Strafing banned or approved on April 16, 1945?

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by strafer

I think Bill is right - one can take a look at where positions of Allied troops were located in in mid-April 1945:-)
Filip

The reasons for the post April 10 (brief) ban are documented in all the squadron and group histories of the 355th and 4th FG.

The April 13 Mission for the 355th was 'pot luck' in that my father who was group exec, spotted many German aircraft on Husum inbound to the target. They broke escort when relieved west of Hannover and cruised north. The group strafed Husum, Flensburg, Schleswig and Leck as Denmark was a safe place relative to the Allied advance.

Other groups were strafing Eggesbeck, Salzwedel, Luneburg and Schwerin areas.

April 16 was largely in Czechoslovakia and SE Germany all around Munich and points south, southeast (Austria) east, north and NE. Huge scores but the 8th AF FC lost its highest total of the war with 34 downed - all by flak. 4th lost 8, 355th lost 6. In all 10 of the 15 Fighter Groups lost fighters to German flak. Worst of the war (or best depending on POV)