Mission Date: January 29, 1945
KASSEL, TANK WORKS (100TH "A" "B")
100th BG Mission #: 254
Mission Summary
ON THIS DAY...JANUARY 29, 1945
When the cover hiding the map was lifted at briefing, the 100th’s Primary target for the day was revealed as Kassel - the Locomotive Works in the Rothenditmold marshalling yard. The Secondary target would be the main passenger station at Kassel and Bielefield a Target of Last Resort. Known crews to be flying their #1 mission: Akers, Fellows, Guardino and Kallstrand.
Today, the 13th Wing would lead the 3rd Division’s column of B-17s but would only fly two of their Groups - the 390th flying as the ‘A’ Group and the 100th flying as the ‘B’. Major Harry Cruver would lead the 100th’s formation with Captain Brown. The High Squadron would be led by Captains Albrecht and Ernst and the Low by Captain Gibbons and LT DePlanque. Leading the six ship Chaff Flight would be the 349th’s LT Wilford Murray.
Forty-four B-17s departed the base between 0735-0819 hours in a 10/10 undercast, each loaded with twelve 500 lb. general purpose bombs.
Early mission aborts happened for various reasons. Today, due to a late takeoff, one of the PFF ships flying in the Chaff Force, flown by LT Donald Dewey, was the first ship to return to Thorpe Abbots when Dewey was unable to catch up with the already departed formation. Before the formation had crossed the sortie line, the 349th’s LT Eugene Jensen, also aborted the mission. Flying “Woody” in the High Squadron, LT Jensen returned early due to the loss of a gas cap on his #2 engine forcing the ship to lose over 200 gallons of fuel. As the formation crossed into enemy territory an additional High Squadron ship left the formation. Flying the ship named « Gold Brick,» LT Joseph King returned due to a runaway propeller on his #1 engine. Unlike the Dewey and Jensen crews, the King crew was given credit for their #3 mission as they had crossed the sortie line and dropped their bombs in Germany.
As the formation neared the target, it was expected that the Lead ship would utilize the H2X method for bombing due to the cloud coverage but there was a break in the clouds and through pilotage, the Lead Navigator, LT Julius Krepisman and Lead Bombardier LT William Titley, flying his last mission, were able to pick up Kassel with a clear sighting of the Primary target and execute a quick successful release of their bombs at 1158 hours, flying through “meager to moderate flak” reported as “low, inaccurate and scattered.” The 100th’s Low Squadron also bombed visually on Kassel with less success while the ‘B’ High Squadron split their bombings over two targets, making two bomb runs. Only four of the High’s aircraft dropped on Kassel due to problems with their H2X equipment and the inability to communicate with the other Squadrons. After finally making contact with the formation’s Leader, the High was lead over to Bielefield, the Last Resort Target, where the Lead ship fired a red flare as a signal to the High Squadron to drop their bombs.
After flying a seven hour mission with five of those hours strapped to their oxygen masks due to the high altitude, the boys from the 100th returned to Thorpe Abbotts safely. There would be no losses of ships or crew. Four of their B-17s returned with flak damage.
At Interrogation, the crews would report in any observations of interest that had been seen as they flew. Today, the Lead Squadron reported that at 1255 hours from 12000 altitude, they “Saw a road that was cleared of snow and came to a dead stop as though going underground. A truck came onto the road as if from nowhere and stopped as “A” Squadron flew over. Could possibly be an underground factory. This entire area appeared to have much activity although there were attempts to camouflage it. Saw large areas cleared of snow in this area and numerous buildings were dispersed. “
There was a Stand Down that evening for all Air Crews and nobody wanted to leave their heaters in their huts. Vernon Sheedy from the Quartermaster Group tells us how bad the heating situation was when he recorded, “The coke situation is really getting tough - Memorandum from Headquarters stating it has to be rationed even more. Sebastiano Leonardo’s crew are not safe anymore - the personnel of the Base are ready to destroy them on account of no coke…”
Bombing Results
Bombing Results: GOOD
Aircraft Lost: 0
Crew Lost: 0
Claims of Enemy Losses (CLS): 0
Aircraft Returned:
Photos
Strike Photo - Kassel Germany
Strike Photo - Kassel Germany Photo identified by Winfried Wollschlaegen.
