FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

Intelligence Annex to Field Order

Target is possibly camouflaged. with paint and netting.

VIII Bomber Command (ren.)

High Wycombe, England

Basic B-26 P- and Bl- Tables, section 32 and 37 have been uploaded.
You can find them in FILES - B-26 NEW.

These new P- and Bl- Tables are much simplified versions of the
earlier ones, which I hope are easier to use. They are similar to the
original B-17 tables.

I have removed Parachutes, Fire Extinguishers, Heat and Oxygen and
much more.

More "Basic" tables will be uploaded later, and the P- and Bl- Tables
may be revised and corrected...


B-26 HQ.

Magnus here, author of B-26 The Wingless Wonder. My plan with this
Forum is to discuss the B-26 Play Test Variant in general, the
progress and rule changes and changes in the tables, and After Action
Reports.

I have not had time to work much on B-26 for quite some time now, so
not much have happened and no improvements nor any changes have been made.

I am currently working on a "Basic B-26 Version" with all the basic
stuff that you need to play, without all the Optional Guidelines that
I included. B-26 is very complex at the moment, so please have a look
at message #364 Playing B-26 the Easy Way for now. I have included O-
tables that can be used with the original B-17: QOTS Rules, without
most of all optional guidelines. You can find these in the O- Tables
Section.

During my play test sessions I have found several things that need to
be changed. One of these is B-26 Table O-6, Bomb Run, which I am
working on. Another major addition that I am working on is a new
GAZETTEER. The one included now is not good and it is difficult to
find the B-1 and B-2 modifiers. In this new Gazetteer you can easily
read the correct modifier and in which zone the target is located, and
a target map will not be needed, although I will still included the
current one. I am working on a similar map and Gazetter for the Med,
Alutians and New Guinea. I hope to finish these later soon, but I am
not sure if I can follow that schedule. I wanted to have them finished
by now, but I went to Japan for a few months and did not have time to
work on B-26 at all.

I have posted several messages regarding alterations in the tables and
additions to the sections and a few historical notes and Play Test
After Action Reports (Messages #209-214).

In the FILES Section you can find the B-26 Play Test Variant (the
latest is the January 06 draft) and new tables and updated sections,
and much more. There are a few new documents that you can find in the
NEW Folder in the Files Section of this forum. THESE ARE NOT INCLUDED
IN THE SETS, so if you would like to have these, please download them
and replace the Sections in the Sets with these.

Please post or send me any comments and critique that you may have.
Let me know how you feel about the B-26 (and A-20/26, B-25) variant
and if you have any comments on how to improve it and simplify it.
(It's very detailed and complex.) I am going to try to simplify it.

I really need to know what you think about B-26 and what your
experiences "in the air" are and what you think can be improved and
simplified.

There are several links in the LINKS Section that might be of
interest. Check out the 320th Bomb Group's Website for example and
B26.COM.

A summary of my first and second 65 Play Tests is available in the
DATABASE Section. (A tour for a Marauder crew man was 65 missions.)
There are also two databases in which you can add your own data and
comments, one for the B-26 and the other is for A-20 and A-26 missions.

Have a look at this B-26 squadron:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/1stPathfinderSquadron/ It is a
B-26 PBEM squadron. Please report in with the Operations Officer,
Captain Lucas Edelstein, if you would like to fly B-26 missions with
the 1st Pathfinder Squadron and leave the name of your plane, the
Pilot, Co-Pilot, Bombardier, Navigator, Radio Operator, Engineer and
the Armorer.
http://www.geocities.com/myk646/Headquarters/Ops/1PFSNewCrew.html

The latest news are the A-20, A-26 and the B-25 variants, which need
to be play tested as well, so, please, when you have time send me any
questions, comments and critique that you may have.

And, have a look at Felipe Santamaria's German Night Fighter Counters
and Jeffrey Larsen's B-3/B-7 Tables for B-17 Queen of the Skies. You
can find it all in the FILES Section.

Please take care of yourselves and have fun, and watch out for that flak!

Signed,

Magnus.



AND... If you play PATTON'S BEST, you might want to play test my M24
Chaffee Variant, which I am working on. I wanted to finish it last
fall, but I went to Japan and did not have time to finish this either.
I am also working on a M3 Lee Variant and maybe also M3/M5
Stuart/Honey... And I am also thinking of the Pershing... And maybe a
German tank...

Here is the info I forgot to send, sorry all.






"Victory Days"
October 3-5th, 2008
Columbus Airport, Columbus, IN
Reenactor Cost: Free
Event Website
Come be an integral part of Victory Days, a 1940's
immersion event at an original WW2 air field which
includes Allied and Axis reenactor camps, military
vehicles, civilian vehicles, homefront displays, USO
style hangar dances on Friday and Saturday, Live radio
shows, "Radio theater" style shows and skits, WW2 era
movie on Friday night, WW2 style mess hall, motor
pool, medical displays etc. Go to our website for
detailed information and updates on registration for
the event and other contact information


      
________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Looking for last minute shopping deals?
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. 
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

All,
      Here is info on the army air force event in
Columbus Indiana in October.  Anyone interested in
going as ground crew drop me a line.

