Mission 700

The tenth mission was to an oil refinery at Hannover, though the crew remembered it as Merseburg, one of the most heavily defended targets in Germany. The route went out over water to Cuxhaven, then Bremen, Lüneburg, and Cette before reaching Hannover. The return passed Dümmer Lake, Zwolle, and Alkmaar. Flak in the Frisians on the way in was meager, but over the target it was intense. The crew later recalled 155mm guns sending up enormous bursts that broke the formation apart before bombs away. Hughes released the bombs. Weather intervened and they missed the target by a mile. Four flak holes in the aircraft; no ships or men lost. From November 4th the missions came rapidly, five in seven days. It was, as the crew described it, their greatest period of strain. They were weary, tired almost beyond endurance.

Misburg (Hannover), -40 degrees, flak rough, oxygen troubles. Aircraft 994-K (42-99994 'Beaver's Baby').

McGuire M7, 1944-11-04, Hannover/Misburg (official credit Merseburg). Heavy and accurate flak, saw red in the center of bursts. Overran formation on turn into target, had to dog-leg out and back in alone; last mission McGuire had trouble holding formation. Source: McGuire memoir pp.006, 101-102.