The target for this mission was a pinpoint target in the Alps Mountains. A railroad bridge and viaduct at Orelle, Italy. The Group maintained its poor record against bridges by missing the target because of the failure of the formation leaders to properly identify the target.
Major Dooley celebrated his promotion by leading the first successful Group mission ever flown by this Group against a railroad viaduct. The target was at Antheor, France. A high overcast made it necessary to drop the bomb run to 18,000 feet. Using 1,000 pounders the bombardiers turned in a score of 49 percent in placing several hits directly on the viaduct. All plan...
Major Phillips led the successful mission of 20 April against the Lusia Bridge in Northern Italy. This bridge, one of the few left standing, spanned the Adigo River and was being used by the retreating Germans.
One thousand pound RDX bombs were dropped to obtain excellent results. Flak at target, described as slight, inaccurate, and heavy, damaged o...
On the 19th of the month Major Mixson led a three flight formation on an attack on the railroad bridge across the Sava River at Brod, Yugoslavia. Despite the fact that some of the bombs were over, there was a solid concentration and direct hits on the target. The mission was scored at 43 percent, the highes...
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 430+ B-17s and B-24s, with fighter escort, attack communications targets in Hungary and N Italy to impede the withdrawal from the lower Balkans and to disrupt railroad communications in N Italy; targets hit are 2 railroad bridges at Budapest and 1 each at Szolnok and Szob, Hungary and a railroad bridge at Ferrara, Ital...
Back to Bucharest for the last mission of the month with the usual results over that target area. The target was the Prahova Oil Refinery which is located near the railroad tracks in the northwest section of the City. The cloud coverage was five tenths. As usual there was moderate, inaccurate flak. Only 8.8 percent of the bombs were scored within a 1000 feet of the ...
The Bridge was bombed by 18 B-26's, which dropped 139 x 500 lb demolition bombs and 5 x 500 lb demolition bombs with 6 hour delay fuses at 15:39 hours from 9600 to 8600 ft.
34 B-26's dropped 119 x 1.000 lb demolition bombs and 12 x 1.000 lb demolition bombs with 6 hour delay fuses on the alternate target at 12:21 hours.
The primary target, Avisio Railroad Viaduct, was obscured by a effective smoke screen.
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 463 B-17s and B-24s, some with fighter escort, hit marshalling yards at Subotica and Szeged, Hungary and railroad bridges at Novi Sad and Belgrade, Yugoslavia and Szob, and Budapest, Hungary; fighters maintain cover over the Budapest area.
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