Mission Date: February 17, 1945
FRANKFURT & GIESSEN
100th BG Mission #: 260
Mission Summary
ON THIS DAY...FEBRUARY 17,1945
After a Group Stand Down on the 16th, notification of a mission for the next day had started to arrive with targets, routes, division assembly and altitude communicated that night. At 0140 hours, a ‘Plan B’ was communicated with changes to both plans coming in seemingly every ten minutes with a final decision not made by Division until 0650 hours - Plan ‘A’ was on, there would be no ‘Plan B.’
At Thorpe Abbotts, thirty-eight crews were briefed for Frankfurt, with the Primary and Secondary targets as its metal works and main marshalling yards, respectively.
The 390th BG would lead its Wing, with the 95th flying as the ‘B’ group and the 100th flying as the ‘C’. The 100th would be lead by Major Lyster and LT DePlanque while its High squadron would be lead by Captains Craft and Brown and the Low by Major Staples and LT Wilford Murray.
All thirty-eight of the heavy bombers departed without any problems between 0840-0920 hours, assembling with the Wing at Buncher 23 at 5500 feet due to cloud coverage. Although hampered by weather crossing the channel, the route in to the target was as briefed until forty miles from the enemy lines when Division notified the Wing Leader that, ‘Plan A’ was to be abandoned and ‘Plan B’ would be in effect. The weather had deteriorated so badly that in fact, both the 1st Division and the 2nd Division had been recalled before their formations had even reached enemy airspace.
The Hundredth, notified by Wing that there was a change in the flight plan, started its formation on a triangular pattern to gain the proper altitude required in the plan. The formation rose to 22000 feet as they neared Frankfurt where the “moderate, very accurate and tracking”flak began, With 10/10 coverage over the entire target area, the H2X method would be required and preparations began to make approaches in Squadron formation through the flak. Notifying the Lead ship that their H2X equipment was temporarily out, the Low Squadron would follow the Lead in on the bomb run, dropping on the Lead’s smoke bombs.
However, on the bomb run the Lead aircraft experienced a direct flak hit, putting out their Mickey set, radio and VHF and forcing them to abort. In the maneuver for the Deputy Lead to come into position, both the Lead and Low squadrons lost five thousand feet, breaking up the formation and resulting in no time to release their bombs. Meanwhile, the 100th’s High squadron continued over the Secondary target, attacking from an altitude of 21,900 feet.
Now in the Lead position, the Low squadron’s Command pilot made the decision to attack the Target of Last Resort at Giessen, taking the Low and Lead’s formations climbing back up the 5000 feet it had lost. Experiencing “moderate, accurate and tracking” flak at Geissen, clouds and dense contrails, the Lead Bombardier, thinking he was over Geissen, was actually over the town of Staufenberg, six miles to the north of Geissen, where bombs were dropped at 1306, falling into fields and woods.
As the formation flew over Belgium and then the North Sea on their route out, the boys observed a ship blow up while another ship from the 390th ditched into the sea. Fifteen of the 100th's ships would land back at Thorpe Abbots with battle damage from the flak encountered with only the aborting Lead ship landing elsewhere.
Having to climb to an altitude that they were not prepared for was dangerous, stressing the crews’ oxygen supply as well as the ships’ fuel levels. Not appreciating sending their crews and ships up inadequately prepared rankled the Groups’ Commanders. The Wing’s summary made it clear that they were not at all happy, stating that the Division’s weather reports gave no indication there would be any assembly difficulties, nor any indication of not implementing ‘Plan A’ as briefed. ‘Plan A’ had required assembly at 5000 feet when in fact some units went as high as 18000 feet in order to just assemble and none of the crews were sent up with information on ‘Plan B.’ The report further stated, “The instructions further required all units to reach a minimum altitude of 21000 feet before crossing the enemy lines. To execute these orders, some units were forced to make 360 degree turns and others a triangular pattern. The results of all this was unnecessary confusion, which prevented proper interval in the Division column and dissipated the fighter support as well…if there was any doubt of Plan A being used, and there certainly must have been then Plan B should not have been dispensed with a finality that indicated to all persons concerned that it would not be employed.”
Only the 3rd Division would complete the day's mission. The boys of the 100th BG were fortunate and would live another day. Relief set in when the light went on - the next day would be another Stand Down
Bombing Results
Bombing Results: POOR
Aircraft Lost: 0
Crew Lost: 0
Claims of Enemy Losses (CLS): 0
Aircraft Returned:
