9th AF Patch

416th Bombardment Group (L)

Mission # 225 -- March 8, 1945, Thursday PM

Wulfrath, Germany

Motor Transport Depot

 

WWII-Medal

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Summary of Operations

Field Order        : 195-781
OpRep #            : 339
Nature of Mission  : Bombing
Mission Status     : Attacked
Bombing Altitude   : 12,500 - 13,000 feet
Take-off Time      : 1443
Time Over Target   : 1639
Landing Time       : 1818
Duration (Hrs:Min) : 3:35
 

Place of Take-Off  : A-69 Laon/Athies, France
A/C Dispatched     : 43 Total -- 41 A-26's, 2 B-26's (PFF)
Modified British System Reference: F-530970
Secondary Target   : Selected in accordance with IX Bomb Div Cipher F-576-E (9-2-45)
Summary of Results : Unobserved due to cloud cover. Three A-26's dropped Window.

Primary Target Latitude/Longitude: 51.27010,7.06352 (51° 16' 12" N, 7° 3' 49" E)
(Latitude/Longitude based on The "Coordinates Translator", (NGZ) wF530970)
(See Latitude/Longitude Coordinates and Target Identifiers for more information. Note: This coordinate represents the Primary Target Location, the Location actually attacked may differ)


Scanned original Mission 225 documents (multipage PDF files)

Mission Folder       Reports Folder       OpRep # 339       Fuel Use

If nothing happens on Click, check to see if the PDF file was automatically saved to your computer. Depending on Internet speed, the display or download may be slow.
These Public Domain, Declassified Mission documents were graciously provided to the 416th BG Archive by the dedicated staff of the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA).
An on-line index of records held by AFHRA up to 2001 is available at Air Force History Index.org.
Most of these PDF files are unaltered originals provided by the AFHRA, a few have been re-organized.
Pages may be out of sequence; files may contain scanned blank pages and/or pages scanned upside-down; some pages may be included in more than one file.
The "Mission Folder" usually contains the majority of documents for a Mission, including Field Orders, Status Reports, Pilot Interrogations, Photos (if available), etc.




Loading List 1

Loading List 1, Box I
with Three Additional Window Mission Aircraft



Loading List 2

Loading List 2, Box II


Route Map

Route Map


Target Topo Map

Primary Target area around MBS Coordinate (NGZ) wF530970
Extracted from GSGS-4416/AMS-M641 Sheet Q1 - "Essen" 1:100:000 Military Topographic Map
(Downloaded from Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection - Army Map Service Topographic Map Series,
Central Europe, Series M641, 1:100,000, U.S. Army Map Service, 1943-,
Essen sheet)
(Note: This coordinate and map display represent the Primary Target Location, the Location actually attacked may differ)

(Annotated Full Map PDF)



Mission Loading Lists Transcription

Mission # 225 -- March 8, 1945, Thursday PM
Wulfrath, Germany -- Motor Transport Depot

Included are Box, Flight and Position; Bomb Squadron; Aircraft Serial Number, Fuselage Code and Model; and Crew Members
transcribed from individual mission Loading List documents by Chris and Mary Adams and Carl Sgamboti.
Some information, such as Squadron, Serial Number, etc. has been expanded from other documents.

Box I -- Flight I
  1  669th                   
  43-22521  2A-N  A-26C
  Capt Stebbins, B.D.
  Lt Calloway, A.S.
  Lt McQuade, R.J.
  S/Sgt Brown, W.J.
  2  671st                   
  43-22490  5C-X  A-26C
  Lt Lackovich, J.J.
  Lt Muir, R.C.
  S/Sgt Connery, T.F.
 
  3  669th                   
  41-39244  2A-I  A-26B
  Lt VanRope, R.W.
  Sgt Klingman, W.H.
 
 
  4  669th                   
  41-39362  2A-Y  A-26B
  Capt Behlmer, R.L.
  S/Sgt Donnelly, W.W.
 
 
  5  669th                   
  41-39314  2A-H  A-26B
  F/O Swap, F.W.
  Sgt Santandrea, M.
 
 
  6  669th                   
  41-39271  2A-R  A-26B
  Lt Depner, A.W.
  Sgt Fair, V.F.
 
 

Box I -- Flight II
  1  668th                   
  43-22505  5H-Y  A-26C
  Capt Andersen, C.J., Jr.
  Lt Babbage, W.
  S/Sgt Euga, P.G.
 
  2  668th                   
  43-22378  5H-O  A-26B
  Lt Annin, W.W.
  S/Sgt Schafer, E.L.
 
 
  3  668th                   
  41-39274  5H-S  A-26B
  Lt Harris, F.W.
  S/Sgt Robinson, J.W.
 
 
  4  668th                   
  41-39264  5H-I  A-26B
  Lt Parker, P.E.
  S/Sgt Heitell, S.L.
 
 
  5  668th                   
  41-39305  5H-U  A-26B
  Lt Laseter, W.H.
  Sgt Pettinicchi, A.
 
 
  6  668th                   
  43-22385  5H-D  A-26B
  F/O Gunkel, H.G.
  Pvt Hawk, D.W.
 
 

Box I -- Flight III
  1  668th                   
  43-22508  5H-Z  A-26C
  Capt Stanley, C.S.
  F/O Blount, J.H., Jr.
  Sgt Edenburn, J.C.
 
  2  668th                   
  41-39361  5H-M  A-26B
  Lt Parkhurst, G.J.
  Sgt Newman, F.
 
 
  3  668th                   
  43-22321  5H-T  A-26B
  Lt Russell, R.A.
  Sgt Spence, J.I.
 
 
  4  668th                   
  43-22389  5H-X  A-26B
  Lt Cannon, L.E.
  S/Sgt Brzezinski, E.P.
 
 
  5  668th                   
  41-39335  5H-W  A-26B
  Lt Drum, E.B.
  Sgt Schwartzkopf, J.R.
 
 
  6  668th                   
  41-39213  5H-A  A-26B
  Lt Evarts, A.V.
  Cpl Youlios, D., Jr.
 
 

Box I
  SPARE  669th               
  41-39263  2A-G  A-26B
  Lt Hayter, E.R.
  S/Sgt Basford, F.P.
 
 
                                                           

Box I -- Flight WINDOW
  1  669th                   
  43-22487  2A-J  A-26C
  Lt Hall, R.B.
  F/O Goss, T.L.
  S/Sgt Jackson, W.S.
  Sgt Richards, D.B.
  2  671st                   
  41-39209  5C-M  A-26B
  Lt Miller, J.H.
  Sgt Helton, C.
  Sgt Davis, L.E.
 
  3  669th                   
  43-22351  2A-F  A-26B
  Lt Edstrom, L.W.
  Sgt Helt, A.
  Sgt Pompa, P.A.
 


Box II -- Flight I
  1  670th                   
  43-22507  F6-Q  A-26C
  Lt Rooney, R.J.
  Lt Kirk, R.L.
  Lt McNutt, M.C.
  S/Sgt Caudell, S.R.
  2  669th                   
  43-22492  2A-E  A-26C
  Lt Cornell, R.H., Jr.
  Lt Enman, R.E.
  S/Sgt Carter, A.E.
 
  3  670th                   
  43-22330  F6-P  A-26B
  Capt Borman, H.W.
  Pfc Finnell, D.O.
 
 
  4  670th                   
  41-39416  F6-O  A-26B
  Lt Singletary, R.B.
  S/Sgt Wiggins, H.G.
 
 
  5  670th                   
  41-39205  F6-M  A-26B
  Lt Stankowski, J.F.
  Sgt Kimball, A.H.
 
 
  6  670th                   
  43-22315  F6-L  A-26B
  Lt Ford, R.
  Cpl Murro, D.J.
 
 

Box II -- Flight II
  1  670th                   
  43-22501  F6-W  A-26C
  Lt Heinke, W.R.
  Lt Rosenquist, A.E.
  S/Sgt Kidd, W.L.
 
  2  670th                   
  41-39215  F6-R  A-26B
  Lt Bishop, E.G.
  Sgt Harris, M.C.
 
 
  3  670th                   
  41-39286  F6-D  A-26B
  Lt Bower, R.S.
  Sgt Puskas, N.A.
 
 
  4  670th                   
  41-39223  F6-B  A-26B
  Lt Popeney, H.V.
  S/Sgt Arnett, W.E.
 
 
  5  670th                   
  41-39224  F6-E  A-26B
  Lt Wallace, J.F.
  Sgt Plant, R.
 
 
  6  670th                   
  43-22320  F6-S  A-26B
  Lt O'Brien, J.V.
  Sgt Wright, H.T.
 
 

Box II -- Flight III
  1  671st                   
  43-22498  5C-R  A-26C
  Lt Brown, C.J.
  Lt Kerns, J.E.
  S/Sgt Sunderland, H.E.
 
  2  671st                   
  41-39237  5C-D  A-26B
  Lt Cocke, J.B.
  Sgt Hardin, M.F.
 
 
  3  671st                   
  43-22356  5C-C  A-26B
  Lt Fero, D.A.
  S/Sgt Huss, C.F.
 
 
  4  671st                   
  41-39249  5C-F  A-26B
  Lt Herman, A.E.
  S/Sgt Barber, F.E.
 
 
  5  671st                   
  41-39297  5C-T  A-26B
  Lt Hlivko, A.E.
  Sgt Graub, R.E.
 
 
  6  671st                   
  43-22419  5C-Z  A-26B
  Lt Milhorn, G.L.
  Sgt Ruskiewich, J.J.
 
 

Box II
  SPARE  670th               
  43-22334  F6-G  A-26B
  Lt Sewell, J.C.
  S/Sgt Teran, A.
 
 
                                                           



Group and Unit Histories

Mission # 225 -- March 8, 1945, Thursday PM
Wulfrath, Germany -- Motor Transport Depot


"416th Bombardment Group (L) - Group History 1945"
Transcribed from USAF Archives

After a day of rest, the motor transport depot at Wulfrath was attacked on the 8th, using PPF through a solid cloud cover. There was no flak. An assortment of 500 pound incendiary bombs and 250 and 500 pound demolition bombs were carried. The box leaders were Capt Stebbins, Lts Calloway and McQuade, B&N, and Lt Rooney, Lts Kirk and McNutt, B&N.


"Attack Bombers, We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group"
Ralph Conte
Page 222

Mission #225 - 8 March - Wulfrath Motor Transport Depot. A large castle and eight smaller buildings were headquarters for this important target. Captain Stebbins with Lts. McQuade and Calloway, BNs with Lt. Rooney and Lts. Kirk and Koch, BNs led boxes. Lt. Stanley and F/O Blount, BN, - Lt. Anderson and Babbage, BN, - Lts. Brown and Kerns, BN and Lts. Lackovich and Muir, BN led flights. Bombing was through PFF once more with no results being checked out. No enemy opposition hindered the mission.


"669th Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcription from USAF Archives

Another Flight Leader from this squadron was called upon to lead the group formation on March 8th. Capt. Stebbins led the first first box in an attack on the Motor Transport Depot at Wulfrath. Excellent results were achieved by the use of PPF technique.


"670th Bombardment Squadron (L) History"
Transcription from USAF Archives

On 8 March the Wulfren Motor Transport Depot was bombed with undetermined results. This was a pathfinder mission and 13 of our crews took part.


"671st Bomb Squadron (L) Unit History"
Gordon Russell and Jim Kerns

March 8th, 1945

With the bridge-head across the Rhine less than 24 hours old, the 416th Group went out against the motor vehicle depot at Wulfrath, 13 miles east of Dusseldorf, on March 5th, 1945. Housed in a large castle and eight smaller buildings, the depot is believed to be very active due to its proximity to the battle area. Bombing was again done by Pathfinder and crews were unable to spot their bomb hits. No enemy sorties were encountered and all crews returned safely.




[March 8, 1945], HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map

Map showing Western Allies and Axis troop position details in Western Europe
as of approximately 1200 hours, March 8, 1945
World War II Military Situation Maps Collection
Library of Congress


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