405th Fighter Group - May 21, 1944

[Henofred]

Hello/Bonjour,

I am looking for details about a mission carried out on May 21, 1944 by fighters belonging to 405th Fighter Group south of Brest Peninsula. In the collective memory, the Quimper railway station (Brittany, France) was raided by RAF planes but a source tells me that it could be this Fighter Group. Quote: “51 Thunderbolts did a sweep of the Brest Peninsula area attacking rolling stock, 8 locos destroyed and 4 damaged, 2 radio towers and 2 flak towers damaged near Quimper. Time up: 11:28 Time down: 14:51”. There is also a book about this Fighter Group - Thunder Monsters Over Europe: A History of the 405th Fighter Group in World War II by Reginald G. Nolte - and I wondered if there was an entry about that day into the latter?

Best regards,
Frederic

[SteveR]

Thunder Monsters Over Europe has only one paragraph for 21 May 1944, on page 16:

"On 21 May the Group, with 51 aircraft led by Major Mostyn, swept over the Brest Peninsula with orders to strafe all railroad trains in the area. This mission proved to be the most successful of the month. Seven trains were strafed and numerous goods cars destroyed or damaged. Twenty-one locomotives were destroyed and four more were damaged. Two radio stations and their towers and a barracks were also attacked, and the area was left exploding and smoking. Lieutenant Wilson, of the 511th FS, was wounded in the arm by flak."

That's it, the next paragraph concerns 23 May.

[Henofred]

Many thanks for this excerpt and these very interesting details. So, it seems to be the Fighter Group I was looking for.

Best regards,
Frederic

[SteveR]

I'd say the 405th FG is a possibility but that more info is still needed to confirm them and rule out any other possible units.

[Henofred]

Hello,


After some research, the only other Fighter Group operating in Brittany was the 371st FG (around Rennes).

Frederic