1. S/Sgt Joseph O. Long transferred to 12th RCD, casual pool, Chorley, Lancs.

The combat officers and men, who moved from the communal combat Site #6 of Feb 21 and 22, seem to be getting used to the idea of living under the shade of the orderly room again.

2. Mission today was to Frankfurt, when the group met no enemy air opposition although there was meagre flak. Six of our ships took part and nipped over the target for a quick bombing and away, in company with the group formation. The fighter escort was excellent.

The following pilots and their crews made the mission: Lts Henslin, Meyers, McIntosh, Urban, Pluemer and Honahan. Lt Enos aborted.

3. The target for today was Oldenburg, where bombing was accomplished through a 10/10th undercast in the face of no enemy opposition. Major Halsey, with Lt Sal Melomo (completing his 25th) led the mission; S/Sgt Eckert also finished up.

In addition to the leader, the other pilots were: Lts McIntosh, Pluemer, Meyers, Putek, Enos and Honahan. Lt Urban aborted.

4. The group was briefed for the Eighth Air Force's first blow at Berlin. Foul weather forced our group to seek a target of opportunity (believed to be Dusseldorf), which was bombed through a complete cloud undercast.
With Lt Col Hall, group deputy commander, Lt Henslin led squadron and group, along with Lts Honahan, Enos, McIntosh and Pluemer, while Lt Urban again aborted.

S/Sgt Eugene F. Copp was assigned from First Bomb Division. He is required to make three combat missions in which enemy aircraft are encountered, after which he will be returned to the States as a gunnery instructor.
Lt Melomo finished up today, with official credit for 26 missions.

Promoted to 1st Lts are: James R. Riddle, William A. Pluemer and James L. Tyson.

5. S/Sgt Russell N. Jevons, list MIA Dec 31 on the Bordeaux mission, was re-assigned from USTAAF. 1st Lt Herbert Lazar was assigned from HQ, 1st BD.

6. Today's mission was to Big-B, Berlin, our first blow at the Reich's capital city, which was heavily opposed by nearly 150 enemy fighters, costing the group three Fortresses, none from this squadron. However M/Sgt Stormer was slightly wounded in the right eye by metal chips kicked up by a piece of flak.

Bombing results were believed to have been good, but all crewmen were so busy at their guns or other duties when the fighters hit our formation that non-one had spare time for sight-seeing. S/Sgt John J. Wardell, Jr., last of the squadron's original combat enlisted men, finished his tour with this one.

Our eight pilots for today were: Lts McIntosh, Sellers, Meyers, Tyson, Enos, Putek, Pluemer and Honahan.
Returning from the rest homes were: Lts Bartlett, Fowler, rabay and Hughes; Sgts Dever, Rose, Carson, Craig and Bennett. Leaving for rest homes were: Lts Urban, Herman, Hooker and Broderick; T/Sgts Gasper, Hariton, S/Sgts Bankston, Lawrence, Moerlins and Middleton.

7. Two separate Field Orders were received, one for a mission to Berlin, the other for one to Gutersloh, but both were scrubbed.

Promoted to T/Sgts: Valentino L. DiNicola, Leo W. Dudgeon, Richard C. Jensen, Russell N. Jevons, Robert E. Kettlety, Edward A. Stahlke and Henry N. White.

8. Today's target was Erkner, a ball-bearing plant on the outskirts of Berlin. The entire group accomplished perfect bombing. Escort was perfect and the bombers met no opposition either from flak or fighters. Lt Bartlett aborted.
S/Sgt Kettlety, radio operator on "Our Desire", found an incendiary bomb jammed by one fin on the bomb bay catwalk, tossed it out by hand over Berlin. Lt Putek's "Touch The Button Nell II", during part of the return trip home, "escorted" a P-38 fighter which was limping along with one engine dead.

Among those finishing up were Capt Melvin R. Hecker, one of the squadron's original pilots, who was transferred to the 532nd months ago. He came into the outfit at Pyote, as a 2nd Lt, in February 1943. Also finishing up today was S/Sgt Rij.

These pilots made the trip: Lts Putek, Tyson, Hoffman and Sellers.

