Mission

ON THIS DAY...August 24, 1943

At Thorpe Abbotts, crews were briefed for a morning mission to Northern France with an original zero hour of 0700 hours. Planning for the mission had been mostly done by VIII Bomber Command due to the heavy coordination between the First and Third Air Divisions. That day, the 1st Bombardment Wing would target the Luftwaffe base at Villacoublay outside of Paris while three of their groups would fly a diversion.

For the 4th Bombardment Wing, its primary targets were two Luftwaffe bases eleven miles apart at Evreux-Fauville and Conches airdromes. A secondary target was designated as Bernay-St Martin with no target designated as a last resort. Each B-17 had been loaded with twenty-four 120# fragment cluster bombs and the double airfield attack called for each heavy bomber to drop half of its load on each target.

Leading the mission would be the 402nd Combat Wing, made up of seven aircraft from the 95BG in the lead, seven from the 100BG flying low and seven from the 390BG flying as its high formation. A combined 401CBW and 403CBW would fly as the second formation with the 94BG in the lead, the 385BG as its low and a combined 96BG and 388BG as the high group.

In the 100th’s briefing room sat William DeSanders, who would be flying his first mission as lead pilot with Mark Carnell’s crew. Carnell had broken his arm and was grounded and DeSander’s original crew had been shot down on the July 25 mission when Richard Carey stood in for him piloting his crew. Other crews in attendance were: Sumner Reeder, Charles Floyd, Sam Turner, Glenn Dye, Richard King, Edgar Woodward crews.

Friendly support was briefed as six spitfire squadrons on the way in and six squadrons on the way out. The original designated route had been changed as the rendezvous point west of Dieppe at the French coast would put the bombers over an anti-aircraft school below.

Due to the B-17s finally returning from Africa, the original zero hour was moved 1615 hours. After a successful take-off, the 100th’s Fortresses assembled with the 95BG and the 390BG over Horham at 2000 feet, then climbed to 18000 feet altitude where the wing formation met the second wing at Splasher 6. The English coast was departed at Beachy Head.

Over the channel, the pilots hit a solid undercast. By the time the French coast was crossed, the 402CBW was down two B-17s due to aborts, with one each from the 95BG and the 390BG.

The French coast was hit on time as was the rendezvous with the spitfire escorts, with the friendlies staying with the formation to the first target. Turning on the IP, the 402CBW made a 25-second bomb run at 18:44 over Evreaux where the flak was accurate on the lead group but described as meager. However, due to the cloud cover and the bombardier’s inability to definitively determine the target, the leader did not attempt to bomb. Although some of the aircraft did drop their bombs, all bombs dropped hit between the dummy airdrome and the real airdrome with no damage done.

Not briefed for AA fire at Conches, upon arriving at the second primary target, the lead group experienced “12 guns throwing very accurate flak.” It was reported that all of the aircraft were damaged from flak with one aircraft seriously damaged and another shot down. At Conches, the 402CBW made a 90-second run at 18:50 hours, with thirteen of the B-17s, dropping on the leader from 23,000 feet.

Although all of the 100BG’s B-17s made it successfully through the accurate and intense flak, two men had been wounded in action. In Charles Floyd’s ‘Barker’s Burden,’ twenty-nine year old BTG, Robyn Fulton, received flak wounds to his chest. And in Richard King’s ‘Little Mike,’ ROG Derrell Piel was wounded when a piece of shrapnel hit his leg.

Following behind, cloud conditions made it impossible for the leader of the second wing to see either of the primary targets and none of its bombs were dropped. Deciding to abandon the secondary target, it followed the lead wing home.

At 1900 hours, as the formations neared its exit point at the French coast, 15-20 enemy aircraft were seen with two approaches made on the 390BG. “Attacks were not pressed due to the very effective fighter cover provided by spitfires”

All of the 100BG’s Fortresses returned safely to base, after the returning Fortresses from Africa had landed. S-2 Intelligence Officer, Red Bowman, “Seven ships took off for Evreaux-Conches, France. Just before they were due to return, the 100th’s remaining ships from Africa arrived, having bombed a Bordeaux airfield on the way back from North Africa. They encountered only a few fighters and meager flak. S-2 office were a shambles - our African crews being interrogated on the mission down and the Bordeaux mission, and before we finished this the days mission to Evreaux and Conches returned. Evreaux trip was a success as to the bombing…Reports of African crews confirm awful beating 100th took on the Regensburg trip. We were the low and rear Group and took the brunt of the fighters. Correspondents all departed, leaving Lt. Morgan here on detached service. 100th got big play in Stars and Stripes today - two photos included.”