December 1944
Mission #121
2 December 1944
Target: Blechhammer, Germany
25 aircraft with 2 early return dropped 44.0 tons of bombs with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
Blechhamme South Oil Refinery was the first target for the group for the month of December. It was one of the high priority targets for the 15th Air Force. When we attack it, the refinery was only putting out 40% of capacity, but was under repair. The weather was clear over the target, but our bombers were hampered by smoke. 40 tons of bombs were dropped, and the target was believed to be well hit. Flak was I-A-H (intense, accurate and heavy) in the target area, but no planes were lost, although two were damaged.
Mission #122
3 December 1944
Target: Innsbruck, Austria
2 aircraft with 0 early return dropped 3.0 tons of bombs with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
Latest intelligence information accounted for 685 cars in the yards, and two planes were sent to this target to bomb by instruments under cover of the weather. Three tons of bombs were dropped, and the Mickey operators believed the results were good.
Mission #123
6 December 1944
Target: Maribou, Yugoslavia
35 aircraft with 12 early return dropped 45.75 tons of bombs with 1 losses and 10 casualties.
35 aircraft were sent to this target, but because of poor weather conditions, the formation became separated before reaching the objective. 10 planes bombed Maribor, but results were unobserved, while the rest bombed the Graz M/Y, the first alternate. Results at this target were also unobserved. Weather was 10/10 at both targets. One aircraft failed to return to base.
Mission #124
7 December 1944
Target: Innsbruck, Austria
2 aircraft with 1 early return dropped 1.5 tons of bombs with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
Under cover of night two planes were dispatched to this target. One plane returned early, but the other went on to drop 1.5 tons of bombs on the target. Results were unobserved.
Mission #125
8 December 1944
Target: Moosbierbaum, Austria
2 aircraft with 2 early return due to bad weather with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
Mission recalled because of bad weather. Two aircraft only.
Mission #126
9 December 1944
Target: Linz, Austria
33 aircraft with 33 early return due to bad weather with 1 losses and 10 casualties.
33 aircraft were recalled from this mission because of bad weather.
Mission #127
10 December 1944
Target: Brux, Czechoslovakia
27 aircraft with 27 early return due to bad weather with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
27 aircraft were recalled because of bad weather.
Mission #128
11 December 1944
Target: Graz, Austria
28 aircraft with 3 early return dropped 49.75 tons of bombs with 1 losses and 10 casualties.
28 aircraft took off to bomb the Blechhammer Refinery on this date, but weather conditions forced them to turn to the fourth alternate, the Graz M/Y. It was hazy over the target and the results were thought to be poor.
Mission #129
12 December 1944
Target: Blechhammer, Germany
2 aircraft with 0 early return dropped 3.0 tons of bombs with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
Under cover of 10/10 undercast two planes were sent to this target to bomb by instruments. Three tons of bombs were droped in the target with results unobserved.
Mission #130
15 December 1944
Target: Linz, Austria
26 aircraft with 1 early return dropped 43.25 tons of bombs with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
26 aircraft were sent to destroy this target. The target is the main bottleneck of German traffic moving from the west to the east. The weather again was poor, necessitating the use of instruments. 41 tons of bombs were dropped, but results were unobserved.
Mission #131
16 December 1944
Target: Brux, Czechoslovakia
27 aircraft with 3 early return dropped 43.5 tons of bombs with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
Our target for 16 December was the Brux Synthetic Oil Plant which was rated as the number two priority target in all of Europe. 27 aircraft were sent to this target, but again it was the same old story on the weather. It was 10/10 over the area to be bombed, but the formation continued on instruments. Results were unobserved, but thought to be good. 36 tons of bombs were dropped.
Mission #132
17 December 1944
Target: Odertal, Germany
30 aircraft with 1 early return dropped 52.5 tons of bombs with 2 losses and 25 casualties.
Odertal Oil Refinery had been under attack before this date, but was still able to produce 4000 tons of gasoline a month. On this day, 30 B-24s attacked it, dropping 52.5 tons of bombs. Results were unobserved. On this mission, our group was attacked by fighters. Between 30 and 40 of them attacked the formation just as our escort left. We didn't lose any planes to them, while knocking down 7 of their planes.
Mission #133
18 December 1944
Target: Blechhammer, Germany
24 aircraft with 5 early return dropped 33.0 tons of bombs with 1 losses and 10 casualties.
It was another pathfinder mission. A 10/10 undercast over the target made it necessary for the bomb run to be made on instruments. Results were again unobserved, but it was thought that they were good. 19 aircraft dropped 33 tons of bombs on the target.
Mission #134
19 December 1944
Target: Blechhammer, Germany
22 aircraft with 5 early return dropped 25.5 tons of bombs with 1 losses and 10 casualties.
After bombing the North Refinery on December 18, the South Rerfinery was the target on the 19th. This mission was a duplication of the one going before. The target was bombed by pathfinder, and again results were believed to be good, although they were unobserved. 18 tons of bombs were dropped.
Mission #135
20 December 1944
Target: Brux, Czechoslovakia
3 aircraft with 3 early return dropped 34.25 tons of bombs with 1 losses and 5 casualties.
On this mission Linz was the third alternate target. It was bombed by pathfinder when a 10/10 undercast obscured the target area. Again results were thought to be good, although they were unobserved. 34 tons of bombs were dropped.
Mission #136
25 December 1944
Target: Brux, Czechoslovakia
26 aircraft with 5 early return dropped 36.0 tons of bombs with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
36 aircraft took off to bomb Brux, but because of heavy overcast, the aircraft became divided. One aircraft bombed Villach, one at Wels, Austria, and the rest returned their bombs to base. The mission was unsuccessful, but all planes returned to base safely.
Mission #137
27 December 1944
Target: Venzone Viaduct, Italy
31 aircraft with 0 early return dropped 75.5 tons of bombs with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
This mission was one of the first in which the weather was clear over the target. Results were good although the bombardier in the first box had a malfunction. The bombs seemed to straddle the visduct. 75 tons of bombs were dropped on this target which was a very important part of the communication system from Vienna through Villach into Italy.
Mission #138
28 December 1944
Target: Venzone Viaduct, Italy
28 aircraft with 1 early return dropped 75.0 tons of bombs with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
This target was very close to the one which the group attacked the preceding day. The weather clear again and, again the objective was badly damaged.
Mission #139
29 December 1944
Target: Passau, Austria
27 aircraft with 2 early return dropped 54.0 tons of bombs with 0 losses and 0 casualties.
The last target for the month was the Passau M/Y, a rail center on the most direct line from Central Germany and Vienna. It was particularly important at this time because the enemy was trying to avoid using the facilities at Munich. Although the target was cloud covered, 54 tons of bombs were dropped in a good concentration.
