Mission

ON THIS DAY...AUGUST 14,1944

By 0530 hours, thirty-nine crews had checked in with the attendance man, including the newly ‘operational’ crews of Walter Radke, Walter Bailey, Clifford Harris and Howard Schulte and two PFF crews over from Horham. The map was revealed when the S-2 Officer pulled the curtain back and every airman seated followed the red string to Germany.

The 100BG’s target for the day would be the I.G. Farben oil refinery located at Ludwigshafen on the Rhine. In fact, the 3rd Division would be sending all B-17s but the 95BG’s to Mannheim and Ludwigshafen located across the Rhine from each other and only four miles apart. “The route was to fly east past the target, do a 180-degree left turn, and fly straight and level eight minutes west to the target.”

Each CBW would fly two formations, an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ wing. Leading the 13CBW ‘A’ wing would be the 390BG while the 100BG would fly as its ‘B.’ Austin Dunlap and his PFF crew would lead the 100BG with Major Joseph Zeller flying as its Command pilot. William Terminello and his PFF crew would lead the High group with Andrew Gorksi while Neal Scott would lead the low with Lt Colonel Frederick Price flying as his copilot. Flying as Scott’s left wingman, pilot Harvey Dickert tells us, “We tried something new in the line of formation. Flying thirteen ship groups in tight wing formation for the first time into Germany, on deep penetrations. The idea being to eliminate stragglers and get more accuracy in bombing…”

The B17 named ‘Hard Luck” had been damaged by flak on the previous day’s mission but was sitting on its hardstand that morning, assigned to the Donald Cielewich crew. Cielewich’s copilot Lenard Moen stated, “We never saw it before or had opportunity to test it. All we had time to do was hand pull the props to clear any oil accumulation in the lower cylinders, jump in and start the engine.” As he taxied into position, Cielewich experienced problems with his engines. Without a response to his abort request, Cielewich took off, barely clearing the fence at the end of the runway. Unable to climb at the normal rate, the pilots' next concern was the forest a mile from the end of the runway. Making it over the trees, Moen added,“We could have reached out and touched the top of those trees.” This would be the crew’s #3 mission.

With all B-17s successfully departing Thorpe Abbotts between 0740-0809 hours, the pilots assembled into the wing formation and flew on to meet up with the 390BG and get into position, echeloned to its right.

Due to the number of formations coming and going into France and Germany that morning, potential collisions were numerous. After the 13CBW’s two formations formed as briefed, they were approached on a collision course by the 45CBW, forcing both the 390th and the 100th to alter course. At Southwald, yet another wing formation approached the 13CBW and the 390th’s leader swung the formations left. Finally in the Division column, the 13CBW’s formations departed the English Coast.

After crossing the North Sea and the enemy coast at Holland, John David pulled his B17 out of the 100th’s Low group. On his #28 mission, David’s TTE, Frank Carili recorded, “We had to abort after we had been over Holland 15 mins due to a blown exhaust stack and subsequent loss of manifold pressure on n. 1 engine.”

As the formation continued the briefed route over Belgium, unexpected flak was observed and the crews on their #1 mission took note. NAV Rowland Hetrick, recorded, “We saw our first flak at Brussels. It surprised us because we weren't briefed for it. It was low and left so we got to watch it and get the fascination of first seeing it over with.”

With the 3rd Division's three hundred twenty-six B17s flying to targets at Mannheim and Ludwigshafen, there was reason for the airmen to be alert, not just for enemy fighters but also for other heavy bombers. As the 13CBW continued the briefed route over France, yet another wing was observed approaching from the right. Not wanting to change course and put the 13CBW over the Verdun and Metz defenses, the 13CBW leader turned into the approaching wing’s path and the wing flew between the 390th and 100th’s formations.