Scott


      
________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now. 
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

Here is a Yahoo Group that is a great source for the B-26 and the
Marauder Men:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MartinB-26MarauderGroup/?yguid=170422356

In one of the latest post on the message board two books are referred
to. Check them out:

    1. Marauder Men by John O. Moench ISBN 1877597066
    2. Battle over Bavaria by Robert Forsyth ISBN 0952686740

1945 Letters from home:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MartinB-26MarauderGroup/message/1773

Photos by a B-26 Marauder Bombardier assigned to the 456th Bomb
Squadron of the 323rd Bomb Group, stationed at Earles Colne Airfield
in England:
http://www.cripeorchards.com/Photos.html


Signed,

B-26 HQ

http://www.kathyamen.net/journal/mims.htm

Here is a link to a site where you can find several good photos of
B-26s, A-20s, A-26s and some other aircraft:
http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/photo_galleries/merhar/TOC/Aircraft_Photos.htm


Don't forget these four excellent links:

320th Bomb Group
http://320thbg.org/

386th Bomb Group
http://www.b26.com/historian/chester_klier.htm

387th Bomb Group
http://www.387bg.com/

A Marauder Man in the 323rd Bomb Group
http://www.kathyamen.net/journal/index.htm

More links in the LINKS section
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/thewinglesswonder/links


B-26 HQ

A mission map with luftwaffe untis in Europe July to September has
been uploaded. It is a base for the modifiers on the Gazetteer that I
am working on. Some other details will change. Table B-1 and 2 is one
table that will most likely be revised when the gazetteer is finished.

You can find single engined Jagdgeschwaders on it. These were units
active in this part of the world during this time period. JGs often
moved around and stayed just a few days or weeks at an airfield before
they moved again. Thus it is not always possible to mark the exact
locations for a certain time period. II/JG 26 was in Holland for a few
weeks in July and August, and III/JG 54 was at Schipol for a brief
period in July and August before moving to Schwerin in Germany.

JG 105, 106 and 107 were training units but there are some records of
allied planes shot down by them. The emblem for JG 107 was found here:
http://www.jg107.de/

The emblem for 106th is not the correct. It is just there to mark a
unit and all units for which I have not been able to find an emblem
will have a general image.

There will be a similar map with all the other mission maps.

You can find this map with the new mission maps.


Signed,

B-26 HQ

A correction in the Mission Map has been made.

The location of Gladbach has moved to Zone 6. It is actually
Mönchengladbach between Rheydt and Viersen in Germany, near the Dutch
border, South of Venlo. For a map:
http://games.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/thewinglesswonder/photos/view/dd3d?b=16

When you roll "Gladbach" as a target, fly to Rheydt.


B-26 HQ

A new map from the stations around London has been uploaded. It is cut
and cover only 7 zones, the maximum range of the missions when you fly
from these stations.


Re: New files?

You can find the new Mission Maps in the folder named B-26 Mission Maps.

The Gazetteer is not finished yet, so you'll have to improvise. The
first method I put in B-26 was what I though a good system of
determining the zone modifiers, but it was actually very poor and
confusing, so I am working on a new Gazetteer like the one you can
find in B-17.

B-26 HQ.



--- In thewinglesswonder@yahoogroups.com, "stedward_pjohnson"
<stedward_pjohnson@...> wrote:
>
> It says there are 12 new files, yet I see nothing but old dates on all
> the files. How can you find what's new?
>

319TH BOMB GROUP (MEDIUM)
TELERGMA AIR BASE

Intelligence Narrative No 8 Day Operation 15 December, 1942
Seven B-26s of the 319th Bomb Group (Medium) and six B-25s of the
310th Bomb Group (Medium) took off today from this base to bomb the El
Aquina Airport at Iugis. Six P-38s of the First Fighter Group landed
at this base shortly before the take off of the bombers. These P-38s,
after refueling took off several minutes after the last of the bombers
to serve as escort. There was no assembly over this base, and the
P-38s failed to overtake the bombers before reaching the target. Near
the target the P-38s sent out a message to the bomber formation to
circle to enable the escort to overtake the bombers. This message was
received by the B-25s which circled and were Joined by the fighter
escort. The message was not received by the B-26s which proceeded to
and bombed the target without escort. Having thus lost contact with
the B-26s. the B-25s abandoned the mission and flew back to this base
with full bomb load. This was dons after radio communication with the
P-38s in which it was agreed that the P-38s should leave the B-25s and
endeavor to overtake the B-26s. The P-38s did not succeed in doing so
until after the B-26s had completed their bombing runs over the
target. Six of the B-26s returned safely to this base. The seventh
B-26 was hit by flak after completing its bombing run, and was seen to
crash in Tunis Harbor.

Route: Direct from this base and return,

Chronology: Bombers took off between 1215 and 1225 hours. Target
bombed by B-26s between 1330 and 1335 hours. B-25s returned to this
base at. 1430 hours,and B-26s at 1440 hours to 1445 hours.

Bombs: 48 x 300 pound bombs were carried by the B-25s, all of which
were brought back to this base. 60 x 300 pound bombs and 20 x 100
pound bombs were carried by the B-26s, all at which were dropped on
target area.

