The 457th put up only16 aircraft which led the 94th Wing on this mission to Dessau. The Luftwaffe put up over 450 fighters on this date and shot down 32 bombers. The target was manufacturing facilities of the Junkers Aircraft Co. This was the second mission in two days to feel the attack of the Luftwaffe's ME-109's. The group lost three of the sixteen planes to an attack by 50 or 60 fighters. The lead aircraft, with Air Commander Major George C. Hozier, lost an engine in the fighter attack but maintained the lead until bombs were dropped. For his action on this mission he received the Silver Star. The planes lost were Lt clyde Knipfer s/n 42-31520, Lt Rudolph Stohl s/n 42-97067, and Lt Em anuel Hauf s/n 42-97452.

Plane s/n 42-31520, piloted by Lt Clyde B. Knipfer, was hit by 20mm cannon fire before dropping his bombs. Engines No 1 and No 2 were set afire. They left the formation, salvoed their bombs, and fought the fire for some time before the alarm was given to bail out. All of the crew survived and were made POW's.See Clyde Knipfer's story about this incident in "Black Puff Polly" bu Roland Byers.

Clyde B. Knipfer Crew

The crew was as follows:
     Plane s/n 42-31520     

Pilot		Lt Clyde B. Knipfer	POW
Copilot		Lt Richard H. Bruha	POW
Navigator		Lt George R. Derdzinski	POW
Bombardier		Lt Stanley V. Gray	POW
Aircraft Engineer		Sgt Stephen T. Voit	POW
Radio Operator		Sgt Nicholas F. Bendino	POW
Left Waist Gunner		Sgt Percy Waltho	POW
Ball Turret Gunner		Sgt Nicholas D. Furrie	POW
Tail Gunner		Sgt Joshua Goldstein	POW