Nearing the IP, the heavy flak could be seen over Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. On his #1 mission, Rowland Hetrick continued his entry, “We could see the flak over the target area from a long way off. I was hoping that it was someplace else because I didn't see how anyone could get through it…”

Encountering some cloud coverage, it was anticipated that the target would also be covered and the 13CBW prepared for PFF bombing to be executed in group formation, rather than wing. With continued engine issues, Cielewich’s Fortress lagged behind the 100th’s formation. With the pilots, twenty-one year-old Donald Cielewich and twenty year-old Lenard Moen desperately trying to catch up to the rest of the 100th's B-17s, all four engines on the ‘Hard Luck’ died. Moen stated,“Yup, we ran out of gas-literally and physically…We conveniently dumped the bombs after the first engine conked.” Soon after, the aircraft quietly descended into the clouds never to be seen again.

On the bomb run, the heavy and accurate flak over the target areas was absorbed by the B17s. Pilot William Terminello recorded, “The mission went okay except for twice we almost collided with other groups. Flak was terrific...We only picked up a couple of holes ourselves..." Ricker’s TG, Raymond Mainka recorded, “The flak was real heavy but there were several formations of planes so it was kind of broken up. We got two holes in our ship.” Albert Trommer’s bomber received one hole from flak, Urban’s aircraft took seven flak hits and Walter Radke’s ship absorbed four flak hits, including one that hit his BOM William Marienthal on his helmet, saving him from being wounded.

Despite the flak, bombs were away at 1241 hours on the primary target. Having difficulty in his bomb bay, Frederick Schaffhausen tells us, “Had to use pilot's emergency salvo to drop bombs over target. Bomb Bay doors wouldn't close, had to crank them up.”

Unable to observe the bombing results, the 100th made the briefed turn after the target and headed to their Rally Point to reform. Rowland Hetrick tells us, “Bill & I were just a little scared to tell you the truth. As we left the target, I kept wondering why Walt didn't put on the power? He was, we were doing about 190mph then.”

Feeling fortunate when the enemy coast was departed at 1418 hours again over Holland, pilots Walter Bailey and William Merchen were trying to keep their Fortress in the air and make it home. With flak hitting all four of their engines and leaking oil, they too had been running low on gas over Germany. TTE Calvin Dollar recorded that after making it to water, Bailey let down to 10000 feet. Although Bailey had instructed the crew to stand by to ditch, the pilots made it to land and returned to base.

After a very stressful eight hour mission, all but Donald Cielewich’s Fortress would return to Thorpe Abbotts.

For the Cielewich crew, they would be luckier than most stragglers as no enemy aircraft were encountered that day. As their B-17 descended into the clouds, Don gave the bail out order. All crew members would successfully do so but would be captured, becoming POWs. Setting the record straight, Lenard Moen would later write, “Finally; we were not hit by flak, we were not smoking, and we did not dive away from the formation. The engines all died within seconds of each other as the tanks ran dry. That happened while we were still a half mile behind the formation and as we took a 180 degree turn heading for home the group also made a large 180 degree sweeping turn toward Ludwigshaven on an 8 minute bomb run. The crew bailed out and Hard Luck glided to its death in a mountainous forest….In a war, following orders is essential, men and equipment are expendable, and that fact will never change.”

Meanwhile at Thorpe Abbots, while the crews were out on the mission, two of the 100BG’s well loved Air Executives had departed Thorpe Abbotts for the States. S-2 Officer Red Bowman recorded, “LT Colonel John B. Kidd left for home. He was accompanied by Major Sumner Reeder, The place will never be the same without these two good lads, who have really seen a lot."

Crews flying that day: Frazier, Everitt, Daniels, Schulte, Bailey, Herres, Grigg, Corley, C Baker, Heironimus, Trommer, Radke, Ricker, Tiahrt, David, Kennedy, Kemp, Riegel, Cielewich, N Scott, Delaney, Ransom, Miller, Lundquist, Urban, Stevenson, P Jones, Dobrogowski, Dickert, Coleman, Schaffhausen, Bennett, Ryan, Armstrong, Ellison, M Johnson, Harris

POWS: P Donald Cielewich, CP Lenard Moen, NAV Clifford Brown, BOM John Cochran, ROG Benjamin Baldasano, TTE Cyrenne Ropson, WG Herbert Klepp, BTG John Funkhauser, TG Henry Sytnik