET
TAKEOFF · HARDWICK✛TARGET · KAISERSLAUTERN
Bearing Out
124° T
Bearing In
309° T
Route Length
1,215 nmi
Time Aloft
6 h 00 m
§ Outcome
0
Ships Aborting
0
Ships Lost
3
Men Bailed Out
0
Men Lost
§ Times & Distance
- Reveille
- 04:00
- Stations
- 08:25
- Takeoff
- 09:15
- Form-Up
- 06:00
- Time Over Target
- 11:15
- Return Time
- 15:15
- Distance
- 1,215 nmi
- Fuel Aboard
- 2,500 gal
- Fuel Consumed
- 2,100 gal
§ Weather
- Cloud En-Route to Target
- Thin stratus layer (2/10) beneath a complete (10/10) stratocumulus overcast — heavy cloud cover throughout.
- Air Temp at Altitude
- -20 °F
- Lowest Temp
- -20 °F
- Wind Speed
- 71 kt
- Wind Direction
- 230°
§ Bombing & Defense
- Bombing Altitude
- 22,500 ft
- Bombing Run Heading
- 172° True
- Forming Altitude
- 13,000 ft
- Fighter Cover
- 3 P-51 groups
- Bombing Accuracy
- Could not see — 10/10 cloud cover
Flak Description
Flak from gun positions on the bomb run; otherwise meager
§ Sorties · 2 Aircraft Dispatched
Each ship that lifted off, and the men aboard her.
▸ 1 ship carrying your selectionB-24J · 42-100355 · AG · 330th SQDN
Bombed Primary
Pos
Airman
Status
The ninth mission took the crew south to the marshalling yards at Kaiserslautern. The formation assembled over London and crossed the coast at Boulogne, tracking through Lens, Douai, and Valenciennes to the target. The return ran out through Luxembourg, Trier, Mons, and Ostende. Flak was meager but accurate on the bomb run. Cloud cover was complete and Hughes again handled the bomb drop without a bombardier. Whether the bombs found the yards was impossible to say. The aircraft came back clean, and all crew were safe. Elsewhere in the formation, three men had bailed out.
Sources
Mighty Eighth War Diary
Published
Roger A Freeman · Jane's Publishing Company Limited · 1981