Mission Details for Cologne (#156)

Briefing

Details

Number: 156
Date: 10/15/1944 12:00:00 AM
Commander: Col. H.W. Bowman
Crews Briefed: 40
Details: Railroad marshalling yards

Flying Control

Runway: 23
Engines: 0555 Thumbnail image for /Images/Takeoff/Plan23.jpg
Taxi: 0610
Take Off: 0625
E.T.R.: 1232
Notes: Briefing took place at 0300 hours, and all operational aircraft were airborne by 0704 hours. The three spares returned early as planned. All aircraft had landed by 1305 hours, although low visibility upon the return caused difficulties in bringing all the aircraft down. Two aircraft returned with wounded aboard, and two had tail wheel trouble. Night flying was canceled because of bad weather.

Debriefing

Aircraft: 36
Lost Over Continent: 0
Lost Other: 0
Summary: The 401st provided three 12 ship squadrons to make up the 94th Combat Wing "A" unit. The Group also led the 1st Division on this mission, with Colonel Bowman as Air Commander. While the Lead and Lows Squadrons were forced to bomb using PFF (radar) techniques because of heavy cloud cover, some of the crews saw strikes on the Cologne marshalling yards, the primary target, through breaks in the clouds. The lead aircraft of the High Squadron experienced a bomb rack malfunction at the point of release, and the Squadron was forced to return to Deenethorpe with their bombs.
No enemy fighters appeared, but flak was intense and accurate. Four 401st ships received major flak damage, and two aircrewmen were wounded, one seriously. The 1st Air Division as a whole lost four aircraft to flak, and 293 others received flak damage. A total of 14 1st Division crewmen were killed and 15 were wounded.

Mission Assignments

Squadron Participants