Promoted to S/Sgt are: Edgar M. Berg, William D. Ingram, Julius M. Micek, Robert H. Miller, Bruce M. Tabor, Paul R. Vanderzee and Ralph C. West.

9. It was Berlin again today, and another one which the Luftwaffe failed to show. Flak was moderate over the city, and bombing accomplished through a 10/10th undercast, which covered all of Germany today.

On the return trip the leading 91st BG took the formation over Hanover-Brunswick area, where all met more flak than they'd seen for a long time. S/Sgt Ingram, with Lt Hoffman's crew, was slightly wounded. This is his second bit of bad luck, having opened his combat tour with a crash landing on the east coast last month. He was hospitalized at 121st Hospital, Braintree.

Lt Hoffman finished up today, and in addition to him, these pilots took part: Lts Tyson, Enos, Sellers, Meyers, Honahan and Wilson. Lt Bartlett aborted.

Tour complete, Lt Everett Malone, was sent to 12th RCD, Station #591, Chorley.

9?. S/Sgt Eugene R. Eckert was transferred to Chorley today, tour over. Although the present tendency is to keep enlisted men in England to serve as instructors for at least three months after completing a combat tour, there is still a good chance those finishing in this period will be sent home.

A growing number of them do not want to go home, basing their decisions upon stories we hear from newly arrived crews and such men as S/Sgt Copp that gunnery schools at home are run by ground officers unacquainted with combat conditions over here, and more interested in misguided War Department directives than in the contributions experience gun crews have to offer the training system.

12. The squadron held its second big party, its first overseas. This brawl was pitched in the "auditorium" of the station theater, and attracted, in addition to nearly everyone in the outfit, a heavy percentage of visitors, guests, gate-crashers and interested by-standers from other organizations on the base and from nearby communities.

The station band played - The Ridgewell Rockettes. The beer - 14 barrels of the stuff - lasted from 20.00 to 22.00 hrs. There was coke and there were sandwiches. And there were women too, WAAF, Land Army, a representation from the ranks of the local lovelies and, lo and behold, four honest-to-God WACS from Colchester, one of them not bad a-tall, a-tall.

With the exception of one visiting Lt, no one got too drunk. The visitor is to be court martialled for his losing battle with the demon rum. Reports have it that, among other things, he was slightly careless as to whose tulips he watered!
Lt Keating did a masterful last-minute round-up job on the women detail, after being notified at 15.00 hrs, that three truckloads previously contracted for would be unable to make it. Capt Tansey handled general arrangements, S/Sgt Farlois did a swell job with the foodstuffs available, and the ranks of the volunteer bartenders swelled as the English excuse for beer rapidly, very rapidly, evaporated through the taps. It was a good party.

Robert C. Adams was made doubly joyful today with the notification of his promotion to S/Sgt.

13. Mission to Wizernes, France, was scrubbed. Charles Churchill and Arnold C. Farmer promoted S/Sgt.

14. The mission to Wizernes was again scrubbed. M/Sgts Thomas R. Guinan and Van S. Morrison, crew chiefs, transferred out to HQ, USTAAF; T/Sgt Floyd H. Terry transferred to 1st Air Force, Mitchell Field, NY; 1st Lt George A. Hoffman and S/Sgt Theodore Rij, Jr., transferred to 12th RCD, Chorley.
2nd Lt Glen A. McCabe, MIA on Bordeaux mission Dec 31, re-assigned, while back from the rests homes were: Lts Urban, Herman, Hooker and Broderick; Sgts Gasper, Hariton, Bankston, Lawrence, Moerlins and Middleton.

14?. No change.

16. Today's target was Augsburg, which was bombed through a complete cloud cover. A few enemy fighters were seen in the distance, but the P-47 escort kept them there and the squadron caught no attacks. Flak was moderate, but increasing in density, during the bomb run. There were no claims or casualties for our outfit.

These pilots made the mission: Lts Enos (with Major Halsey), Soeder, Sellers, Pluemer, McIntosh, Honahan, Meyers and Wilson.

1st Lt Sellers, DSC, Purple Heart, and S/Sgt Ford, both finished up today.

2nd Lt Glen A. McCabe, ordered to the Intelligence Office, London, for an unspecified period of detached service.

