Summary:
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The Group Leader, Major Maupin, was forced to abort the mission when his plane's oxygen system failed. The records differ as to who assumed the Group lead, one account assigning that role to Captain K. H. Opie and the other to Lt. J. J. Connelly of the 613th Squadron. In any event, the Group made up the Lead and Low Boxes (18 ships each) of the 94th Combat Wing "B" unit. The weather was clear, and both Boxes bombed visually, with an average of 98% of the patterns within 2,000 feet of the MPI. Flak over the target was moderate to intense and quite accurate. One 401st aircraft, "Belle of the Barbary Coast" (42-37981), piloted by James C. Neill, was lost with its crew after losing an engine and salvoing its bombs.
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