27 SEPTEMBER 1944 · WEDNESDAYBombed Primary

Mission 650.Kassel/Henschel.

Kassel, Germany

Intended Target
Kassel/Henschel
Kassel, Germany
Operating Group
93rd BG
2BD
Aircraft Effective
248 / 315
effective / dispatched
Bomb Tonnage
707.5
tons

The cost.

§ Outcome
1
Ships Aborting
18
Ships Lost
2
Men Bailed Out
20
Men Lost

Operational data.

§ From the Debrief
Times & Distance
Reveille
02:15
Stations
05:45
Takeoff
06:30
Form-Up
06:30
Time Over Target
08:00
Return Time
13:10
Distance
1,148 nmi
Fuel Aboard
2,500 gal
Fuel Consumed
1,900 gal
Weather
Cloud En-Route to Target
Heavy two-layer overcast: low stratus covering 8/10 of the sky, topped by a complete (10/10) stratocumulus layer. Near-total cloud cover throughout.
Air Temp at Altitude
-18 °F
Lowest Temp
-26 °F
Wind Speed
98 kt
Wind Direction
290°
Bombing & Defense
Bombing Altitude
22,000 ft
Bombing Run Heading
98° True
Forming Altitude
12,000 ft
Fighter Cover
3 P-51, 2 P-47, 1 P-38 groups
Bombing Accuracy
PFF — results not yet known
Flak

Heavy at Munster enroute; heavy and intense at target

The formation.

1 aircraft · tap a ship for its crew

The fourth mission was to a tank factory at Kassel, September 27th. The route in passed Egmond, Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, and Münster before reaching the target. Flak over Münster and Kassel was heavy, though inaccurate. Their aircraft came through without damage. The formation flying behind them was not as fortunate. Fighters struck the 458th Bomb Group in the rear, and 28 bombers were lost. The crew watched it happen from ahead in the formation. The return leg ran south through Göttingen, Giessen, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, and Koblenz, then back out over Liège, Ghent, and Ostende. Bombing results were recorded as undetermined, relying on PFF equipment through the overcast. All crew returned safe.

Sources.

§ Provenance
Mighty Eighth War Diary
Roger A Freeman · Jane's Publishing Company Limited · 1981
Published