To rest homes today: Lt Harold F. Henslin, F/O Everett L, Scarborough; T/Sgts J. W. Padgett, Albert W. Atz, Jo R. Karr; S/Sgts Edward H. Sell, George D. McLaughlin, Jr., and Clarence T. Williams.

17. Two separate sets of field orders indicated missions to Augsburg and Frankfurt, but they were both scrubbed.
S/Sgt Herbert J. Burgasser, "Touch The Button Nell's" ball turret gunner on the Nancy-Essey mission last month, severely wounded including the loss of one eye, re-assigned from hospital to squadron via 12th RCD casual pool, Chorley.

Today brought the first indication that Spring may arrive on time in a week or so. Very warm, sunny, the air full of softness, larks and baseballs. It can't last.

18. The target today was Oberpfaffenhofen. This mission followed the scrubbed mission for Frankfurt, and was the group's second consecutive mission without an abort.

Bombing was accomplished in VACU weather conditions, and was described as very good. The target was an aircraft factory and adjoining airfield on the edge of town. No enemy aircraft were encountered, and Thunderbolt, Lightning and Mustang escorts were perfect all the way, keeping at a distance the few Jerries which happened to show themselves near the target. Flak was meagre and encountered in the target area only. There were no claims or casualties.

The following pilots completed the mission: Lts Putek, McIntosh, Pluemer, Mullane, Honahan, Urban, Wilson and Soeder.

Major Osce V. Jones, operations officer,, was sent on DS to London to identify two officers and six EM of the crew which he landed and was interned in Sweden, following the attack on Heroya, last July.

19. M/Sgts R.L. Helmert, John C. Raimo; S/Sgt Henry Savard, Sgts Eugene H. Morrison, Robert C. Vaughan, and Cpl William M. Lee, transferred to HQ Sqd, Det "5", ASC, Station #594, Jefferson Hall, Staffordshire. S/Sgt Ingram, wounded recently, returned to duty today from Braintree hospital.

20. The German city of Mannheim was the target for today. Bombing through undercast was again a necessity. Added to the undercast was some of the filthiest altitude "soup" encountered in the combat history of the squadron. Planes came home singly, flying for hours without seeing a thing, to land at fields all over England.

One of our ships are missing in action, Lt McIntosh and crew. It is thought they landed either inside the French coast or ditched in the Channel near France. The other pilots who returned safely were: Lts Urban, Wilson, Putek, Honahan, Pluemer, Mullane and Soeder. T/Sgt Thomas B. Pitts finished up today.

MIA crew: 1st Lt George McIntosh, 2nd Lt Rowland J. Fowler, 1st Lt Nicholas R. Rabey, 2nd Lt Carl W. Dittus; T/Sgts Russell M. Rose, Harry F. Dever, S/Sgts Garland C. Carson, Eugene E. Copp, Robert S. Matcham and Clyde V. Craig.
1st Lt James L. Tyson and crew were assigned to the 305th BG, Station #105, Chelveston, for training and service as a PFF crew.

2nd Lt Gayle Messenger assigned from 12th RCD, after an ear operation. A former combat man, he will be assigned to new duties as a squadron supply officer.

21. No change.

22. The capital city of Berlin was again the target, with once more no enemy aircraft were encountered, as the Forts bombed Berlin through a 10/10th undercast. If this condition continues to prevail combat men will begin believing newspaper stories to the effect that the Luftwaffe has been destroyed.

Major Jones and Lt Enos led 29 group Forts to the target. Six major flak fields were encountered on the way in, and flak was moderate to intense over the city itself. The escort was perfect: P-47's going in, P-51's over the target and P-38's waiting to take the bombers home.

Apart from Lt Enos, these others flew the mission: Lts Wilson, Urban, Hallecy, Soeder, Pluemer, Honahan and Mullane.
1st Lt Shore finished up today; 1st Lt Sellers transferred to 12th RCD, Chorley. T/Sgt Jevons assigned to Intelligence Office, London.

23. A 10/10th undercast welcomed the group, covering what was believed to the Ahlen, near Munster. The Forts met only meagre flak over the southern tip of "Happy Valley" on the way in only, and the Luftwaffe make a token appearance in the form of about a dozen Jerries attacking a group a good distance from ours. Fighter escort was described as "excellent", as usual.

