Mission No 25

MISSION NO. 25
SORAU, GERMANY

11 APRIL, 1944

The target was the eastern complex of the FW-190 aircraft factories located at an airdrome near Sorau. Overall, a thousand heavy bombers and eight hundred escort fighters were involved in the operations of the day. Remembering the occurrences of 9 April, the Group expected a tough mission. The mission was flown at an altitude of sixteen thousand feet.

The 457th supplied twenty-four aircraft to compose all the high and part of the lead box of the 94th A Combat Wing. Major Rod Francis was Air Commander of the high box with pilot Lt. Edward M. Bender.

On the way to the target, heavy flak was encountered in the Hannover area. Two planes, piloted by Lt. Marsden W. Mattatal and Lt. Adrian W. Seabock, were knocked out of formation and returned to England badly damaged. However, five of Lt. Seabock's crew, including the navigator, parachuted and became prisoners of war. The lead aircraft was hit, had to salvo the bombs, but stayed with the formation. As they emerged from the flak, Me-109s were waiting, but escort fighters and gunners kept them away.

The primary target was covered with clouds; so the formation headed north for the Politz Oil Refinery, the secondary target, where clouds and other wings prevented bombing. Targets of opportunity were bombed; and the aircraft took the Baltic Sea, Denmark, North Sea route back to Glatton, completing a ten hour mission.

Thirteen craft sustained minor, and eight major, damage.

CREW LOADING LIST

April 11th, 1944
Mission No 25 Target: Sorau, Germany

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748th Squadron

749th Squadron

750th Squadron

751th Squadron

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	A/C # 568		A/C #064		A/C #571		A/C #456
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 Solon J. Boydston George A. Sipp James R. Powell Earl M. Pledger Mark A. Osborne Norman C. Bonney Edwyn Dempsey Michael Stasko	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Malcolm E. Johnson Morris H. Shuff William J. Brandt George Cahelo Joseph Garbett Glen W. Barnes Thomas G. Scott Wallace C. Nicholson Leonard A. Smith Wallace D. Cagle	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Lt	Edward M. Bender Rod L. Francis Earl E. Woodard Edwin K. Fuller James L. Free Laymon M. Mahan Thomas G. Leahy John P. Sarico Michael Woyurka Franklin J. Marra A. T. Cavanaugh	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	John W. Fay James E. Carels Lionel J. Cusson Joe C. Wilmeth Edward T. Sawyer William A. Spoerner George H. Staudt Richard M. Bassett Frederick G. Wagner Hugh C. Arant

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	A/C # 558		A/C #545		A/C #620		A/C #481
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Kenneth W. Burkhart Noble L. Webster William B. Wescott Julius Venerofsky John J. Serosky T. J. Shields Samuel B. Goff Sidney N. Erickson Carl Tulowitski Howard W. Berrier	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	James V. Elduff Wade E. Knudson John F. Moore Ras M. Clausen Norbert A. Meeuwsen Andrew G. Voytko Patric J. Fusci Mildridge C. Doan Clifford F. Duell Charlse R. Carlisle	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	William F. Rogers Stanley J. Walczanski Wilbert J. Collard Dini H. Tonelli Joshua D. Lane Orion H. Shumway John Chumas Sol Pollack David H. Quick Ray Jones	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Emanual Hauf Donald V. Swain Jerome Silverman Richard E. Jaque Willis H. Johnson James J. Kilroy Joseph S. Reid Paul R. Moore Louis F. Beske Oscar A. Gascon

