Mission

After the 100th’s devastating Hamburg mission, only fifteen aircraft in the entire Group were available to fly on the January 1 mission to Bielefield but the mission was scrubbed at take-off.

The planning for the next mission on January 2 remained fluid with the final route to the target not set until 0325 hours, only forty-five minutes before the lead crews were to be briefed. At the 0500 general briefing, the seated air crews were told that their primary visual target was the marshaling yards, north and across the river from Bad Kreuznach.

The 13CBW would put up a total of six squadrons making up two composite groups: The lead group, ‘A,’ would be made up of the 100BG in the lead squadron and the 95BG flying in the low and high squadrons. Flying as command pilot for the 100th would be Neal Scott, flying with Paul Spurgeon. The wing’s ‘B’ group, would be made up of two squadrons from the 390BG and one from the 388BG.

John A. Clark, copilot on Charles Blanding’s crew wrote in his book titled An Eighth Air Force Combat Diary, “We were flying 811 as old ‘Miss Chief’ was driven deep into German soil on the 31st and our new plane wasn’t ready. The 418th put up three crews which made up the second element. We were flying in the no. 6 position….It was still dark and it began to rain which made taxiing difficult.”

Although raining at take-off, the eleven aircraft plus one PFF ship departed the runway at Station 139 between 0730-0736 hours loaded with ten 500 lb. general purpose bombs and two 500 lb. incendiaries. It was a normal take-off but the use of instruments was necessary as the pilots climbed through the low clouds, breaking out at 7000 feet.

The 100th’s lead formation rendezvoused with the 95th’s two squadrons at buncher 28. There, they encountered the 93BG in their way, causing Neal Scott to swing the formation wide to avoid them. Crossing the English coast at 0934, the 100th’s formation continually ’s’d' to avoid overrunning the group ahead of them.

After being notified of the fighters in the area, Neal Scott held the Group in formation until they reached the Initial Point, where each squadron began its peel off on to the bomb run.  With visibility clear and unlimited at the target, the heavy bombers dropped their loads between 1143-1200 hours.

Meeting up at the rally point, the squadrons reformed into group formation, recrossing the English coast at 1356 hours. Considered a ‘milk run’ by the airmen, the 100BG’s B-17s did not return with any battle damage from flak or fighters. Landing however, was once again dicey and the pilots over Thorpe Abbotts at 1520 hours, were required to make individual instrument descents due to an undercast over England.

Not returning with the 100BG’s formation however, was John J. Dodrill who had flown ‘Skyway Chariot,’ an aircraft that had turned back early with its #4 propeller feathered. Surprised that he had not yet landed at Thorpe Abbotts, the other crews believed that Dodrill must have crashed in the Channel as they had last viewed him over French territory heading back to England.  Fortunately, headquarters would later hear from Dodrill, who had made an emergency landing at an airfield in France.  After repairs were made to ‘Skyway Chariot,’ Dodrill and his crew would return to Thorpe Abbotts three days later. John Dodrill at nineteen years old was reported to be the youngest pilot in the entire 3rd Division.