|
Re: B-24 shot down 2 July 1944
Brian,
The story comes from T/Sgt James K. Varner, as you may know. Target for 446th BG was a power plant for a Noball site at Crépy, roughly between Le Touquet and Arras, some 50 kms/30 miles inland from Le Touquet.
Time over enemy held territory for 446th BG would not have been that long, so it's a near miracle that the Germans had sufficient reaction time to get their B-24 into position. Unless it was patrolling the area already?
Varner tells that German Flak was accurate despite the overcast and chaff because that German B-24 was relaying course, air speed and altitude of the American bombers to the Flak batteries below the clouds.
If the story holds, then it's quite a feat that the Germans had an inkling that mainly B-24 groups would bomb the Pas-de-Calais area and to a lesser extent B-17s that day. Still, an interesting account.
Regards,
Leendert
|