Achmer 8 March 1944

[Chris Goss]

It would appear that P-47s of 355 FG strafed this aircrfat on this date destroying a number of aircraft on the ground and losing at least one of their number to Flak. Has anyone got any more details on the attack?

[Peter Randall]

See attached screenshot from Bill Marshall's "Our Might Always".
The P-47 was 42-8441 WR-R and MACR # 3055.

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Peter

[RSwank]

MACR 3055 for Lt Charles Sweat (P-47 42-8441) can be read here:

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/90935491

The MACR includes a translated page of the German KUJ-676 report. The report describes an low level ( 30 to 5 meters off the ground) attack on the Achmer airfield by 5? P-47s. Two were shot down. Sweat crashed near Ems-Weser Kanal (on Kanalstrasse). The second plane crashed 50 meters from a Krankenrevier (sick Bay of a concentration camp?). A third plane flew off while on fire.

The plane that flew off may have been Lt Clarence Barger. But who was in the 2nd plane that crashed at Achmer? (The German report for that crash may have been KUJ-677 or J-677 which I don't have).

This page on fold3 has a list of crashes on the 8th which includes Sweat's crash (listed 3 times): https://www.fold3.com/image/38650172

It looks like Sweat crashed at 16:00 and the other plane crashed at 15:58. Sweat crashed on his second pass, so maybe the other plane was lost on the first pass?

[Peter Randall]

Barger made it back home (see Bill's account) and the damage was classified as Category B. There were no other losses in 354th FS on that mission. Two early returns, Koraleski in WR-L due to faulty electrical system, and Culp in WR-Q who escorted him.

[Rottler]

The 2nd plane that crashed at Achmer "am Krankenrevier" was the P-47 D 42-8467, 1st Lt Justus D Henry Jr., MACR 3057, casualty no. J 677.

Regards
Leo

[RSwank]

Thanks Leo, here is Henry's MACR which includes a translated page from J-677:

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/90935509

Note he was buried at a POW camp, Airfield Command at Achmer. I am guessing that the "sick bay" (Krankenrevier) may have been part of that camp.

It is interesting to note in Henry's MACR that the Americans thought they were attacking the airfield at Hespe and have included a map.

Some background on Achmer and Hesepe:

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/a...chmer-360.html

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/a...esepe-359.html

The link above has this link to an interactive map which shows Hespe (Blue Circle) and Achmer just to the SW of Hespe about 4 to 5 miles away.

https://www.forgottenairfields.com/global-map-359.html

It appears, (as we have seen in many times before ) that the navigation ability of fighters on these types of attacks was not all that accurate and they were often not where they thought they were.