Mission Date: March 2, 1945
RUHLAND & DRESDEN, FACTORY AREA
100th BG Mission #: 270
Mission Summary
ON THIS DAY… MARCH 2, 1945
At briefing, thirty-eight crews saw that the red string went straight across the map of Germany to Ruhland where they would attack the water and gas plants in the synthetic oil plant as their visual Primary target. Their visual or H2X Secondary target would be the center of Dresden and from where supplies were passing through to the Eastern front.
Leading the 13th Wing would be the 390th BG, followed by the 100th flying as its ‘B’ group and the 95th flying as the ‘C’. The 100th’s formation would be lead by Charles Martin as Command pilot flying with Willis Murray and eleven crews from the 418th Squadron. It is unknown who lead the High while the Low would be lead by Robert W. Stivers and David E. Hutchinson.
With each B-17 carrying twenty 250 pound bombs and loaded up with two thousand seven hundred eighty gallons of fuel, the heavily laden ships took off at 0630-0700 hours. Assembling as a Group over Buncher 28 at 8000 feet, the Wing Assembly was made without any issues, merging into the Divisional column behind the 93rd Wing. Pulling out from the High squadron’s formation before crossing the sortie line was the 349th’s Raymond Wieland, in ship 841, who returned his bombs and crew to the base.
Flying over the Zeider Zee and Zwolle defenses in the Netherlands, the ships were subjected to flak fire. The long column of heavy bombers from the 8th Air Force continued into and through Germany feigning an attack on Berlin but eventually turning south and splitting into three large Divisional formations with the 1st targeting Bohlen, the 2nd Magdeburg and the 3rd targeting Ruhland.
Newspapers reported that, “The Luftwaffe rose in its first major challenge in six weeks, throwing in jet-propelled craft and packs of as many as 30 fighters. Dogfights raged over the breadth of Germany…” Richard Ayesh, Bombardier on the Eugene Jensen Crew recorded, “I saw a terrific dog fight. Several enemy fighters going down in flames. They shot down 2 Forts in gap. ahead of us. E/A attacked out of sun at 12 hi. Our ball turret gunner fired at him and scared him away before he got too close.”
Receiving word that the target at Ruhland was covered, the formation set-up for Dresden where from a bombing altitude of 22,500 feet and in group formation, Dresden was attacked at 1032 hours. Six rockets were reported on the bomb run.
After ‘bombs away,’ the Group reassembled at the Rally Point, following the briefed route out through southern Germany and the Koblenz-Frankfurt corridor, again experiencing flak. Taking six hours to return, the nine hour mission ended when the crews safely returned to Thorpe Abotts at 1540 hours. Only three hours later, the mission light switched to red, indicating another mission on for the next day and many of the same crew names would be up on the board again.
Reporting excellent fighter coverage that day, the 100th was fortunate, encountering no direct enemy fighter contact and having only three ships return with flak battle damage. The 3rd Division however, would lose a total of eight ships and seventy-two men: its Lead Group, the 385th, would lose four ships, the 390th would lose one ship and the 96th would lose three. The Luftwaffe was reported to have lost sixty-eight planes in combat with an additional thirty-six destroyed on the ground.
Bombing Results
Bombing Results: GOOD
Aircraft Lost: 0
Crew Lost: 0
Claims of Enemy Losses (CLS): 0
Aircraft Returned:
