This mission to Magdeberg turned out to be one of the worst mission for the 457th since it began flying. Six crews were lost. The Group put up 36 planes and their target was to be the Krupp machine shops at Magdeberg where anti-aircraft guns and tanks were made. Just before reaching the IP the group was attacked by 25 to 50 ME-109's and FW-190's. The fighters attacked from 4 oclock and 9 o'clock low and hit hardest at the rear of the formation. Five planes were lost to fighters: s/n 43-37518, s/n 43-38181, s/n 43-38026, S/N 43-37834 and 42-97470. One other plane s/n 42-102948 was lost to flak at the target. Bombing was by PFF and the results were unobserved. P-51's arrived to drive off the attacking planes after the damage was done. Three other planes received major damage and twelve received minor damage from flak and fighters.

Plane s/n 42-102948, named "The Denver Bandit," and piloted by Lt Keylon W. Clarke, survived a devestating fighter attack on the bomb run only to be hit by flak over the target. The flak hit knocked out engines #2 and #3 and the plane left the formation. It dove down and leveled off at 5000 feet where it exploded.