Help Interpreting Mission Report

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by aldodog

Thanks for the clarification drgondog.

Seems the 364th must have been assigned 1st BD B-17s (TF-2?) and was in the correct location. 1st BD was the only force operating in southern Germany. 2nd BD targets were all in northern Germany, ~165 to 240 miles north of Frankfurt. 3rd BD targeted airfields in the Netherlands, also well to the north. Maybe Freeman is wrong.

I have the 1st BD track plotted on Google Earth and they broke due south immediatly after crossing the Dutch coast. Seems that would have been the point that 2nd and 3rd BDs broke to the northeast or continued east to hit their respective targets.

The 364th arrived vicinity Frankfurt at 1036 to sweep the area. The 303rd arrived about 1045 and made a big loop around the city before dropping on Weisbaden at 1122. What I don't know is the order of the different BGs (92nd, 303rd, and 306th); a German source has this bomber stream stretching some 18 miles. I suspect the 303rd was last in line.

If you can get a Mission Summary for either 40 Combat Wing, or 1st AD or 8th AF one of those should be enough to get the BG order within the Wing.

Cheers,

Keith

Keith the only way to dig deeper (reliably) is to get your hands on either the 8thAF Mission Summary Report (for all Wings and Groups) or the 3rd BD Mission Summary Report. Both should define the Bomb Wing within Bomb Division within the Task Force - and the order of the Task Forces.

It is clear to me that "2-2 and 2-3" (second and third 'boxes' in 2nd Task Force) could easily refer to 1st BD in this case. If the three Task Forces split on the Dutch Coast, the 2nd BD could have been in the lead at that point, then the 1st (presumably next in line) proceeds to the R/V point for the 364th (and probably had several P-47 Groups as Penetration Escort). It may not have happened that way but that is plausible.

Further - if 364th was out in front on a Sweep it is likely that they got a call for help from those two 'boxes' and went to the rescue... passing the lead CW to hit the LW.