Mission

The second mission's briefing was held just after chow. There, twenty-one crews, some having just landed, learned that the Primary target for the afternoon mission would be the marshalling yards at Metz, France with a Secondary target of the marshalling yards at Saareguemines, across the border in France from Germany’s Saarbrucken. The scheduled take-off time would be 1530 hours.

Assembly was without incident and nearing the target at Metz, the formation was unable to bomb visually, so a bomb run was made at Saarequemines and where light flak was reported. Bombs were away and the crews thought that the mission had been another ‘milk run’ when four attacking ME-109s passed through the formation.

Elmer Ferbrache’s ship, ‘Our Babe’ was hit. TG Howard O. Williams, flying his first mission of the day stated, "We were just leaving the target area when I saw some fighters edging over. They were Messerschmitt 109's just making like they were friendly aircraft.” Guns blazing, four of the Messerschmitts swarmed in with one attacking Williams’ tail with a “stream of 20mm shells and machine gun bursts.” The nineteen year-old Gunner remembered, “I sure was scared, too scared to know how lucky I was". The 20mm shell had removed half of the ship’s rudder. Shattered plexiglass sprayed Williams and he counted more than a dozen holes in his clothing.

At the same time, Edgar Wolf’s ship was hit. TG Robert Stachel remembered, “we were hit by a steel-tipped armor penetrating shell that ricocheted off propeller and hit the nose section 50 cal machine gun, cracked gun breech and the armor tip fell on the navigator's table where he was sitting. Second 20 mm shell went through No. 3 engine, third 20 mm shell exploded one foot from Lazarchek (WG) and Howard (WG), knocking both on their butts. Put a hole in the left side of the plane and sieved the other. Put a few holes in Howard's jacket - hit Lazarchek in the leg but drew no blood.”

Three bombers would return to Thorpe Abbotts with battle damage: Wolf’s and Scott’s bombers with serious damage and Ferbrache’s with ‘slight’ damage.

According to the book, Century Bombers, Ralph Horne’s ship also encountered problems. “Unable to maintain altitude the pilots turned for home, while the crew threw the guns and ammunition out in an effort to lighten the load. On 'dipping low over the English Channel, they were pursued by an enemy E-boat firing fusillades of 20mm shells. But managed to reach the safety of England, where they put down on one of the first available Fields.” Horne and crew were reportedly “given up for gone for awhile.” However, Horne would later report in safely after landing at Mansten.

Crews flying afternoon mission: Bethea, Evans, Ferbrache, Gibbons, Giles, Horne, Lunsford, Malooly, Massol, Monrad, Noble, Rake, Raring, Roth, Rumley, Schomp, Scott, Shelly, Stout, Van Steenis, Wolf (Evans returned early)