Again Major Halsey led the formation, with Lt Pluemer as his pilot; the others being: Lts Soeder, Hallecy, Urban, Wilson, Meyers, Honahan, Enos and Mullane.

Finishing up today were: Lt Honahan, T/Sgt Myers and S/Sgt Wood, with S/Sgt Ford heading for the 12th RCD at Chorley.

Back from rest homes came: Lt Henslin, F/O Scarborough; Sgts Atz, Padgett, Karr, Sell, McLaughlin, Williams and Blackmon.

24. Bombing through an exceptionally dense undercast, the Forts hit Frankfurt. They met heavy, tracking flak in the target area, but their escort was good and no enemy aircraft seen.

Participating were: Lts Putek, Soeder, Urban, Meyers, Hallecy, Pluemer and Mullane.

Promoted to 1st Lts are: Robert J. Fowler, John M. Deasy, John H. Hallecy, Clifford E. Herman, Stanley Holewinski, Theodore Homdrom, George D. Hooker, Jr., Robert E. Hughes and Edwin K. Stanton.

Heading for the 12th RCD casual pool, is T/Sgt Thomas B. Pitts.

25. Everett L. Scarborough was discharged from AUS as a flight officer and sworn into AUS as a 2nd Lt.

26. A mission to Bohlen, Germany was scrubbed early on, instead the group headed for the "Rocket-Gun Coast", to hit military installations at Mimoyecques, near Calais. Bombing results looked good, but the size and indefinite nature of the target made accurate observations difficult. Some ground-to-air rockets were used by the enemy without any damage to out group. Flak was meagre to moderate and caused us no trouble, being only 20 minutes over enemy territory.

Today's pilots were: Lts Hallecy, Wilson, Putek, Meyers, Pluemer and Mullane. Lt Meyers and T/Sgt Stewart finished up.

Three new crews were assigned today: 2nd Lts Edwin Riggenberg, Bob B. Bobroff, F/O Victor A. Mersinger, 2nd Lt Abraham A. Levine; S/Sgts Henry Baker, Glenn A. Hofert, Sgts Kenneth F. Hitchcock, Thomas W. O'Brien, Arthur T. O'Malley and Thomas E. Snyder.

2nd Lts Philip W. Gnatzig, Joseph W. Becker, Ralph G. Gillham, John C. Bohan; S/Sgts Floyd C. Hanson, J. W. Swafford, Sgts Willard F. Seaman, Edwin F. Nichols, Francis Lobasso and George W. Dell, Jr.

2nd Lts Lyles B. Nelson, Joseph C. Hainzer, William W. Harris, Emory H. Baird; Pvt Howard D. Prowse, Sgts Robert J. Orr, Walter C. Prettyman, S/Sgt Rexford W. Hintz, Sgt Josiah D. Hank III and Cpl Ernest F. Waggy.

27. Today the squadron participated in a wipe-out bombing of hangars and ships at the German airfield at St Jean D'Angely, France. Airfields seem to be our speciality when in comes to "pickle-barrel" bombing demonstrations, and this job was in the class with Le Bourget and all the others.

Building wreckage was left burning fiercely. Weather VACU, no flak, no enemy aircraft and our escort all over the place, at a loss for occupation. It was a dream job, in the opinion of every man who participated.

These pilots went in: Lts Wilson, Pluemer, Mullane, Putek, Hallecy, Putek and Urban. S/Sgt Harrington finished up today.

28. Another airfield job today, and another good bombing, this time against the Champagne field, near Rheims. Direct hits were seen on both hangars and on planes parked near them. Flak was meagre to intense, the first Forts getting in before the batteries really opened up, the bombers at the rear of the formation catching a heavier dose. No air opposition and a perfect fighter escort.

Two outstanding incidents of the mission were the explosion of a heavy calibre AA shell in "Whodat?", a 534th ship, killing both waist gunners and the tail gunner, as well as wounding the radio operator, and the fire in the #3 engine of Lt Liddle's ship, "Superstituous Aloysius" as she came over the English coast on the return trip.