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	A/C #101		A/C #067		A/C #656		A/C #662
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Cornelius R. Woolf Wilbur D. Snow Charles W. Mitchell Kenneth B. Taylor Gerald J. Hyink Samuel I. Craft Alden B. Orr John L. Batts Roman A. Zelazo Kenny Hellums	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Marsden W. Mattatall John L. Fowler Marsh Hovey Ralph C. Jordan Joseph Wasckierscz Axel R. Olson Milton P. Rudd Ben H. Collinsworth John Kessock Gordon D. Hobson	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Robert M. Krumm Leo R. Green Roland O. Byers Henry P. Loades Lawrence J. Walsh Billy E. Hightower Anthony Tozzi S. Marx Raymond J. Kristoff John D. Barrett	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Clyde B. Knipfer Richard A. Bruha George T. Derdzinski Stanley V. Gray Stephen T. Voit Jack F. Berry Percy Waltho Harvy C. Cottrell Nicholas D. Furrie Joshua Goldstein

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	A/C #470		A/C #079		A/C #236		A/C #123
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Bernard V. Conner James E. Ocshier Clement H. Marsden Zaven R. Astor Frank T. Aylstock James A. McCamey Edward J. Brazinski Ralph Willett Carl W. Lewis Leo L. Lange	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Robert L. Wetherald Francis G. Bogle Thomas W. Burns Alex W. Fisher Cleo F. Corder John F. Orazem George Stiller Secondo P Pentacolone Onnie B. Baskette Frank R. Machak	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Garland M. Hutson Tracy E. Geiger Carl F. Hansen Clifford D. Hughes Charles J. Coffman Harold E. Reader Herman R. Goossens Howard C. Layton George A. Phiefer Jachin M. Forbes	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Kenneth L. Anderson Kaspar O. Lamvik Thomas F. Monaghan Robert J. Larson Laurel J. Phillips Raymond J. Daly Carl F. Graves Alton A. Schaffner Dean K. Adams Donald J. Dothwright

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	A/C #552		A/C #		A/C #468		A/C #162
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Thomas E. Lee John M. Bristow John C. Sherwin Regis J. Creehan Clayton L. Betterton Jasper Stewart John R. Barber Irvin V. Gerlich John A. Robinson Ralph A. Zagorski	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Robert D. Lane Howard E. James Robert C. Dvorak William E. Smith Winfred C. Kincaid Gervin E. McBride John E. Misener Edward A. Bleck Joe B. McCall James J. Vaughn	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Richard T. Luebke Robert A. Patty Sidney H. Johnson Jack E. Eldridge John L Zoutte Lyle W. Johnson Cecil D. Burroughs Earl W. Johnston William F. White Max E. Johnston

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	A/C #88		A/C #		A/C #535		A/C #021
p cp n b tt ro bt lwg rwg tg	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Adrian W. Seabock Lloyd E. Icenogle Warren B. Spiedel William G. Smith Lewis M. Castelucci Prosser Jefferys William B. Woodell Leslie B. Reid Frank T. Ingersoll Francis E. Cornue	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Joseph O.Paschal Donald S. Hain Robert J. Burright Vincent E. Vaccaro auther J. Russell Edward F. Rugg Clifford R. Wilson S. W. Brunick Charles H. Miller Harry C. Minor	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Richard T. Bennett Milton M. Jaraslow Charles R. Hunnicutt Houston L. Levers Jerome A. Folgeman Eugene M. Beamer George Ribiero Charles C. Campbell Glenn R. Finke Carl N. Davis

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	A/C #87		A/C #		A/C #015		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 Robert L. Cole Michael N. Stanko James M. Cochran Jr. Raymond Koch James C. Jones Andrew Kafka John L. Toney John Buechel Errol Bailey	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt		Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt	Edwin S. Jones Clyde S. Jolley C. H. Sullivan Howard A. Handran Harry C. Lake James A. Martin Patsy Varrassi Alfred Beacom Ernest W. Kerr Jr. Kenneth E. Davidson	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	A/C #		A/C #		A/C #70		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	Edward D. Dozier Charles E. Newmeyer Alexis P. Umoff Charles L. Hilton Dwight M. Anderson C. W. McCollum William C. Young Frederick L. Exley Gerald M. Poston Frank L. Ridenhour	Lt Lt Lt Lt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt Sgt

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	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

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	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

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	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

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	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

Scanned copies of the original loading lists, sorted by mission number and date, can be viewed Here

	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