Results: B-26s bombed from 600 feet to 1000 feet altitude, all bombs
were dropped on the northern part of the airport, with the greatest
concentration in the north-east corner, except for two which made near
misses on a destroyer just east of Tunis Harbor. Six to ten enemy
aircraft (three identified as Dornier 217s painted black) were
destroyed, and an undetermined number of enemy aircraft were also
damaged. One hit was made on the hangar nearest the north side of the
field. Approximately six columns of black smoke, including two large
ones, were observed for thirty miles following the bombing. One B-26,
piloted by 1st. Lt. Ashley E. Woolridge, machine gunned and is
believed to has put out of commission, a radio station located
approximately three miles due east of El Aquina Airport (N 36 degrees
51. minutes, E 10 degrees 18 minutes). Lt. Woolridge's aircraft also
machine gunned and probably destroyed an enemy light flak position on
the coast approximately three miles south of Tunis Harbor (N 36
degrees 44 minutes, E 10 degrees 19 minutes.

Flak: Flak, evidenced both by tracers and bursts of black smoke about
five feet in diameter, was fairly intense. Over the airport this flak
was late in beginning to fire, and then inaccurate. The B-26s. made
their run from west to east, continued out over the water, circled to
the south, and returned just south of Tunis. Flak positions were
observed between the airport and the water, and on the beach just
south of Tunis Harbor. This flak was more accurate. Also flak was
moderately intense from warships just outside the harbor,
Narrative con't.

Enemy Aircraft; None seen in the sir,

Weather; En route, high overcast approximately 8000 feet, visibility
good. Over target, same.

Observations; (1) No definite estimation could be made of enemy
aircraft on the ground at El Aquina Airport; although, a substantial
number or aircraft were observed. These were generally dispersed
around the edge of as airport. with a concentration of single engine
aircraft dispersed off the south-west corner of the airport and a
second concentration of larger aircraft dispersed on and just beyond
the northeast corner of the airport. Members of the crews felt,
however, that there were not as many enemy aircraft as previous
information had indicated.

(2) Five enemy warships, believed to be two light cruisers and three
destroyers were anchored just east of the Tunis inner harbor,

Casualties: Crew of crashed B-26; Colonel [Charles T.] Phillips of
Twelfth Bomber Command; Major Ellis E. Arnold, Jr.; 2nd. Lieut. Robert
B. Jenkins; S/Sgt. Joseph Johnson, 12029471; S/Sgt. John E. Brdeja,
12030240; Sgt. Maurice L. Cohen, 31031281; all of the 437th Bomb
Squadron (M)

NOTE: Many years after WWII, a dredging operation in Tunis Lake
uncovered the seventh B-26. Remains of all crew members were found,
identified and returned to the United States for interment at
Arlington National Cemetery, April 24, 2003.


http://www.b-26mhs.org/

Schiphol

G.A.M. van den Nieuwendijk
I enjoy receiving and reading Marauder Thunder very much - it reflects
interesting aspects of the history of the B26 a bomber with a
tremendous and (almost) forgotten past; the B26 MHS does a great job
by preserving and projecting the history of the Marauder in all aspects.

As an amateur historian of the airwar over Holland during WWII I
became interested in the aspects and effort of the B26 raids on
Amsterdam/Schiphol airfield in autumn 1943. After years of researching
these attacks - the most feared by the Marauder-Men, as this airfield
was the most heavily defended German A/D in NW Europe - I had the
opportunity to write down the events. This resulted in "Doelwit
Schiphol; De Amerikaanse aanvallen op de vliegbasis Schiphol in het
najaar van 1943" ("Target Schiphol; The American raids on Schiphol
airfield in autumn 1943"). This interesting and handsome book (200
pages and over 100 never published photos) is the very first
publication which zooms in all aspects of the Marauder attacks on this
airfield on 29 July 1943, 3 October 1943, 3 November 1943 and 13
December 1943.

Therefore I was surprised reading Kenneth J. Brown's story "Just one
Mission" in Marauder Thunder (Vol.2 , no. 4 of October 1994). Just as
an coincidence today it is 51 years ago that 200 Marauders attacked
this very important German airfield and put it out of action for the
rest of the war.

The very first attempt destroying Schiphol by the Marauders was on 29
July 1943. Nr. 323 Bomb Group detailed 18 Marauders, but due to
improper landfall "Ymuiden" this mission was canceled. The next
mission was on 3 October 1943. Nrs. 322 and 323 Bomb Group detailed 36
planes each and bombed target with fair results. Various Me-lO9's of
II./Jagdgeschwader 3 (stationed at Schiphol) made attacks on the
B26's. Escorting Spitfires did a good job: various Me-lO9's were
claimed as destroyed. All allied aircraft returned home safely.

On 3 November 1943 nrs. 322, 3Z3, 386 and 387 Bomb Group detailed 18
aircraft each. After a frightful bomb-run, during which Bugs Bunny,
piloted by Capt. Anthony Geiser (323 Bomb Group and 456 Bomb Squadron)
was directly hit by flak, Schiphol was bombed by 65 Marauders. Due to
the heavy flak, the results were poor; only 7 bombs in target area. on
the route out the Me-lO9's of II./Jagdgeschwader 3 attacked the
Marauders again. In dogfights with Spitfires "mainly of the Canadian
Digby Wing) a total of 13 were destroyed, 2 probably destroyed and 2
damaged. Of these the Marauders claimed: 3 destroyed, 1 probably
destroyed and 1 damaged. Actual German losses: 7 Me-lO9's lost over
Northsea and Zandvoort area. The Luftwaffe lost Major Kurt Brandle,
leader of II./Jagdgeschwader 3, a German ace with 18O victories and
over 65O combat missions - a heavy blow for the Luftwaffe. This attack
was discussed on high level in order to prevent further heavy losses
and defend the Reich.

