USAAF Mission on 26th August 1944

[legrosherve]

Dear All,

I know that there was an air attack on the town of Gembloux, Belgium, on 26th August 1944. 7 persons were killed in the action. It took place around 5.00 pm. German supply trains were in the railway station and thus were the target of the raid.

I am trying to identify the unit(s) that took part in the raid.

According to some witness, it seems that it was a fighter raid and not a bomber raid.

Do anyone have an idea on how I can fing anything on this raid? or may be does someone has any information on that raid?

Many thanks for your help,

Hervé

[Larry deZeng]

According to Roger A. Freeman, The Mighty Eighth War Diary (London: Arms & Armour Press, 1990), pp. 333-34, the attack you speak of was very clearly flown by P-47s and P-51s from VIII Fighter Command, which dispatched 389 of them to fly fighter-bomber attacks on transportation targets in Belgium, eastern France and western Germany on that date, dropping a total of 54.0 tons of bombs. If you do a search on the internet, you should be able to find more specific information. For example, I googled "VIII Fighter Command 26 August 1944" and got 14,500 hits, some of them looking very promising.

[Alain57]

Hello ,
Perhaps this can help you:

183 P-47s and 206 P-51s attack transport targets in Belgium, E France and W Germany; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft; 2 P-47s and 7 P-51s are lost and 9 P-47s and 6 P-51s are damaged; 1 pilot is WIA and 8 are MIA.

Greets
Alain57

[Alain57]

Hallo Hervé :

The following P-51 and P-47 went missing on august 26 1944:

42-106917 8/26/1944 8539 361 375 P-51
43-24761 8/26/1944 8538 361 375 P-51
43-7036 8/26/1944 8401 355 358 P-51
44-13587 8/26/1944 8498 363 P-51
44-13663 8/26/1944 8532 55 338 P-51
44-13904 8/26/1944 8533 55 343 P-51
44-13954 8/26/1944 8534 55 338 P-51
44-14014 8/26/1944 8535 55 338 P-51

42-25759 8/26/1944 10858 50 P-47
42-25983 8/26/1944 8244 50 P-47
42-26585 8/26/1944 8537 78 82 P-47
42-28398 8/26/1944 8053 36 P-47

Greets

[Alain57]

Hello Hervé ,

Maybe this was one off the attackers :

26/08/1944
Crash at Peruwelz
P-47D-25-RE
Hit by Flak
42-26585
78FG/82FS
MX-K
1st Lt Coss Wilbur J Jr ( KIA ) 0-767037 Oregon
Buried Neupré ( Belgium )
MACR 8537

[legrosherve]

Hello Larry and Alain.

Many thanks for your help.

I was asking because a 500 lb US bomb was found a couple of days ago when workers were working (...of course) in the railway station.

Again manythanks for all that

Hervé