Mission Details for Kassel (#146)

Briefing

Details

Number: 146
Date: 9/22/1944 12:00:00 AM
Commander: Capt. F.A. Kalinski
Crews Briefed: 40
Details: Ordinance depot and motor vehicle factory

Flying Control

Runway: 5
Engines: 0935 Thumbnail image for /Images/Takeoff/Plan05.jpg
Taxi: 0950
Take Off: 1005
E.T.R.: 1700
Notes: The Group was briefed at 0700 hours, with instructions to taxi slowly and be prepared for a low visibility takeoff. Assembly to be at Cottesmore Buncher at 11,000 feet. By 1038 hours all 38 operational aircraft and one observer had taken off.
Two horses and about 15 cows were discovered on the airdrome near the end of runway 23 at 1300 hours, but after a short roundup all animals had been cleared from the field.
Two aborts and two spares plus the observer had returned by 1519 hours, and by 1751 hours all operational aircraft had landed.

Debriefing

Aircraft: 38
Lost Over Continent: 0
Lost Other: 0
Summary: The 401st provided three Boxes of 12 aircraft, comprising the 94th Combat Wing "B" unit. Because of bad weather over Kassel, the Wing carried out PFF (radar) attacks on the marshalling yards at Kassel. (One squadron history states that a secondary target, a large engineering works, was bombed by PFF.) In any event, the results were unobserved, although columns of black smoke could be seen rising from the target area after the attack.
No German fighters were encountered although the contrails of two jet fighters were seen in the area. Flak at the target was moderate, with resulting major battle damage to one aircraft and minor damage to four others. Sgt. Donald L. Ewen, waist gunner on Lt. William W. Jenning's crew, was wounded.

Mission Assignments

Squadron Participants