Mission No 8

MISSION NO. 8
BERLIN, GERMANY

6 MARCH 1944

Eighteen aircraft returned to Erkner and the V.K.F. ball bearing works for the third time. Fourteen Combat Wings were dispatched to attack Berlin targets. The Group comprised the 94th Combat Wing's high box. Captain Fred A. Spencer was Air Commander and Lt. J. L. Smith was pilot.

Near Magdeburg the Group encountered heavy and vigorous enemy fighter opposition, principally by Me-210s, Me- 109s and Ju-88s. Two crews, those of Lt. Roy E. Graves and Lt. Eugene H. Whalen, were lost during the encounter. Lt. Whalen, flying in the high box, was a victim of a German Me-109 fighter; his aircraft exploded and fell into the low box, crashing into Lt. Graves. Only the tail gunner of the Graves crew survived.
On reaching the IP, the groups formed in trail. When the Wing Leader dropped bombs the 457th lead plane did not observe the lead group's release. On withdrawal from the target a bomb run was made on the oil refinery at Verden, near Bremen. Results were poor.

Antiaircraft opposition was heavy in the Berlin area. In addition to the two planes lost, five aircraft sustained damage from flak and one other sustained fighter damage. Crews reported observing a total of thirteen bombers in the Division formation being shot down.
Sixty-nine bombers were lost in the day's operation.

CREW LOADING LIST

March 6th, 1944
Mission No 8 Target: Berlin, Germany

If you desire to see the original scanned loading lists, click on the respective blue squadron header below.
(If a very small image appears, click on the small image to enlarge.)

748th Squadron

749th Squadron

750th Squadron

751th Squadron

	A/C # 470		A/C # 635		A/C # 063		A/C # 456
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Mark R. Belcher Bernard V. Conner Robert E. Jackson Zaven R. Astor Edward J.Brazinski Frank W. Aylstock Carl W. Lewis Paul R. Moore Hal H. Willett	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Jesse L. Smith Fred A. Sqencer Norman A. Kriehn Donald E. Muston Con F. Poynor Randall N. White Milton B. Davison Clarence A. Ray Steve Vargo Raymond L. Osborn Ennis E. Brown	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Clarence E. Schuchmann Jacob M. Dickinson Thomas A. Goff John B. Blachley Joseph l. Hibbs Harold B. Rhodes Lorne G. Smith Michael Woyurka Edgar D. Lanzoni Anthony Toizzi	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Albert L. Sikkenga Carl E. Gamblin Clifton Chandler Edward C. Cannon Ralph L. Haldiman Jerome A. Fogleman Helner Beck Lyle W. Johnson George H. Davis Alton H. Schaffner

	A/C # 103		A/C # 587		A/C # 551		A/C # 481
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Clyde R. Weid Edward L. Cavanaugh Solan J. Boydston James E. Fast Samuel Rothfarb James R. Powell Michael Stasko Morman C. Ronney Roman A. Zelazo Earl W. Pledger	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	David P. Parks Floyd E. Grove William E. Ellerbusch Edward J. Quinn Don J. Kesselmayer Cosmo J. Fazzio Ruben H. Halverson Charles M. Kerr Anthony M. Pesce George H. Grebe	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Americo Procopio Robert Driscoll Bernard B. Weinberg Edward P. Palika John T. Clements E. L. Angell Russell R. Babel Thaddeus R. Dubej James H. Norman Walter W. Megin	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Stuart H. James Martin W. Biehn Charles C. Canon Stanley V. Gray Ora W. Murch Angelo J. Riscuto Patrick C. Toomey Eugene C. Goslee Carl N. Davis Dale L. Vance

	A/C # 467		A/C # 110		A/C # 629		A/C # 656
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Adrian. W. Seabock Kinney B. Heliums, Jr Warren. B. Speidel William. G. Smith Louis M. Castelucci Leslie B. Reid, Jr Prentis A. Cooper Alden B. Orr Prosser Jeffreys Francis E. Cornue	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Malcolm Johnson George C. Hozier Gabriel D. Ofiesh George B. Camello Joseph Garbett Patrick J. Fusci Glenn W. Barnes Morris H. Shuff Leonard A. Smith Wallace D. Cagle	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Alfred W. Fischer Harry Huskey John W. McDonnell Ralph D. Stutzman Robert M. Jensen Andrew E. Jasso James E. Pickle Leo McHatton Thomas N. Norton James H. Long	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Louis G. Auld James E. Carels Jerome Silverman Alden W. Rittman Carl D. Seibrands James W. Walton Lloyd G. Vanzant Nicholas P.Weber Richard Mellot George T. Gulywasz

	A/C # 104		A/C # 464		A/C # 073		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Paul V. Chapman Aaron J. Ayres Charles W. Mitchell George R. Walker Kenneth E. Myers Robert s. Wood Richard T. Trundy Waldron E. McGibbon Anthony Marrone Ernest R. Campen	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	William L. Gibbons George J. Bennett William J. Brandt Patrick A. Walls Paul A. Birchen Jasper L. Smith Paul O'Neal Reginald W. Buxton Paul Holder Charles Carlisle	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Robert D. Lane Howard E. James Robert C. Dvorak William L. Smith Winfred C. Kincaid Gervin R. McBride John E. Misener Edward A. Black Joe B. McCall James J. Vaughn	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C # 627 Click anywhere in the box below to bring up details of this mission.		A/C # 460		A/C # 595 Click anywhere in the box below to bring up details of this mission.		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Roy R. Graves Wayne C. McLeod James Salay, Jr Herbert W. Whitte Gorace J. Gillespie Robert W. Kent Weldon F. Brown donald L. Lillehaug Harold M. Moberg Eldon C. Williams	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Marsden W. Mattatall John L. Fowler Manford Markowitz Ralph C. Jordan Joseph Waszierscz Axel R. Olson Milton F. Rudd Gilbert C. Goode Anthony J. Nunes Gordon D. Hobson	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Eugene H. Whalen James R. Cawley George S. McPeake Jr. Robert J. Kunel Robert J. Vaughan Virgil L. French Jerone J. Hartings John C. McVey J. W. Bartee Alphus J. Maddox	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C #		A/C # 531		A/C # 057		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Roger W. Birkman Aaron J. Ayres Michael N. Stanko James M. Cochran, Jr Rammond Koch errol Bailey Andrew Kafka James C. Jones John A. Robinson John L. Toney	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Ames W. Shepard Ralph O. Hammerstrom Kenneth Galyean Herbert W. Spaulding Joseph E. Fasone Arnold E. Kauffman Jon Roberts Amos T. Bunch Paul M. Rogers William E. Good	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Charles R. Blackwell Theodore R. Baskette Irving R. Meyers Verne M. Boon Thomas W. Howard Morgan J. Newman Laymon M. Mahan Billy L. Dalton Francis W. McCall Sylvester C. Kruaszkiewic	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #		A/C #
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt