Mission

ON THIS DAY...AUGUST 6,1944

That Sunday at Thorpe Abbotts, twenty crews had been briefed for a mission to the dreaded “Big B,” Berlin. With the Focke Wolf 190 engine plant as their Primary target, the 100th’s formation would be lead by Major Sam Barr, who would be flying as Command pilot with Neal Scott and his lead crew and leading the 100th as the High group in the 4CBW formation, flying second in the Division’s line of B-17s.

The weather officer briefed the men for CAVU conditions over Germany and after what was seen and heard about the previous day’s events, knots in the pit of every stomach seated in the briefing room formed when the airmen thought about swarms of enemy fighters and the heavy flak reportedly aiming for them from the “760 odd flak guns at Berlin.” Only three out of the twenty crews seated had not been scheduled for the devastating mission to Madgeburg.

Loaded again with 5000 pounds of explosives in the form of ten 500 lb bombs, all twenty aircraft successfully took off between 0719-0738 hours, completing group assembly an hour later over Buncher 28. In proper wing assembly with the 4CBW, the English coast was finally crossed south of Lowestoft, two hours after take-off start times. After leaving the coast, both Dale Darby and Orville Everitt pulled their B-17s from the formation, jettisoning their bombs before returning to base.

Over the North Sea, the remaining eighteen B17s in the formation started the climb to bombing altitude. Making a turn at 1015 hours, the formation passed over Heligoland, where the 100th’s aircrafts encountered their first round of flak, although reported as meager. At 1108, landfall was made at the enemy coast just north of Schwimmendes Moor at 22000 feet and the group headed to the designated IP, where they would make the turn onto the long bomb run to their target located three miles south of the center of Berlin.

At 1115 hours, on his #27 mission, George Allen pulled his heavy bomber out of formation, attacking a target of opportunity along with Harvey Rowland, who had also pulled out of the formation.

At 1228, the 100BG arrived at the IP but “because another group was bombing in the same area at the same time, we were forced to fly beyond it and turn.”

As expected, the exploding flak put up by the German artillery defending their capital was intense, tracking and continuous pointed, making for a stressful bomb run. Joe Costanza from John Keys ship tells us, “We lost no planes but the long run was a strain on them. They had flak all the way but inaccurate.” And William Crozier on Ricker’s Fortress recorded, “Flak, of course was very heavy, but luckily we did not even get one hit on our plane. I don't see how we got through all that barrage, but we did. There was more flak than Magdeburg only not as accurate, thank the Lord. Many of our ships got hit but I did not see one in our group go down.” 

Although the 100BG was fortunate this mission, other Groups in the 3rd Division were not. Pilot Frederick Schaffhausen tells us, “Lucky for us we found a corridor to go through and didn't receive any flak hits. Wing ahead of us went though flak. Saw 5-17s go down in flames - no chutes observed.”

At 1237 hours after climbing to 26000 feet, the 100BG made a visual attack on their primary target with good to excellent results observed. Schaffhausen continued, “The area around Berlin was really hit by the 8th A.F. In Berlin itself at least 5 primary targets were hit.” 

Making the prescribed left turn after bombs were away, the lead group had broken up and scattered after its bomb release, forcing the 100BG’s leader to ’S’ along until the lead group got back into position.

Departing the enemy coast at 1343 hours, the crews could not believe that no enemy aircraft were encountered or even observed that day. Two hours later, the Fortresses had all landed safely back at base with S-2 Officer Red Bowman recording into his diary, “Flash!! the 100th went to Berlin, hit the target and returned without being attacked. This is the neatest trick of the week”

Crews flying that day: Keys, Riegel, Major Barr with Neal Scott, Schaffhausen, Ricker, Daniels, Cumming, Rowland, Allen, David, Bennett, Miller, Everitt, Carlton, Simons, P Jones, Geller, Kohler, Darby, Anderson