25 MARCH 1945 · SUNDAY · STATION 104Bombed Primary
Mission 913.Ehmen.
Ehmen, Germany
Intended Target
Ehmen
Ehmen, Germany
Operating Group
93rd BG
2AD
Takeoff Base
Hardwick
Station 104
Landing Base
Hardwick
Station 104
Aircraft Effective
59 / 272
effective / dispatched
Bomb Tonnage
156.9
tons
The cost.
§ Outcome
0
Ships Aborting
0
Ships Lost
0
Men Bailed Out
0
Men Lost
The route.
§ Takeoff to Target
Bearing Out
87° T
Bearing In
275° T
Route Length
1,100 nmi
Time Aloft
7 h 40 m
Operational data.
§ From the Debrief
Times & Distance
Reveille
02:00
Stations
05:00
Takeoff
05:40
Form-Up
07:40
Time Over Target
07:30
Return Time
13:20
Distance
1,100 nmi
Fuel Aboard
2,500 gal
Fuel Consumed
1,900 gal
Weather
Cloud En-Route to Target
Clear skies with good visibility throughout the route.
Air Temp at Altitude
-18 °F
Lowest Temp
-18 °F
Wind Speed
49 kt
Wind Direction
350°
Bombing & Defense
Bombing Altitude
23,000 ft
Bombing Run Heading
327° True
Forming Altitude
6,000 ft
Fighter Cover
2 P-51 groups
Bombing Accuracy
Very good
Flak
None hit the formation on the mission
The formation.
26 aircraft · tap a ship for its crew
P1Lt Walter F. Hughes
CP2Lt Winfield T. Curtis
N2Lt Louis H. Windsor
B2Lt Ralph Hendershot
E-TTSgt Conway Thorstenson
ROT/Sgt Norbert L. Ecclesfield
WGSgt Michael J. Kusnir
WGT/Sgt Robert E. Lee
The 32nd mission came the day after the Rhine crossing supply drop. The target was an oil storage facility at Buchen, roughly 20 miles southeast of Hamburg. The sight of that course on the briefing map brought the familiar knot back. Over the target, at least 15 ME-262 jet fighters attacked the formation. The covering fighters drove them off without a loss. The waist gunner claimed a probable. No flak, no battle damage, all crew safe. Bombing results were assessed as very good.
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