Garmisch-Partenkirchen 23 november 1944
 

I am looking into a matter regarding action over Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria on the 23rd of November 1944. Bombs were dropped over the small town and and an american aircraft, if not shot down, then at least fired at. I have had a look around but I can't seem to find any USAF losses on that particular day. Any knowledge of US missions on that day may help the search!

GMY!

Re: Garmisch-Partenkirchen 23 november 1944
 

Max,

How sure can we be of the 23 November date? I found a B-17, 42-38015, (92nd BG, 327th BS) MACR 7565 that crash landed at Mittenwald near Garmsich on 16 July 44. The crew of 9 were all captured.

I also found this account of a single plane from the 461st BG, bombing near Garmisch at Haiming on 25 November 1944.

http://www.461st.org/Liberaider/PDFs/June%201997.pdf

Mission No. 141
25 November 1944
Target: West Marshalling Yard, Munich, Germany
For the last mission of the month, which was flown
on 25 November, the Group went back again to the
west Marshalling Yard at Munich, Germany. This,
however, was a night mission, the first one ever to be
flown by the Group. The three individual planes on
the mission were piloted by Lt. Barnes, Lt. Hess, and
Lt. Miller. Two of the planes, feeling that the
nine-tenths cloud coverage in the target area warranted them sufficient protection against possible enemy fighters and searchlights, bombed the marshalling yard by the pathfinder method. The third plane, flown by Lt. Barnes, developed oxygen leaks which necessitated the bombing of Haiming, Austria, as a target of opportunity.

Here is how the 15th AF chronology describes the above event.

SATURDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 1944

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force):
During the night of 24/25 Nov, 40+ B-17s and B-24s bomb the Linz benzol
plant, Klagenfurt, and Innsbruck, Austria, and Munich W W marshalling yards in
Germany, and 2 unidentified targets of opportunity; during the day P-38s fly
photo and weather reconnaissance missions.


I think you can see the difficulty of finding an attack on Garmisch as it probably will not be named, just a target
of opportunity, just as this attack on Haiming is described.



As you have no doubt seen, on 23 November 1944 the 15th AF was bombing in Yugoslavia. On dates around the 23rd, there were missions to Munich or Innsbruck such as the one listed above in which a single plane may have hit targets at/near Garmisch as a target of opportunity.

From the official record of the 15th AF for:
23 November 1944

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force):
** In Yugoslavia, 81 B-24s attack road and railroad bridges at or near Zenica,
Brod, and Doboj; 30 P-38s bomb the Doboj marshalling yard, 13 hit Doboj road
and rail bridge, and 4 attack, but miss, a bridge at Maglaj; 13 B-24s and B-17s
drop supplies at points in Yugoslavia.

Re: Garmisch-Partenkirchen 23 november 1944
 

I have serial 42-38025 MACR 7567 for crash at Scharnitz/Austria on 16.07.1944.
I have serial 42-38015 MACR 2341 for crash at Pisseleux/France on 06.02.1944.
Then there is 42-63979 MACR 7275 for crash at 82481 Mittenwald/Germany on 21.07.1944

bye,
Frank

Re: Garmisch-Partenkirchen 23 november 1944
 

Just found out that, as you write Rolland, there were no bombs dropped on Garmisch on the 23rd of November 1944 but indeed on the 25th on a small part of the town but no-one was wounded so I think you are spot-on so to speal. So that's that then. There was FLAK at three positions arpund the small Alp-town at this time (one on the top of the nearby Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain) and they would probably have opened up on the incoming aircraft and probably that is the source of the account I have read of the "shot down" aircraft.
Thanks for the help, God bless!