After poor results on 3 November 1943 the next attack was set on 13
December 1943. Nrs. 322, 323, 386 and 387 Bomb Group detailed 54
planes each - a total of 216 (maximum effort); the largest number
detailed by B26'S to one single target till that date. Each B26
carried 4 x 1000 lb GP's. The attack was planned in three waves. Nr.
98 Combat Wing (nrs. 322 and 386 Bomb Group) attacked with 72 planes
first at 14.36 hour" - aiming on the intersection of the two runways.
The flak was intense, accurate and hot. Nr. 99 Combat Wing (nrs. 323
and 387 Bomb Group) carried out the second attack with 72 aircraft at
14.53 hours. The "Raunchy Pascal" of 323 Bomb Group and 455 Bomb
Squadron, piloted by l/Lt. Piper, was hit by flak and last seen over
the Northsea, losing height rapidly. The entire crew is still missing.
For the third and last attack all four Bomb Groups participated with
18 planes each from 15.O4 hours the Marauder Men bombed target. 386
Bomb Group, led by Maj. Sherman Beaty o£ 5S5 Bomb Squadron, was the
last unit over Schiphol. Flak was extremely heavy deputy Capt. Raymond
Sanford in "Hell's Fury" was directly hit and crashed in
Amstelveen/Aalsmeer. The entire crew, except Sanford, lost it's life.
Sanford was wounded and taken POW and survived the war.

Some German fighters had tried to attack the bombers, but their
reaction was weak. In combats with Polish 3O6 and 315 Squadrons one
Spitfire was shot down for two claimed destroyed German fighters. The
results of this raid were devastating. In 30 minutes about 780 1000 lb
GP's had been dropped on Schiphol's runways: the heart of the
airfield. It was put out o" action for the rest of the war. The flak
damage had been high: nr. 322 Bomb Group had 5O planes of target, of
which 34 and damage category A and one crash landed B26. Mr. 323 Bomb
Group had 52 aircraft over target of which 35 had damage category A,
10 had AC, 1 failed to return, 5 returned on one engine and 3 crash
landed. Nr. 386 Bomb Group had 52 aircraft over target of which 35 had
damage category A, 1 had AC, 1 failed to return and 1 crash landed.
And nr. 387 Bomb group had 46 aircraft over target of which 15 had
damaged A and 4 AC.

It had been a morale boosting mission: the Marauder could take it! The
very next Marauder mission was on 20 December 1943 - the
100th mission. Since 16 July 1943 about 6,700 sorties had been flown,
during which 21 aircraft did not return: 0.3% losses - the lowest
losses in all operation areas.

This story had a tail - Schiphol (recently voted as the best civil
airfield of the world again) is developing to the mainport of Europe;
the Dutch economic spearhead. It is feared that there are still
unexploded bombs in the Dutch ground near Schiphol. Developments are
planned and carried out carefully. Intensive research has been
undertaken in order to locate the "forgotten" bombs. Since 1989 over
10 bombs have been uncovered and detonated. Just recently, on 3
November 1994 (another coincidence), the NV Luchthaven Schiphol, the
gemeente Haarlemmermeer (municipal) and the Explosieven
Opruimingsdienst (bomb squad) signed agreements on removing future
explosives located at Schiphol.

I trust that this information is of interest to all Marauder Thunder
readers, especially those Marauder Men who participated in the
Amsterdam/Schiphol missions in autumn 1943. For further information do
not hesitate to contact me.

Hoping to hear from you, or any other Marauder Men, I wish you a merry
Xmas and the very best for 1995!
Rob van den Nieuwendijk.

*************
I think I found this story here:

http://www.b-26mhs.org/

It says there are 12 new files, yet I see nothing but old dates on all
the files.  How can you find what's new?

Attention all Play Testers:

New Mission Maps have been uploaded. They are all centered over the
correct station. All stations in B-26 are there now, but you will have
to wait for the GAZETTEER.

You can find the maps in the Files Section in the B-26 Mission Map
Folder. The original B-26 map can be found here as well.


B-26 HQ.

"Time Over Targets: The Story of the 9th Bombardment Division" is a
small booklet covering the history of the 9th Bombardment Division.
This booklet is one of the series of G.I. Stories  published by the
Stars & Stripes in Paris in 1944-1945."

http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/9thbombardment/index.html

"This is one of a series G.I. Stories of the Ground, Air and Service
Forces in the European Theater of Operations, issued by the Stars and
Stripes, a publication of the information and Education Division,
ETOUSA... Major General Samuel E. Anderson commanding the 9th
Bombardment Division (M), lent his cooperation to the preparation of
the pamphlet, and basic material was supplied to the editors by his
staff."

Here is a story you can find on a very good site:

http://www.b-26marauderarchive.org/CL/CL1044/CL1044.htm


B-26HQ

Marauder Bridge Busting
by Victor C. Tannehill

There were many factors to be considered and many alternatives to be
decided upon in planning and carrying out a B-26 mission against a
rail or road bridge.

