Mission Date: August 27, 1943
WATTEN, V-WEAPONS
100th BG Mission #: 20
Mission Summary
ON THIS DAY…AUGUST 27,1943
S-2 Officer Red Bowman had recorded a few days earlier that “most of the Combat Crews on three day passes. God knows they deserve them. Morale among Combat Crews is high despite what they went through on the Regensburg shuttle mission.” Some of the remaining crews would be scheduled to fly a mission to an airdrome on the 26th but it had been scrubbed due to poor weather.
On August 27, seven of the 100th’s crews were seated for a late-afternoon briefing where the target was divulged as a new “aeronautical facility station” and a “secret installation of great importance" under construction in the Pas de Calais area near Watten, France. No secondary or last resort targets were provided. Photos of the target construction area were shown to the men.
Each B-17 would be carrying two 1,000 pound bombs which would be dropped from a lower than normal altitude of 14,000 - 17,000 onto what was reported as freshly poured concrete, to provide maximum damage and set back any future construction for quite some time.
Completely planned by VII Bomber Command, the mission’s orders called for the 1st and 3rd Divisions to supply two wings in total. The 1st Division would lead with the 3rd Division following twenty-minutes behind the 1st Division.
The 3rd Division’s wing of twenty-one aircraft would be led by the 401st CBW. The 403rd CBW would supply the second group in a combined low group and the 100th Bomb Group’s seven B-17s would lead the high group, with the 390th flying as its low and the 95th as its high squadron.
The crews of Sam Turner, Glenn Dye, Jack Swartout and Charles Cruikshank were four of the seven crews seated with Lt Colonel Beirne Lay once again in the briefing. Lay would fly again in Cruikshank’s B-17 as an observer.
The men were briefed on the location of the Luftwaffe fighter base at Saint-Omer, ten miles to the south of their target. However on this mission, fighter support had been planned for and the men were told to expect three squadrons of Spitfire IX and three squadrons of P-47s to provide support.
After a successful take-off at 1730 hours, the 100th’s seven aircraft assembled with the 95BG and 390BG over the Thorpe Abbotts field at 2000 feet, forming into the 402nd Combat Wing, then climbing to altitude, arriving somewhat early to Splasher 7. No aircraft from the formation was reported as aborting the mission early.
Between Splasher 7 and Splasher 8, the groups jockeyed for the correct position, with the 402nd CBW’s formation arriving early, “making a 360 degree turn to get behind the lead group. A good combat wing formation was not attained until the groups left splasher no 8.”
Leaving the English coast at Dungeness, the formation crossed the Channel with its fighter support in place, with the rendezvous made over England on time.
Moderate to intense AA fire was encountered between St Omer and the target. The 100th’s wing formation had reached the IP as scheduled with no enemy fighters interfering with its bomb run, although five were seen in the distance. It was reported that bombing by squadron occurred.The 100th’s leader tells us, “Everybody was spaced just right coming into the target.”
Although conditions caused some difficulty in sighting the target, it was sighted. Making a 60-second bomb run, nineteen B-17s in the high group dropped on the 100th’s leader at 1941 hours. Flak at Watten was reported as meagre.
After bombs away, the formation let down at mid-channel where worsening weather caused difficulties. Official records tell us that the weather “forced our groups to deviate from their briefed course.This weather also caused our groups to break away from their defensive combat wing formation and fly to their home bases in group formation. No other difficulties were encountered even though it was necessary for our AC to land after dark.”
Unlike the 1st Division which lost airmen and bombers on this mission due to encountering forty enemy fighters, the 3rd Division and crews of the 100th were lucky as no enemy aircraft were encountered. In his mission review, Colonel Curtis LeMay stated, “This is the first mission carried out by the 3rd Air Division on which all AC returned to their bases after dark. In all cases landings were made satisfactorily. This indicated the success of the training program conducted by the units of this command and augurs well for future night operations.”
S-2 Officer Red Bowman made no notation of this mission in his diary that day, most likely due to its secretive nature. This day would mark the first mission flown by the 8th Air Force in support of Britain’s desired destruction of Germany’s emerging secret rocket development program uncovered by intelligence reports earlier in the year, under Operation Bodyline. On August 17, after the 8th Air Force had executed the Regensburg and Schweinfurt missions, the RAF bombed Germany's rocket research center at Peenemunde. The Intelligence reports noted that the Germans had begun construction of a massive bunker, Blokhaus d’Esperlecques near Watten, with the intent of it becoming a liquid oxygen factory, V2 rocket assembly and launch site. Located just 110 miles from London, it would be close to the Saint-Omer Luftwaffe base for protection and dangerously within bombing range of London.
