Mission Date: March 4, 1945
ULM, MY (S.T.)
100th BG Mission #: 272
Mission Summary
ON THIS DAY...MARCH 4, 1945
The previous night, the base had been under a ‘Red Alert’ when German fighters were over East Anglia, bombing Ipswich, shooting up the Thorpe Abbotts field, and “raising hell” with the RAF as they returned from a night raid.
While the 418th’s crews enjoyed a Squadron Stand Down, the others flying that day were awakened at 0215 hours for the 0315 briefing where they learned that they would be flying to Baumenheim. Their visual Primary target would be a Messerschmitt aircraft components factory while the Secondary target, either visually or by H2x, would be the marshaling yards at Ulm.
The 4th Wing would lead the 3rd Division with the 13th Wing flying behind it. The 100th would lead the 13th with the 95th flying as the ‘B’ group. Leading the 100th’s formation would be David Lyster and Donald Jones, with the High by Gibbons and Blanding and the Low by Staples and Dawson.
With clear conditions over the base and enemy fighters potentially still around, the crews learned that the Group’s formation would occur over France rather than England. Taking off in the dark at 0600 hours, the men were jumpy as they crossed the Channel into a 10/10 undercast. Twenty year-old Tail Gunner Donald Becker was tired and jumpy. “Today started out at 2:15 A.M. again so it left me with about 4 hours sleep between missions..we were very much in danger of being ambushed & picked off one by one as we took off…so we straggled across the Channel one by one just plain old duck soup for the fighters - After yesterday’s attack I needn’t say that we were on the alert & all ready for them” Unable to see the aircraft around them, several B-24s from the 2nd Division had crossed in front of the 100th’s Lead ship while test firing several rounds. Navigator Art Juhlin remembered, “We got quite a scare crossing the Channel. Some crazy fools began test firing and tracer bullets were flashing all around us in the darkness.”
The pilots had a difficult time flying in the soup with persistent contrails and poor weather obscuring visibility. On his last mission, pilot Paul A. Kramp, losing the 100th’s formation in the clouds, joined up with another Wing which was later recalled due to the poor weather. And at 19,000 feet, the 100th found itself leading the 3rd Division, having lost visual contact with the 4th Wing that was to be flying in front of them. Command Pilot Lyster took the Wing’s formation on a climb to 23,000 feet to break out of the weather.
Baumenheim was reported as covered in 10/10 undercast, so its Rally Point was used for the IP turn for the Secondary target, where the Group made a run on the Ulm marshaling yards. Bombs were away at 1010 hours.
Although briefed to expect both dangers, no flak or enemy fighters were encountered and all ships returned safely to base at 1345 hours, beating the encroaching weather back to base.
That night, the Stand Down light was on. Enemy fighters were once again over East Anglia and Becker ended his day's journal entry with, “Today was the coldest day of my life & I thought I had frost bitten hands & face - I had my heated suit turned all the way but the air blast in the tail made the terrific cold unbearable - I almost went out of my head but I came out OK..the Jerries were at it over here again - we got the alert 8:00 P.M. & all lights went out even tho blackout curtains were up. We all went outside to watch the show - we can see the flak thrown up by the batteries at Lowestaff & Ipswich - heard them & saw the search lights & listened to the bombs & gunfire & the sounds of planes & all hell bursting loose but none came close…”
Bombing Results
Bombing Results:
Aircraft Lost: 0
Crew Lost: 0
Claims of Enemy Losses (CLS): 0
Aircraft Returned:
