Mission Date: March 9, 1945
FRANKFURT, AC FACTORY
100th BG Mission #: 275
Mission Summary
ON THIS DAY...MARCH 9, 1945
At the 0345 briefing, the crews learned that all targets for the day would take them to Frankfurt with the Primary target a metal works sheet rolling mill, a jet component factory. Their Secondary target would be its marshaling yards. Frankfurt was a heavily defended city and the crews were briefed for the three hundred anti-aircraft guns aiming for the bomber stream.
Flying last in the Division column, the 13th Wing would be lead by the 390th while the 100th would fly as the ‘B’ group and the 95th as its ‘C.’ Leading the 100th’s formation would be Charles A.Martin/Blanding, with the High lead by an unknown Command Pilot/Ellis and the Low Squadron by Stivers/Champion.
Thirty-eight crews took off that morning under CAVU conditions over England and the Channel, however as they crossed the Continent, the 6/10-8/10 cloud coverage was encountered as briefed.
Arriving at the IP at 1000 hours, intense flak commenced as the 100th’s Lead ship set up for the attack. However, when the 390th’s formation flying ahead made its turn, the 100th’s Lead and Low squadrons following too closely together behind were forced off the bomb run with insufficient time to site for either targets. Flying back around for a second run over Frankfurt and the flak, the grouped squadrons dropped bombs off of the 390th’s smoke bombs.
Flying in the Low squadron's Lead ship, Bombardier William Wellings, tells us, “…Stivers was command again and decided to tack on a drop with A Sqdn. Went right over Primary, which was visual, but didn’t drop. Kept on going straight down into the town and the flak was pretty rough. They really had us pinned down for awhile. Went clean on through the flak down to the south of town and then turned back north and went up into it again and dropped our bombs on two old smoke bombs that were hanging around. Don’t know what we hit and don’t really care. Turned off the target and saw a 17 in front go down in flames and then blow up about 1000 feet below us. Eight chutes were seen tho so they didn’t get it too bad. Everyone is wearing his .45 on all missions now. Heard about 25 bursts go off today and had quite a few holes.”
Harvey Wingard, Waist Gunner on the Harbison Crew, remembered that a B-17 from the 95th joined the 100th’s formation after being hit by flak in the left wing. “It flew with us about 5 minutes when its left wing tip tore off and a great sheet of flame shot out of the gas tanks. The tail broke off a few moments later. 5 chutes were seen to come out.”
The High squadron, which had gone on in to attack the Primary target alone on the first pass, did so at 1011 hours. After bombs away, its assembly was made with the 96th Bomb Group, following them all the way back to the Continental Coast.
The flak encountered that day over Frankfurt was described as “rough as hell ” by Tail Gunner Thomas Booze on the Morasco Crew. Radio Operator Dan Moore on Leroy Forrester’s ship recorded into this diary, “Plenty of flak. Over the target it was so thick you could darn near get out and walk on it.” And Bernard Painter’s Tail Gunner, Donald Becker, flying his #8 mission was the most desciptive, “…It was a pretty smooth run til we hit the I.P. and were greeted by the most terrific and accurate flak I’ve ever seen — the shells exploded around us, bare feet away, in batteries instead of singles as usual. It by far passed Berlin! The plane rocked & bounced & rolled for a solid 16 minutes, while the sweat poured off us in buckets despite the 37 degree below cold - We got about 5 holes of considerable ice in one burst & finally we were away. We were alerted & watchful for fighters all the way home but none showed — hit the ground almost out of gas at 1:35 PM. Interrogated, ate chow. The next time I see Frankfort I want to be tourist — cause this one tops ‘em all!!!! ”
The 3rd Division lost three ships and crews, one each from the 95th, 96th and 490th Bomb Groups that day. All crews and ships from the 100th returned safely to base with no encounters from fighters but plenty of intense flak. The 418th’s Squadron diary tells us that it put up twelve aircraft in the Low squadron plus a PFF as a Lead ship and their pilots Bayley, Bovenzi, Calder, Griffith, Jacobs, Leader and Pratt all brought their ships home with battle damage. Mikesh returned with all of his bombs still loaded due to an aircraft flying below him on the bomb run. In all, twenty-two of the 100th's ships returned with flak battle damage.
Bombing Results
Bombing Results: POOR
Aircraft Lost: 0
Crew Lost: 0
Claims of Enemy Losses (CLS): 0
Aircraft Returned:
Photos
Frankfurt Mission Summary
9 March 1945 Mission Summary