Lt Liddle turned his bomber back towards the North Sea and all ten crew bailed out safely. The Fort finally crashed into a cottage after changing course and heading south, the result, probably, of the loss of power on the right wing.
Lt Henry, 534th, flew his ship all the way back to the base, a tremendous hole in each side of the fuselage, in the rear section of the waist. The tail assembly was held to the main airframe only by the three main fore-and-aft braces, two above and one below. Five of his men bailed out over the field, landing safely. Peters and his co-pilot hit the silk over near Ipswich, a few minutes before "Whodat?" plunged into the sea, only a few hundred yards off shore.
Seventeen Caterpillar Club candidates from this group all in one day, including this squadron's: Lts Liddle, Bartlett and Scott; Sgts Hanson, Word, Burke, Ingram, Holmes, Schmitt and Naha.

Today was Ingram's first mission since his discharge from Braintree hospital. In the course of four misions he has crash landed, a brush with flak and now this. Another eventful combat string to date is held by Sgt Naha, a Tewa Indian, "Beaver" in his short combat life, has had a crash landing, has been knocked out by a 20mm shell whose explosion made him a window wider that his head behind his tail gun position, and now the bail out.

Other pilots who took part in today's raid: Lts Liddle, Urban, Mullane, Wilson, Putek, Hallecy and Pluemer.
M/Sgt Stormer left the station hospital today, but will not be assigned to combat duties again, until his right eyeball, scratched, has completely healed.

The following crewmen recently assigned were transferred to the 532nd: S/Sgts Hofert, Swafford and Hintz; Sgts Hitchcock, O'Brien, O'Malley, Snyder, Nichols, Lobasso, Dell, Orr, Prettyman, Hank and Cpl Waggy. S/Sgt Harrington who recently finished up with this squadron, was also transferred to the 532nd.

29. The Forts today headed for Brunswick, instead of for the primary target, factories at nearby Waggum. Brunswick itself was the target on which they unloaded their bombs.

The Luftwaffe appeared for the first time in almost a month, crewmen reporting about 150 German fighters, which, however, attacked other groups much more heavily than ours. The Jerries outnumbered our P-47's and P-51's but the former engaged them vigorously throughout. The major dogfight of the day lasted about five minutes and occurred just after our group's "bombs away".

Major Halsey flew as deputy group leader with a 533rd crew, our pilots being: Lts Soeder, Wilson, Putek, Urban, Hallecy and Mullane.

1st Lt Holewinski finished up with this one; 1st Sgt Charles D. Butts, sick, transferred to 121st Station Hospital, Braintree, today.

30. Two successive field orders came through, for missions against Ludwigshafen and Oberpfaffenhofen, but both were scrubbed.

Promoted today to Sgt were: James V. Carpenter, William C. Cramer, James Chontos, Jr., Carroll Dunham, Paul R. Gaskill, Warren B. Harden and Rollo W. Kaiser; to Cpl: Paul F. Brooks, Charles L. Haverly and Robert S. Scullion.

The station ground officers' basketball team downed the 535th EM's quintet, 37-33, in a hard-played game at the hangar gym in Great Yeldham tonight. Victory brings the officers the station championship and a loving cup for their club. Our team: Gross (capt), Conduit, Faulkner, Farris and Burckhalter (who postponed leaving for the rest home with his crew in order to play in this game).

31. Half in inch of snow fell, in a steady storm, until about 11.00 hrs today. Spring evidently can wait, along with Heaven and our return home.

To rest home (Burckhalter late): Lts Charles Enos, John Hallecy, Stanley Holewinski, John Deasy; Sgts Buren Cook, Carrol Fischel, Kermit Sessons, R. R. Smith, Bud Church and Delbert Rasey.

Major Jones' old crewmen today were re-assigned to the squadron from USSTAF HQ in London. They are T/Sgt Joseph Nicatra, S/Sgts Shannon B. Early, James E. Haynie, Alfred I. Haugen, Maurice M. Kelleher, Charles E. Newcomb and 2nd Lts Arthur L. Guertin and Charles W. Nevius. Also returning is S/Sgt William P. Kiniklis, MIA in first Schweinfurt mission, re-assigned from USSTAF today.

2nd Lt Frank T. Palenik, bombardier of Lt Tyson's crew which was assigned for PFF training, re-assigned to the squadron.

The squadron now has 15 bombers including the two latest assignments: