Tuesday, May 23, 1944 - 386th Bomb Group Mission Number 177.

Tuesday, May 23, 1944 - 386th Bomb Group Mission Number 177:

Briefing was underway at 1530 hours for both the first and second box of fifteen planes each, along with two extra ships. However the first box would go out to their aircraft at 1610 hours - the second box crews would remain in the briefing room until 1630 hours. Pathfinder (PFF) crews flying directly ahead of the lead plane in each box will lead both boxes. Heavy cloud cover was anticipated in the general target area. The target for this mission will be the coastal gun positions located at Maisy, France. RAF Spitfires will provide area cover in the target zone. Our formation will be made up with three ships in each lead flight. The high flights and low flights will have the usual six planes each Lieutenant John R. Cheney was the station weather officer; he gave the briefing on the weather situation concerning the mission. At take off time 1655 hours; four to six-tenths cumulus with a base of 2,500 feet, tops to 4,000 feet. Altostratus clouds from six to eight-tenths with a base of 6,500 feet with tops of 8,000 feet. Visibility will be five miles in haze. The route out will have no low clouds, eight-tenths altostratus over south England. Nine to ten-tenths over the channel with tops to 8,000 feet - visibility above the clouds is eight to ten miles. Target area at 1830 hours, ten-tenths altocumulus tops to 8,000 feet - no low clouds, visibility above clouds will be good. The return route to base will remain unchanged.

The Group Operations Officer Lieutenant Colonel Hankey; continued with the briefing: The route out from base to Brighton to 49 Degrees 43 Minutes North - 00 Degrees 17 Minutes West to target. Turn Right off target to Brighton to base. Bomb load in all ships will be 2 x 2,000 pound general-purpose demolition bombs. Fusing to be one-tenth nose and one-fortieth tail. Both Path Finder planes will each carry 4 x 600 pound general-purpose demolition type bombs. Intervalometer setting is one hundred feet. Bomb run altitudes will be11, 900 feet. Radio call sign for the first box is, Animal, second box will be, Bounce foot. Briefing was concluded with a ten second count down to synchronize all watches at 1605 hours.

First box crews were delivered to their planes at 1610 with engine start up following at 1620 hours. First box leader Hankey began to taxi out at 1650 and was into the air at 1655 hours with his three plane lead flight. His high flight leader was Lieutenant Colonel Charles Lockhart flying his plane named, “WINNIE” 131 617 RG-A. Low flight leader was Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Ramsey flying a plane named, “YE OLDE CROCKE” 131755 RU-F. Soon all of the first box planes were into the air, circling the home airdrome as they climbed for altitude over Great Dunmow. Then striking out for the first checkpoint located at Brighton on the south coast of England. It was reached at 1800 hours. From there it was off to the navigation point over the English Channel as had been prescribed during briefing procedure. Heavy clouds covered the area in all directions. Navigation was based entirely upon the efforts of the Pathfinder PFF plane flown by Lieutenant Gilmore from the First Provisional Squadron.

Martin B-26 Marauder formations were able to make incredibly step turns after their 190 mile per hour bomb runs were executed - that maneuver would be employed on this mission because the target was so very close to the enemy coastline. Makes no sense to meander over enemy territory with solid cloud cover hiding German flak batteries. It was bombs away at 1829 hours, and then clearing the enemy coast a minute or so later. The second box of bombers led by Captain Aberson flying a ship called,” HELL’S ANGELS” 131615 YA-W had followed the same course as the first box - unloading their bombs at 1850 hours. His high flight leader was Captain Gus Hoffman flying, 131848 AN-Q, and low flight leader Captain Robert Perkins flying, “SEXY BETSY” 135358 YA-V. All of the retuning bombers flew to Brighton, and then took up a course of 240 degrees to base.

The 386th had dispatched a total of thirty-two planes dropping 64 x 2,000 pound bombs on the target area-- plus 8 x 600 pound bombs by the two Pathfinder planes. Results were unobserved due to ten-tenths cloud cover. Three planes had carried strike photo cameras.

The only thing that showed on the three rolls of film was beautiful rolling clouds and some blue sky, as the B-26’s banked into their steep turn off the target! However based on data from the Pathfinder ships and timing in the target area; an evaluation by Captain R.W. Bushnell was arrived at as follows: Bombs hit in the target area straddling a road running in front of the battery, and extending southwest down the road toward Maisy 2.

The 386th Bomb Group sustained no casualties, no losses, and no battle damage during the mission. In the target area at 12,000 feet the temperature was minus one degree Centigrade, the wind was from 350 degrees at 23 miles per hour.

Chester P. Klier
Historian, 386th Bomb Group