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457th Bomb Group Honor Roll
Mission No. 188 |
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457th Bomb Group | 748th Bomb Squadron |
(457th Home) (Back) Updated 12/03/2000, 19:17:15 |
Mission NarrativeMission No. 188Date - February 16, 1945 Target - Gelsenkirchen, Germany The target for the 8th Air Force was synthetic oil plants in Germany. The 457th was assigned to bomb industrial targets in the city of Gelsenkirchen. The group and wing assembly was accomplished without difficulty and the bomb run was in squadron formation. Contrails, haze and low fog made visual bombing impossible and bombs were dropped using G-H equipment. Bombing results were fair.Flak was moderate but accurate and one plane, s/n 44-6831, piloted by Lt Roland Brazier, took a direct hit in the right wing. The wing broke off and the plane rolled over twice and spun out of sight (see photo). Six members of the crew were killed and 4 were POW's. |
......... Crew
Pilot | Lt Roland H. Brazier. | POW | ||
Copilot | Lt Alvin G. Hazlett | POW | ||
Navigator | Lt William J. Diehl | POW | ||
Bombardier | Lt William F. Freeman | KIA ![]() | ||
Aircraft Engineer | Sgt Walter H. Klimhoff | KIA ![]() | ||
Radio Operator | Sgt Stanley L. Murray | KIA ![]() | ||
Left Waist Gunner | Sgt Daniel S. Hochberg | POW | ||
Right Waist Gunner | Sgt Richard C. Trapp | KIA ![]() | ||
Tail Gunner | Sgt Stanley D. Swanson | KIA ![]() | ||
Ball Turret Gunner | Sgt William J. Conner | KIA ![]() |
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