+++ P-38 Lightning incident Germany +++
 

Hello all !I'm doing a research on an bombing incident of WW2 at my hometown,which is NEUBECKUM, Germany, surrounded by the germancities of Münster, Ahlen, Hamm and Gütersloh. map: http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.c...00000&icon=xOn 22 February 1945 the railroad/railyard of Neubeckum was bombed,Operation CLARION was initiated that day.Several houses at my neighbourhood were destroyed, sadly some citizensand possibly also some east european slave laborers lost their lives.I would like to pinpoint the unit that bombed Neubeckum that day,maybe even up to the serials of the attacking a/c, just forhistorical interest.I have a 'local history' book stating the attack was carried out by4 Lightnings and more than 200 cluster bombs supposedly fell, if that ispossible at all with only 4 a/c.I also have notice that on that day the railroad at the nearby town of RHEDA(-WIEDENBRÜCK) was bombed too. Maybe by the same unit?I appreciate ANY info leading to clarification which unit/sqn it was.Thank you kindly,FrankieS

Re: +++ P-38 Lightning incident Germany +++
 

most probably:

474th FG A/C

Re: +++ P-38 Lightning incident Germany +++
 

The 397th BG , B - 26s, flew 3 missions in that area on 2-22-45. two targets mentioned were Munster - Dulmen area and Rheda.
Same day 387th BG, B -26s , bombed Dulmen area , Nuttlar, Wehrstapel
Same day 322d BG , B -26s bombed Butzbach , neiderhausen, Montabur
Targets mentioned were bridges and marshalling yards.
Fritzlar bombed by P - 47s . P - 38s from 370th FG strafed Fritzlar Airfield.
200 cluster bombs could not have been carried by only 4 P - 38s.
Cheers

Re: +++ P-38 Lightning incident Germany +++
 

The P-38s involved were likely from the 474th FG. The group only flew one mission that day (#296) and it was a combined B-26 escort and armed recce mission in the Herford-Hameln-Lippstadt area. The 428th FS put up 9 ships and the 429th put up 12 ships. I do not have any data about the 430th FS, but I am sure they participated as well. Each ship carried one 500 pound bomb and one 165 gallon fuel tank (no cluster bombs).

The 474th also was in the Rheda-Wiedenbruck area on that mission. It is likely that is where they bombed and strafed two locomotives. I have some map coordinates for targets hit on that mission. I will check them against the 1944 maps that I have and see where the areas are. I will let you know if I discover anything.

Cheers, Gary Koch (474th FGA Historian)