Mission Date: December 18, 1944
MAINZ, MY PFF
100th BG Mission #: 234
Mission Summary
ON THIS DAY - DECEMBER 18 1944
The next morning, while the bombers were being loaded with eighteen 250 lb. bombs and two clusters of incendiaries, the crews were briefed for the marshaling yards at Mainz. Handling heavy train traffic moving supplies from Hochheim to Wiesbaden, Mainz would be heavily defended and the boys were warned of the sixty anti-aircraft guns that would be shooting at them over the target.
The 95BG would not fly this mission and it would be the 390BG leading the wing, with the 100BG to fly as its high group. Leading the 100BG would be Mark Cope flying with John P. Ernst.
Flying on their #2 combat mission, was the David Wood crew. Wood’s copilot, Tony Pecyk tells us, “Today we were awakened at 0500 again. It certainly was cold. The long woolens we wear do make one forget the coldness in short order. At breakfast, we were served fresh eggs - It’s a treat to have fresh eggs instead of the powdered ones. Briefing - we went thru the same routine — attendance, orientation, weather, communication, etc. The same anxiety was felt just as the S-2 officer revealed the target. The Merseburg target must have a profound affect on the boys. It must be a rough target. All I can say is that ignorance is blissful. No doubt I’m in for a surprise. Marshaling yards are taking priority at the present time. It’s because we’re working in conjunction with the ground forces in France. A person begins to be more enthused about his work when his results are evident, and have a direct bearing on the war in France. The yards, which I’m referring to, are the ones in the Ruhr Valley. In close proximity to the battle zone. Our target for today was Mainz - secondary Coblenz - target of opportunity — any one of military value…”
Due to the horrible weather conditions that morning, most of the veteran crews had expected the mission to be cancelled but it wasn’t and the 100th’s B-17s departed the base between 0900-0943 hours. Three squadrons totaling thirty-five aircraft plus three Pathfinder ships lifted off from the frozen ground in thirty-second intervals.
The 100BG rendezvoused with the 390BG over buncher 28 by 1113 hours.
Although all of the Air Divisions of the 8th Air Force were flying that day, the extensive cloud coverage forced a recall of the 2nd Division’s three hundred and fifty-eight B-24s as well as part of the 1st Divisions B-17 forces. Only the 3rd Division would go on to the target as planned with two hundred and twenty B-17s, escorted by the P-51s flying in the cloud coverage obscured from the sight of the bombers and any fighters.
Crossing the Continental coast at 1208, the 100th was forced to climb above their briefed altitude to avoid the contrails and clouds. “About 50% of the time out, the high and low squadrons were lost in the clouds and had to fly by instruments.”
According to copilot Tony Pecyk, “The take off and assembly was all right, but the formation was weak. We were spread out and lagged. This was due to adverse weather conditions. Between ‘con’ trails and clouds we had our hands full. Over the target the weather was at its worse. The ‘contrails’ give us an odd perspective — correction it destroyed our perspective to our lead ships. For the first time we encountered vertigo — a peculiar sensation. Is the dardnest feeling you can experience. You think you’re in a bank and actually you’re flying straight and level and vice versa.”
William J. Wellings, flying as bombardier on Glenn Rojohn’s crew concurred. He wrote, “We were briefed for terrible we. then over the continent and expected it be scrubbed any minute but we took-off at 0900 and went on...Thought sure we’d turn back when we hit that but they kept right on going. It got pretty bad as we went in further and formations were scattered all over the sky. The division was spaced out about 15 miles wide and our group was all split up…”
Prior to reaching the Initial Point, three pilots had aborted the mission: In the high squadron, Albert Willoughby, flying in ’Glory Bound,’ returned early due to his #1 and #4 engines functioning improperly while Ralph Whitcomb, flying ’Kramps Tramps’, returned due to a supercharger being on fire. In the low squadron, the fortress named ‘Hard Luck’ also returned early due to engine trouble.
The formation arrived at the IP at 1254. With the high squadron flying as high as 30,000 feet in altitude, the formation was still in the clouds with only 300 feet of visibility when the turn was made onto the bomb run.
Walter Bailey flying in the lead squadron in a Pathfinder ship with a Colonel from the 13th Wing was experiencing problems with the Micro-H and H2X equipment which failed two minutes before bombs were away. The weather conditions wouldn’t permit a visual sighting of the target, so the Air Leader took the formations to the secondary target. Unable to bomb there due to the H2H equipment still not functioning, they returned to base with their bombs.
Flying in the high squadron was the William Wilson crew on their #8 mission. Their bombardier, Robert Fitzgerald tells us of his squadron's turn onto the bomb run when he wrote, “About this time another bomb group cut right in front of us. We made a sharp turn to the right to avoid them and then came back on bomb run on new heading. Bombs away at 1304…”
Due to the other bomb group cutting in front of the 100th’s high squadron, Rojohn’s fortress was bounced from the formation. From Wellings’ viewpoint, “We got knocked out of the formation, finally, and couldn’t get back in with the high so we crossed the target flying off the left wing on #3 in the Lead…Got knocked out of lead after a short while and ended up flying tail end Charlie in the low sqdn. We just sat there and sweated the whole time we were flying.”
The low squadron lead aircraft also experienced a Mickey equipment failure and returned back to the base with its bombs aboard.
After six and one-half hours of flying, the remaining bombers headed home, reaching the English coast around 1615 hours, when they received a warning over the radio that the runway at Thorpe Abbotts was covered with ice and snow.
As described in the book, Through Blue Skies to Hell, the pilots were told to fly around for an hour to reduce their fuel load to ensure a safer landing. Eugene Jensen, still carrying twenty bombs struggled to land and the book states, “Unfortunately, they had to land faster than is normally the case without the bomb load. Very quickly, they discovered they were in grave danger. The brakes were useless due to the ice cover, and in order to remain on the runway the engines had to be used, therefore preventing a deceleration. By the time they reached the end of the runway their ground speed was still 100 mpg. It was too late to try to take off again with the heavy bomb load on board. Co-pilot Jim Millet and Gene Jensen pulled the main power switch which stopped the engines. As expected, in a few seconds the plane left the runway at an angle and came to an abrupt stop in the mud with the tail wheel still on the runway.”
Although the weather conditions created a stressful landing environment for the pilots, this was still combat and once they were down safely, they still considered themselves lucky to not have encountered heavy flak or German fighters. Twenty year-old navigator Rowland Hetrick from Walter Radke’s crew, recorded, “ We were very lucky to get home without having more trouble than we did have. “
Guy Weaver, waist gunner on Don Liljenquist’s crew concurred. “It was h- - - flying in this soup… Thank God for our safe return.”
Bombing Results
Bombing Results: UNOBSERVED
Aircraft Lost: 0
Crew Lost: 0
Claims of Enemy Losses (CLS): 0
Aircraft Returned:
