21.03.1944 Beckum (Germany) USAAF raid

[FrankieS]

Hi, all !


A german book on the final war period lists raids onto

the german city of D-59269 Beckum.


https://www.google.com/maps/place/59...er=0&entry=ttu


"In the morning hours a [USAAF] bomber unit approaches Beckum from the south. Alarm sounds.The a/c drop the bombs too early to damage city structures.250 bombs come down into the fields south of any buildings to both sides of the 'Dalmer Weg' road."


It is assumed that the Höxberg wireless radio (radar?) transmitter station
south of Beckum was the target.

Alternatively a high explosives bunker (Hagedorn Co. at Göttfricker Weg)
seemed a possibility according to the words of an U.S. officer visiting after the war.




Are there any mentioned USAAF raids onto Beckum on 21.03.1944
in the literature. If yes, which units were involved ?


thank you kindly !


bye,

Frank

[Leendert]

Perhaps 23 March 1944 more likely? Freeman's Mighty Eighth War Diary gives that 19 a/c of the 1st Air Division (B-17s) bombed Neubeckum as Target of Opportunity.
Groups of 1 AD participating were 91, 92, 303, 305, 306, 351, 379, 381, 384, 401 and 457....

A Wikipedia page about Neubeckum has 379th BG for 23.3.1944: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neubeckum

On 21;3.1944 there (only) was a B-24 mission to N. France (V-1 base).

Regards,
Leendert

[FrankieS]

Thank You kindly, dear Leendert,


probably no, because he lists Neubeckum (N of Beckum proper)
separately two days after my mentioned 21.03.1944.


(Sometimes I ask myself, whether he mixed up 1944 and 1945 maybe ?)


I keep waiting for more responses,


thank You & best wishes


FrankieS

[Stig Jarlevik]

Hi Frankie Geffrey Sinclair wishes to add the following

The 8th Air Force only sent a small raid to Watten on 21 March 1944, on 23 March 1944 according to Richard Davis it attacked the following targets in Germany, bombs in short tons.

target \ sighting \ attacking \ missing \ HE \ IB \ Frag \ total \ Location
A/Icomp Me 110 \ H2X \ 205 \ 16 \ 327.8 \ 71.4 \ 77.3 \ 476.5 \ Brunswick/Wilhelmitor
M/Y \ H2X \ 87 \ 3 \ 149.0 \ 85.7 \ - \ 234.7 \ Osnabruck
I/A \ H2X \ 65 \ 1 \ 75.5 \ 58.8 \ - \ 134.3 \ Munster
City \ Vis \ 26 \ 0 \ 60.0 \ 12.6 \ - \ 72.6 \ Beckum
City \ Vis \ 25 \ 0 \ 53.5 \ 12.6 \ - \ 66.1 \ Drensteinfurt
City \ Vis \ 19 \ 0 \ 56.7 \ - \ - \ 56.7 \ Neubeckam
M/Y \ Vis \ 102 \ 6 \ 185.0 \ 79.8 \ - \ 264.8 \ Hamm
I/A \ Vis \ 88 \ 0 \ 155.5 \ 66.0 \ - \ 221.5 \ Ahlen
A/F \ Vis \ 68 \ 2 \ 106.0 \ 82.1 \ - \ 188.1 \ Munster/Handorf
T/O \ Vis \ 14 \ 0 \ 5.0 \ 30.1 \ - \ 35.1 \ Misc., Ge
T/O \ Vis \ 3 \ 0 \ 7.5 \ - \ - \ 7.5 \ Bramsche
T/O \ Vis \ 1 \ 0 \ - \ 2.6 \ - \ 2.6 \ Bohmte
T/O \ Vis \ 1 \ 0 \ 2.5 \ - \ - \ 2.5 \ Grosgrof
T/O \ Vis \ 1 \ 0 \ 2.5 \ - \ - \ 2.5 \ Hildersheim

The 8th AF monthly report says 301 aircraft to Beckum target of opportunity, of which 26 bombed it, the rest of the raid bombed Neubeckam (19 a/c), Ahlen (88 a/c), Hamm (102 a/c), Drensteinfurt (25 a/c), Munster (34 a/c), unknown 1 a/c all T/O There were 142 aircraft sent to Handorf primary target, 100 to Osnabruck secondary target and 225 to Brunswick, secondary target.

All up 768 sent, 705 attacking, 33 enemy aircraft destroyed, 28 bombers lost. Cross referencing to Mighty Eighth War Diary indicates the 301 aircraft raid was 1st BD sent to Munster, presumably 1 of the 11 groups flying that day attacked Beckum.

The targets and sighting methods of the 8th AF 21 March 1945 raids,
Achmer A/F Vis
Alhorn A/F Vis
Essen/Mulheim A/F Vis
Hesepe A/F Vis
Hopsten A/F Vis
Ijmuiden EB/Base Disney
Marx A/F Vis
Munster/Handorf A/F Vis
Oberursel Radar Test MH
Plauen AFV Vis
Reichenback I/A Vis
Rheine A/F Vis
Vorden A/F Vis
Wittmundhafen A/F Vis
Zwischenahn A/F Vis

In addition WR Chorley has Lancaster ND672 EA-U of 49 squadron crashing at Beckum, 6 KIA, 1 PoW, funerals held at Beckum, bodies now at Reichswald Forest.
Sgt PD Velasco PoW, the KIA were F/O DG Turner, Sgt E Lee, Sgt SJ Upton, F/O W Pearce, Sgt LH Nightingale, Sgt JNE Bennett, all were RAF except Bennett who was RCAF.

Geoffrey Sinclair

[FrankieS]

thank you Geoffrey,

so 21.03. possibly mixed up
by the book author.

thanks
FrankieS