S-2 Officer Red Bowman had recorded a few days earlier that “most of the Combat Crews on three day passes. God knows they deserve them. Morale among Combat Crews is high despite what they went through on the Regensburg shuttle mission.” Some of the remaining crews would be scheduled to fly a mission to an airdrome on the 26th but it had been scrubbed due to poor weather.
On August 27, seven of the 100th’s crews were seated for a late-afternoon briefing where the target was divulged as a new “aeronautical facility station” and a “secret installation of great importance" under construction in the Pas de Calais area near Watten, France. No secondary or last resort targets were provided. Photos of the target construction area were shown to the men.
Each B-17 would be carrying two 1,000 pound bombs which would be dropped from a lower than normal altitude of 14,000 - 17,000 onto what was reported as freshly poured concrete, to provide maximum damage and set back any future construction for quite some time.
Completely planned by VII Bomber Command, the mission’s orders called for the 1st and 3rd Divisions to supply two wings in total. The 1st Division would lead with the 3rd Division following twenty-minutes behind the 1st Division.
The 3rd Division’s wing of twenty-one aircraft would be led by the 401st CBW. The 403rd CBW would supply the second group in a combined low group and the 100th Bomb Group’s seven B-17s would lead the high group, with the 390th flying as its low and the 95th as its high squadron.
The crews of Sam Turner, Glenn Dye, Jack Swartout and Charles Cruikshank were four of the seven crews seated with Lt Colonel Beirne Lay once again in the briefing. Lay would fly again in Cruikshank’s B-17 as an observer.
The men were briefed on the location of the Luftwaffe fighter base at Saint-Omer, ten miles to the south of their target. However on this mission, fighter support had been planned for and the men were told to expect three squadrons of Spitfire IX and three squadrons of P-47s to provide support.
After a successful take-off at 1730 hours, the 100th’s seven aircraft assembled with the 95BG and 390BG over the Thorpe Abbotts field at 2000 feet, forming into the 402nd Combat Wing, then climbing to altitude, arriving somewhat early to Splasher 7. No aircraft from the formation was reported as aborting the mission early.
Between Splasher 7 and Splasher 8, the groups jockeyed for the correct position, with the 402nd CBW’s formation arriving early, “making a 360 degree turn to get behind the lead group. A good combat wing formation was not attained until the groups left splasher no 8.”
Leaving the English coast at Dungeness, the formation crossed the Channel with its fighter support in place, with the rendezvous made over England on time.
Moderate to intense AA fire was encountered between St Omer and the target. The 100th’s wing formation had reached the IP as scheduled with no enemy fighters interfering with its bomb run, although five were seen in the distance. It was reported that bombing by squadron occurred.The 100th’s leader tells us, “Everybody was spaced just right coming into the target.”
Although conditions caused some difficulty in sighting the target, it was sighted. Making a 60-second bomb run, nineteen B-17s in the high group dropped on the 100th’s leader at 1941 hours. Flak at Watten was reported as meagre.
After bombs away, the formation let down at mid-channel where worsening weather caused difficulties. Official records tell us that the weather “forced our groups to deviate from their briefed course.This weather also caused our groups to break away from their defensive combat wing formation and fly to their home bases in group formation. No other difficulties were encountered even though it was necessary for our AC to land after dark.”
Unlike the 1st Division which lost airmen and bombers on this mission due to encountering forty enemy fighters, the 3rd Division and crews of the 100th were lucky as no enemy aircraft were encountered. In his mission review, Colonel Curtis LeMay stated, “This is the first mission carried out by the 3rd Air Division on which all AC returned to their bases after dark. In all cases landings were made satisfactorily. This indicated the success of the training program conducted by the units of this command and augurs well for future night operations.”
S-2 Officer Red Bowman made no notation of this mission in his diary that day, most likely due to its secretive nature. This day would mark the first mission flown by the 8th Air Force in support of Britain’s desired destruction of Germany’s emerging secret rocket development program uncovered by intelligence reports earlier in the year, under Operation Bodyline. On August 17, after the 8th Air Force had executed the Regensburg and Schweinfurt missions, the RAF bombed Germany's rocket research center at Peenemunde. The Intelligence reports noted that the Germans had begun construction of a massive bunker, Blokhaus d’Esperlecques near Watten, with the intent of it becoming a liquid oxygen factory, V2 rocket assembly and launch site. Located just 110 miles from London, it would be close to the Saint-Omer Luftwaffe base for protection and dangerously within bombing range of London.
Bombing Results
Bombing Results: FAIR
Aircraft Lost: 0
Crew Lost: 0
Claims of Enemy Losses (CLS): 0
Aircraft Returned:
