Date: Feb 11, 44
Dispatched: 45 Aborts: 4
Mission: Withdrawal support to 1st ATF, 240 B-17’s (1st Div)
Field Order: 240 Target: Frankfurt
Time Up/Down: 11:19 hrs 14:15 hrs Leader: Lt Col Rimerman
Claims Air: 00-00-00Claims Ground: 00-00-00 Lost/Damaged: 00-00
L/F in at Knocke 20,000ft, 11:54 hrs. Visual contact with 4th Fighter Group northwest of Brussels, to planned R/V point. Bombers not seen, apparently late. Flew five minutes past R/V point and orbited. Bombers observed 15 to 20 miles S/E. Actual R/V made 12:45 hrs with four combat wings 1st Div B-17s flying in good wing formation 20 to 23,000ft. However, 3rd and 4th CW spread out to the rear. Actual R/V point unknown. Left bombers 13:00 hrs, making L/F out vicinity Ostend 17,000ft, 13:40 hrs. No E/A seen; however, just prior to R/V contrail seen passing over Group going northwest above 35,000ft. No stragglers. Flak observed from general direction of target area. Contact with Upper on “C” channel very good. Jamming of R/T very bad. Lt Col. Rimerman and 1st Lt. Herfurth of Group HQ participated.
350th: Capt. Newhart. T/U 11:18 hrs. T/D 14:20 hrs. Total flight time 03:02 hrs. L/F Knocke 11:55 hrs, 22,000ft. R/V on course 15 mins late, 12:45 hrs, 28,000ft. Fair. Spitfires, P-51, P-38, P-47. No e/a. Left bombers on course 12:58 hrs, 28,000ft. Left coast south of course 13:35 hrs, 26,000ft. Scattered heavy bursts at Lille. Normal R/T. Broken overcast permitted ground to be seen in spots.
| Capt | Dewey E. | Newhart | (Sqdn Ldr) |
| 1st Lt | Francis T. | Walsh | |
| 1st Lt | Robert N. | Ireland | |
| 1st Lt | Carl W. | Mueller | |
| 1st Lt | John L. | Devane | (Flt Ldr) |
| 1st Lt | Tom | Lorance | |
| 1st Lt | William J. | Price | |
| 1st Lt | John | Zolner | |
| Capt | Charles W. | Dinse | (Flt Ldr) |
| 1st Lt | John H. | Winder | |
| 1st Lt | Wayne K. | Blickenstaff | |
| 1st Lt | Robert S. | Hart | |
| Capt | Robert E. | Fortier | (Flt Ldr) |
| 1st Lt | Joseph F. | Furness | |
| 1st Lt | Charles O. | Durant | |
| 1st Lt | Roland N. | McKean |
351st: Lt Col Rimerman. T/U 11:13 hrs. T/D 14:17 hrs. Total flight time 03:04 hrs. Withdrawal support. Route: In at Ijmuiden, over Hardenbergh, out at Egmond. Flushing at 11:51 hrs, altitude 22,000ft. [R/V] Place unknown at 12:43 hrs at 22,000ft. Good close formation within wings but wings split in half and widely separated. 4th Group, 2 P-51s and 2 P-38s. Place unknown at 12:58 hrs altitude 22,000ft. [L/F out] Ostend at 13:33 hrs at 20,000ft. Remarks: 40 plus small boats seen in harbor at Ostend. [One pilot in the Squadron, 1st Lt Francis E Edwards, a spare that day, peeled off and shot up an enemy airdrome before returning home. He didn’t see any aircraft but scored hits on a few buildings before returning home].
| Lt Col | Ben | Rimerman | (Gp & Sqdn Ldr) | YJ-A |
| 2nd Lt | Richard D. | Stanley | YJ-R | |
| Col | Henry R. | Spicer | (Observer)* | LH-X |
| 2nd Lt | Hassell D. | Stump | YJ-S | |
| Capt | Vic L. | Byers | (Flt Ldr) | YJ-V |
| 2nd Lt | Jack | Terzian | YJ-L | |
| 2nd Lt | John G. | Treitz | YJ-I | |
| 2nd Lt | Harry D. | Milligan | YJ-Y | |
| Major | Walter C. | Beckham | (Flt Ldr) | YJ-X |
| 1st Lt | William J. | Maguire | YJ-M | |
| 2nd Lt | George F. | Perpente | YJ-G | |
| 2nd Lt | Don M. | Hurlburt | YJ-H | |
| 1st Lt | Frank N. | Emory | (Flt Ldr) | YJ-E |
| F/O | Joseph E. | Wood | YJ-W | |
| 2nd Lt | Herbert K. | Field | YJ-F | |
| F/O | Cletus | Peterson | YJ-P | |
| 2nd Lt | Frank J. | Mincik | (with 350th) | YJ-O |
| 2nd Lt | Francis L. | Edwards | (Spare) | YJ-T |
| 1st Lt | William F. | Streit | (Relay with 352nd) | YJ-H |
*Col. Spicer then from 66th Wing flew the Squadron.
352nd: Capt Robertson. T/U 11:18 hrs. T/D 14:32 hrs. Total flight time 03:14 hrs. Made landfall in over Nieuve at 11:54 hrs. R/Vd with bombers late at about 12:45 hrs near Bad Kreunach [?] at 27,000 ft. Bombers were split into about six bunches. Four we R/Vd with and three were about 20 miles away. All bunches joined together in one task force later. No bombers seen in trouble. P-47s, 51s and 38s. Left bombers near Diekirch at 12:55 hrs or 13:00 hrs, alt. 24,000ft. Landfall out over a point just south of Ostend at 13:39 hrs. Alt. 20,000ft. Intense flak observed over target area. Slight jamming. 4-5/10ths cumulus, building from 5,000ft to 15,000ft. Course: L/F, Alt, R/V, W/D/L/F, Home. [The mission report was amended to state three aborts Lt. Corrigan – belly tank would not release; Lt. Sperry engine cutting out and Lt. Schillinger 9not listed as flying) escort to Lt. Sperry. The original report listed Lt. Callans aborting – prop out].
| Capt | Raynor E. | Robertson | (Sqdn Ldr) | SX-S | |
| 1st Lt | Herman | Herfurth | SX-Q | ||
| 1st Lt | Leslie P. | Cles | SX-G | ||
| 2nd Lt | Maurice | Morrison | SX-R | ||
| 1st Lt | Clinton H. | Sperry | (Flt Ldr) | SX-H | |
| 2nd Lt | Harry H. | Dustin | SX-Z | ||
| 1st Lt | Robert P. | Geurtz | SX-W | ||
| 2nd Lt | Glenn G. | Callans | SX-J | 42-7910 | |
| Capt | Wilbert H. | Juntilla | (Flt Ldr) | SX-X | |
| 2nd Lt | Donald J. | Corrigan | SX-N | ||
| 1st Lt | Gordon S. | Burlingame | SX-U | ||
| 2nd Lt | Hildreth R. | Owens | SX-F |
Group ERTNs/Aborts:
| 42-7910 | ABT prop out | SX-J | Lt. Corrigan flying. |
| 42-75608 | ABT engine running hot | SX-?* | |
| 42-8480 | ABT radio interference | LH-Z | |
| 42-8378 | ABT excessive manifold pressure | LH-R |
*SX-K by 9/7/44 but this code is not listed as flying on this mission.
353rdFighterGroup 