First came the question of which bridge to hit to most effectively cut
the Germans off from their Supplies. The answer came from analysis of
intelligence information and aerial intelligence.

Once a particular bridge was singled out for attack because of the
bottleneck blasting it would create, operational policy was to keep on
hitting it with as many consecutive missions as necessary to knock it
out before going on to the next one. That way the Germans didn't have
time to concentrate their flak.

Of course one bridge being cut did not deter the enemy for long. The
Germans simply took their trains to the edge of a bombed viaduct,
unloaded their supplies into trucks and hauled them around to the
other side to be loaded on another train going south. So, in order to
maintain a complete break in a rail line many cuts within a short
distance had to be made to prevent this train-truck shuttle.

The enemy countered by dispersing bridge repair battalions and spare
steel spans along the rail lines so that within a few hours after the
bombardment replacement could be underway. Our answer was to step up
the frequency of B-26 attacks.

The best approach to the target had to be decided on, and this was
difficult at times. Some bridges were so small or so well hidden in
mountain folds that picking them up at all became a real problem. The
approach also had to take known flak positions into account.

Axis of attack was another consideration. Most bridges were attacked
at a ninety degree angle, from altitudes of 9,000 to 12,000 feet. This
allowed the bombardier to make deflection errors half the length of
the bridge and it gave him an excellent horizontal line to put the
cross hair of his bomb sight on. In most cases the drop pattern was
set to have bombs first strike just short of the bridge and then
extend across it. Larger bridges were usually hit at about forty-five
degrees, depending on the range or string spread of the bombs.

The weather report had to be carefully and accurately analyzed. Wind
had to be considered. An upwind approach, for instance, improves
accuracy by decreasing the formation's ground speed so that a standard
length bomb run can start at a point closer to the target.

Formation was another factor. Marauder bridge-busting was best done by
flights rather than by "boxes."

A critical decision had to be made on the intervalometer (bomb fall)
setting. To hit a thirty-foot wide bridge, bombs of the lead ship of
each flight which carried the Norden bombsight might be set to fall
at, say, sixty-foot intervals. Wing ship bomb intervals might be set
at thirty feet. The lead ship's string would be set to start short of
the target to compensate for the dropping lag between lead and wing
ships. The sixty-foot interval would bring the last few bombs of the
lead ship across the bridge. Wing ship strings would then be directly
across the bridge, their thirty-foot setting preventing any "jumps".

Size and types of bomb to be used and fuse settings also had to be
deter-mined.  Bombs on bridge busting missions were generally one or
two thousand pound demolition types fitted with either delay or
instantaneous fuses, sometimes with an armor-piercing case.

It was important to use the smallest bomb possible so more bombs per
airplane could be carried. A 1,000-pounder would cut a bridge not more
than twenty-five feet wide - if the bomb was properly fused. If a
bridge was more than twenty-five feet wide, a 2,000-pound bomb had to
be used, but this cut the probability of one airplane obtaining a hit
at least in half.

Delay fuses (usually .01 seconds) permitted the bombs to penetrate
deep into the bridge before exploding. Instantaneous fuses, of course,
blew up the bombs on contact and were generally used on steel
suspension bridges to prevent the bomb from crashing through the
structural girders and exploding in the open air beneath.
On a particularly tough and rugged bridge, such as one with a heavy
reinforced concrete floor or one of granite, bombs with an
armor-piercing shell were used. This gave the bomb a chance to
penetrate without rupturing and then explode. The delay was usually
.025 seconds, enough to permit penetration into the concrete so that
the explosion would push outward, crumbing the bridge.

Sometimes selected B-26s scattered through the formation would drop a
few long-delay bombs in an effort to hinder later bridge repairs.
These bombs would burrow into the earth a number of feet and then
curve out laterally. They couldn't be excavated before they might go
off and the enemy couldn't tell exactly where they were unless he did
plenty of digging. They might explode as long as twenty-four hours
after dropping and this posed both a psychological and a real hazard
to repair workers.

http://320thbg.org/320th_books.html

On 16 December 1944 the Germans launched their great counter
offensive, known as the Battle of the Bulge, against the Allied armies
in the west, and made considerable progress during the next week under
cover of weather unfavorable for flying. It was not until the weather
finally improved enough during the night of 22 December 1944 that the
full strength of the Allied power could be used to block General Von
Rundstedt's offensive. As a means of doing this, it was imperative
that the main enemy lines of communication and supply to the Bulge be
severed. A target of high priority in this category was the Railroad
Bridge at Mayen, Germany, which was one of the key bridges on the main
railway from the German heartland to the Belgium Bulge. The 344-foot
span of this bridge carried the enemy lifeline across the deep ravine
of the Nette River, and its destruction would sever the railway for
supplying the German offensive for a considerable period of time.

On the night of 22 December 1944 the 387th Bomb Group received its
orders to attack this bridge the following morning. This was good news
because for the past week at night our airbase near St. Quentin.
France had been subjected to several German air raids, a strafing
attack and some reports of enemy paratroopers dropping in our area.

The weather was so uncertain that Pathfinder (PFF), radar equipped,
B-26's were scheduled to lead the first and second boxes in case it
would become necessary to bomb on instruments because of cloud cover
over the target. My good friend Dick Gunn of the 558th Bomb Squadron
was leading the second box and I was leading the high flight of six
bombers in the second box. After the PFF aircraft assumed the lead, we
became separated from the first box because of the lousy weather and
were unable to meet our fighters at the rendezvous point but decided
to proceed without them.

Near Bastone we started receiving moderate flak which required our
standard evasive action turns. Shortly afterward, radio transmissions
warned us of enemy aircraft in the area and almost immediately we were
attacked by 15-25 enemy fighters consisting mostly of ME 109's. I kept
my six-ship flight in close proximity to the box leader to provide for
a concentration of firepower from our two flights.

While looking down at the low flight in our box. I observed many enemy
fighters pressing the attack with guns firing and pieces falling from
the B-26's as they burned and spun out of control. As I recall the
action now, it seemed like the whole thing was in slow motion with
fighters moving in and B-26's falling out of the sky. It was all very
depressing because I could see the guns firing from the fighters but I
was unable to see any guns from the B-26's firing back. I reported
this fact in the debriefing but later realized that from my angle of
observation I would not be able to see the B-26 guns firing back. It
did not take long before all ships in the low flight were gone. I
thought all of them had been shot down but I believe one or two did
survive although badly damaged. During all this activity one of the
German fighters suddenly appeared from nowhere off my left wing and we
looked directly into the faces of one another. After an instant of
time, he pulled up and out of the formation. During debriefing, I was
informed that this same sort of thing has occurred in prior mission
reports and it was assumed that some hotshot German fighter pilot was
just showing off.

In the meantime, the enemy fighters turned on the box leader and my
flight but broke off for some unexplained reason before shooting any
of us down. My tail gunner, Joe Paduano, received credit for shooting
down one ME-109. During all this action, one of the ME-109's appeared
suddenly in a head-on attack for my flight. I tried to fire my four 50
caliber package guns mounted on the fuselage but, in all the confusion
, they had not been charged so I missed my chance to shoot at that
German! It was a lost opportunity that never occurred again! The
fighters broke off as we neared the target area but then we started
picking up intense and accurate flak. Also, the PFF ship broke off
from our formation for some unexplained reason, and was later observed
below and behind the formation being attacked and destroyed by enemy
fighters. All of us had received some damage from flak and fighters
that day. One ship in my flight had to return on single engine and
another one was so extensively damaged that it was salvaged upon
return to base.

As luck would have it, clouds covered the target area on my first
bombing run but there were breaks in the clouds and my bombardier,
Warren Butterfield, felt he would have a good chance to bomb the
bridge if we made another run. So back we went through the flak again
and Butterfield did his thing again. He put the bombs right on the
target and knocked the bridge out----Mission accomplished!!! The bomb
pattern was within 120 feet of the aiming point with direct hits on
the bridge. Out of 36 aircraft from our 387th Bomb Group, we were the
only flight to hit the target. It was reported by a reconnaissance
plane the next day that one span of the bridge had been destroyed and
another partially destroyed. Railway tracks leading up to eastern
approach to the bridge had been cut by direct hit. Through rail
traffic from Andernach to Pelm was impossible. Both Dick Gunn and I
were awarded the Silver Star Medal for this mission. In addition , the
387th Bomb Group was awarded the "Distinguished Unit Citation" for
this mission at a presentation made in Paris at the end of the war.

As you can easily tell from the above events, that was a memorable day
for me and I will never forget it. In addition, there was another
reason that the date of 23 December 1944 stands out in my mind, it was
also my 22nd birthday!

One more memorable event occurred in September 1990 when my wife and I
were on a trip in Europe and were able to get to Mayen, Germany and
see that bridge. It is a very picturesque bridge with tall supporting
arches made of stone block that looked like the Romans had built it. I
climbed up the embankment and walked across the bridge with many mixed
emotions. It was only about 350 feet long and supported a single-track
railroad. We lost six aircrews, suffered other personal injuries, and
sustained physical damage to every one of our aircraft to stop the
flow of war supplies to the German offensive-----I hope it was
effective and worth all the sacrifices.

It sure makes me feel out of date to think that one pilot, one plane,
and one bomb can do today what it took 36 planes and crews to do in 1944."

Col. Clyde Harkins, 387th Bomb Group, 558th Bomb Squadron

From B26.COM

World War Two had many tragedies, but few illustrate this better than
the incident below. The incident involved a Marauder of the 558th Bomb
Squadron which proved to be the 387th Bomb Groups first loss in
combat. The B26 was 41-31653 KX-M "King Bee"



Pilot: 1st Lt. Ernest L. Anderson; Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Donald Stevenson;
Nav. & Bomb: 2nd Lt. Earl T. Miller; Engineer Gunner: S/Sgt. Robert L.
Abell; Radio Op Gunner: S/Sgt. William B. Powers, Jr.; Gunner: Sgt.
Harry C. Seth

The 387th Bomb Group was stationed at Willinghale, Essex County,
England when it commenced bombing operations against enemy facilities
in Europe. The initial targets of the Marauders were Luftwaffe
airfields in an attempt by 8th.AAF to reduce the effective numbers of
fighters available to react to bomber missions. The Group flew its
first combat mission on August 15,1943 to St Omer/Fort Rouge airfield
in France dropping 231 x 300lb general-purpose bombs. For its pains
the group had 18 of its 36 B26's damaged by enemy flak. It was
apparent from this first mission how deadly German flak was to be in
the coming months.

The next day the Group put 31 B26's over Bernay St Martin airfield,
France on this occasion suffering only two planes damaged. On the 17th
36 ships were dispatched to bomb Poix/Nord airfield but the mission
was aborted due to adverse weather conditions. Two days later the
Group again flew to Poix/Nord airfield this time hitting the target
with 350 x 300lb general-purpose bombs. This mission only incurred one
damaged B26.

The Group then rested until August 25 when a mission was flown to
Rouen, France. With two planes damaged over the target. August 31st
was to be a day of shock and sorrow for the Group on the mission to
Lille/Vendeville airfield. Flak over the target knocked down the
Groups first B26.A direct hit cut "King Bee" into two pieces and the
unique photographs show the two halves falling over the target.
Suddenly the war had become very personal.

The source and photos at:
http://www.b26.com/historian/trevor_allen/king_bee.htm

Neither flak nor flames deterred Darrell Lindsey from completing the
mission and saving the lives of his crew.
In early 1944, the 394th Bombardment Group flew its B-26 Martin
Marauders from Kellogg Field, Mich., to England. The 394th entered
combat in March, joining other medium bomb groups and fighter-bombers
in attacking German defenses and transportation in preparation for the
invasion that everyone--Germans and Allies alike--knew was coming.
After D-Day, the 394th continued to bomb targets in northern France,
supporting the Allied advance from the Normandy beachheads.

On Aug. 7, the Germans launched a counteroffensive aimed at securing
Avranches, on the west coast of France. There they hoped to anchor a
line that would confine the Allies to areas already held in Normandy
and the Cotentin Peninsula. A key element for the German armies was
transportation to move desperately needed supplies and reinforcements
to the front. Most of the bridges over the Seine had been knocked out.
One link that remained was the railroad bridge over the Oise River at
L'Isle Adam, a few miles north of Paris. It was heavily defended by
many batteries of 88-mm guns--a major threat to the B-26s that
normally bombed from an altitude of 10,000 to 12,000 feet.

Ninth Air Force sent the 394th against the bridge on Aug. 9. Leading
30 B-26s was 25-year-old Capt. Darrell Lindsey, one of the group's
veteran pilots. He had gone through both pilot and bombardier training
and had flown Marauders at MacDill Field, Fla., before joining the
394th as a flight commander in September 1943. This was Lindsey's 46th
mission, bringing him to 143 combat hours. He was known for his skill
as a pilot and for coolness under fire. Both would be tested that day.

On reaching enemy territory, the formation encountered heavy flak,
which continued with few interruptions as they approached the target
area. Lindsey maneuvered the bombers past successive barrages with
only minor damage. Before starting the bomb run, Lindsey's lead plane
was hit, but was able to hold course. Worse was yet to come. On the
bomb run, his right engine took a direct hit and burst into flame. The
concussion hurled the B-26 out of formation, but Lindsey regained
control and resumed the lead, his right wing sheathed in flame. The
wing tank could explode at any moment, but rather than giving the
signal to bail out and disrupt the formation at this critical point,
Lindsey elected to continue the attack. This was a target that could
help turn the tide of battle in Normandy.

Immediately after "bombs away," Lindsey ordered the crew to jump while
he held the flaming Marauder in a steady descent. The last crewman to
leave the plane was the bombardier. As he crawled out of the nose, he
shouted that he would lower the landing gear so Lindsey could bail out
from the nose of the aircraft.

Using all his piloting skill, Lindsey was barely able to keep control
of the doomed bomber, its right wing now totally engulfed in flame. He
knew that lowering the gear might throw the plane into an
uncontrollable spin, probably making it impossibie for the bombardier
to bail out. He told the man to leave through a waist window while the
aircraft was still under control. By all logic, the tank should have
blown by this time. It might hold long enough for the bombardier to
jump. lt did, but before Captain Lindsey could leave the cockpit, the
wing tank exploded. The B-26 went into a steep dive and hit the ground
in a bail of fire.

For destroying four railroad bridges and an ammunition dump between
Aug. 7 and 9, the 394th Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation.
For his heroism and self-sacrifice on Aug. 9, Capt. Darrell Lindsey
was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. He was the only Marauder
crew member to be so honored in World War II.

Uncharacteristic of the formal, stilted citations for combat awards,
the citation for Lindsey's Medal of Honor ends with these words: "All
who are living today from this plane owe their lives to the fact that
Captain Lindsey remained cool and showed supreme courage in this
emergency." For him, completing the mission came first, the safety of
his crew second, his own survival last. He was a leader in the finest
tradition of the American military services.

http://www.afa.org/magazine/valor/0190valor.asp

During the winter of 1944-45 the Germans attacked through the Ardennes
towards the Meuse in the Dinant Namur area in what became known as the
Battle of the Bulge. It started on December 16th with the weather
socked in with heavy ground fog and fast moving low scud under ten
tenths cover. The 344th had stood down waiting for the skies to clear
until German forces could be attacked. During this period, our weather
officer, Paul Forant (Boston) gave us very little hope for the
immediate future, but he did say that the skies would be clear for a
mission on January 1st, 1945. On that morning we were taxiing out for
takeoff when suddenly there was a huge explosion and fireball coming
from the runway. Bob Chalot's plane had lost an engine on takeoff. The
plane rotated violently toward the dead engine, hooked a wingtip and
crashed back into the runway. Fuel tanks ruptured and caught fire. A
huge fireball was over the crash site and the the crew was trapped
inside the burning plane. Our fire/rescue crew rushed in to to save
the men in the burning plane. As they were working, the entire 4,000
pound bomb load exploded killing both the aircrew and the rescue crew
instantly. 10 men burned to death while their friends watched on
helplessly. I feel the need to name the men, lest we forget.

Pilot: Bob Chalot
Co-pilot: Elliot Falk
Bombardier: (name lost)
Gunners: Dunaway,Morse and Fowler

Rescue Crew (2058 engineers aviation)
Alton Parker
Elmer Juilly
Bill Reiker
Len Luezkowski

Lest we forget.

http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer/

"The Guns of Toulon"
- what memories that phrase must evoke in the minds of some former
17th Bomb Group members.

The Guns of Toulon were a complex of three 340mm gun batteries mounted
in turrets on a pennisular in front of the harbor at Toulon. In
addition, numerous medium-sized guns were strung out along the coast.
Surrounding this complex were seventy-five German 200mm and 105mm Flak
guns-all capable of engaging attacking aircraft.

Operation Dragoon-the invasion of Southern France- began on 2
August,1944. Phase III of the operation called for the 42nd Wing's
three groups to disable these guns. Despite the admonition by the 42nd
Wing, that obtaining direct hits on such small targets in the face of
intense anti-aircraft fire would be very difficult, the attack was
orderd to go forth.

On 13 August, aircraft of the 17th Bomb Group twice dropped 2000#
bombs on the complex, encountering intense, accurate AA fire which
damaged a number of the attacking B-26's. On 16 August suring a
subsequent attack, RED 34, a 37th BS B-26 suffered so much damage that
it belly landed upon return to base.On 18 August another B-26 went
down. On 20 August the 37th, 95th and 432nd each lost a B-26.

About the loss of 18 August, 1st Lt Joseph Jennings relates that the
first hit was in the left engine, while the next hit was in the bomb
bay. Lt. Jennings upon discovering fire in the navigation compartment
and extinguished it with a fire extinguisher. When a third strike
knocked out the hydraulic system and the emergency system, the
co-pilot gave the order to 'abandon ship'. First Lieutenant C.J Olsen
remained at the controls while Lt Jennings assisted the other crew
menbers in bailing out. Jennings, who received severe burns, was the
last to bail out and was rescued by Air-Sea rescue that evening. Lt
Olsen went down with the plane.

Of the 28 raids that the 42nd Wing conducted against this complex only
five succeded in in making a dent in the batteries. The "Battle of
Toulon Harbor" cost the 42nd wing eight B-26's and resulted in battle
damage to 125 others. During these missions the 17th encountered the
heaviest, most accurate Flak it had ever seen.

On 23 August French forces captured Toulon and Marsailles putting an
end to this battle.

Toulon proved to be one of the toughest targets the 17th Bomb Group
would encounter.

http://www.geocities.com/bombgroup17/


For another story about the Guns of Toulon go to the 320th BG:
http://320thbg.org/greater_love_1.html

Hi,
  thanks for letting me join in .

i`m off to Spain soon for a few months and will be
taking my B-17 with me i can now mission with other
alternatives .

Kev


      
________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Park yourself in front of a world of choices in alternative vehicles. Visit the
Yahoo! Auto Green Center.
http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/

The Mile High Wing, (Colorado), CAF lost it's C-45(Beech 18) Thursday
July 19, 2007 due to a forced landing and post-crash fire. The crew got
out ok, but according to the CNN video, the forward half of the
aircraft burned. No other details were made available. Our thoughts and
prayers are with the crew and Colorado Wing.

Col. TJ Hvasta
AZ Wing, CAF

Attention all personnel:

I have found that the 387th Bomb Group Website has been updated. It is
very interesting and still under construction. You can find a complete
mission list.

Visit The Tiger-Striped Marauders at http://www.387bg.com/


B-26 HQ

A new yahoo group, "azwingcaf" has been created, devoted to the Arizona
Wing, CAF, its members and aircraft, a B-17G and B-25J.  The group is
not limited or restricted to either Arizonans, or even just CAF members
but open to anyone with a love of warbirds. A few pictures of
Sentimental Journey, both in it's present condition and when it was
first delivered to the AZ Wing in 1978 are in the Photo Gallery, along
with "Maid In The Shade", our B-25J. Photos of our C-45 (Beech 18) and
SNJ will be added shortly, along with the current Mig 15 restoration
project.

Stop in, join the group, look around, tell your friends..

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/azwingcaf/?yguid=223749278

Thanks,

TJ, azwingcaf moderator

Here is a very interesting link to a Marauder Man:

http://www.kathyamen.net/journal/


B-26 HQ

I just received this information from a veteran Yahoo Group and thought
CSW B-17 community might be interested in this too.

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/cf_schedule-wof.htm

The above link will take you to the schedule for the Freedom tour of B-
17s, B-24 & B-25s.  They also have Flight Experiences for a cost on
these aircraft.

Right now it looks as if the South East & West as well as the West
coast have a lot of tour dates now all we need it the Mid West and East
coast to round out the tour.  If you are in the areas it might be worth
a visit to see these great aircraft in real life.

Jin P