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Re: Capt Clarence E "Bud" Andersonīs Claims on May 12 1944
The 352nd and 357FG and the 4th FG engaged in the Koblenz-Franfurt-Giessen area from 1200 to about 1235. So did the 56th FG
The B-17s that were hammered that day were from the First Task Force (3rd BD this day) headed for Zwickau and Brux. The Combat Wing that was off course and south of Frankfurt were the ones hit the hardest..The 96th lost 12 and the 452nd lost 14 including two ditchings in the Channel.
This was the last of the 'worst' days for 8th AF, in that approximately 6%(47) of the bombers were shot down and another 100 damaged. July 7 and September 28 were two more days where the losses approached 40 but those missions were larger forces and the percentages were about 3-4%.
Anderson had one 109 destroyed in the air and one on the ground. The 357 was mostly scoring NE Frankfurt in the 1210-1220 timeframe
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