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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Posted on 01/17/2003 5:34:18 AM PST by SAMWolf
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are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Schweinfurt Oct. 14, 1943 Imagine if a squadron-sized unit simply failed to return to duty after taking part in a contingency.  That's precisely what confronted in the 305th Bombardment Group 59 years ago, following what is perhaps the greatest air battle in history. Rightly called "Black Thursday" by veterans, the Oct. 14, 1943 mission to Schweinfurt, Germany, was the most arduous of the war. Incredibly, of the 15 group aircraft able to participate in the mission, the Luftwaffe claimed 13, and 130 crewmembers. Of the downed airmen, 40 died and 20 were wounded, while another 79 became prisoners of war. Four airmen evaded capture and eventually returned to duty, while the remaining crewmen spent the war interned in Switzerland.  It took many months for the "Can Do" group to recover from the raid, and the wounds of that day are still felt by the group's veterans. The 305th BG had raided Schweinfurt before, on Aug. 17, 1943. The experience had been chilling, with much aerial opposition and flak, but the group held together and lost no aircraft. The "Black Thursday" Schweinfurt raid was completely different. Mistakes up and down the chain of command -- from security lapses to poor weather briefings -- led to unmitigated disaster for the Eighth Air Force and nearly halted the combined bombing offensive. Departing from the disciplined model of Col. Curtis LeMay, the group struggled with one problem after another in the bad weather that blanketed England. The group missed its assigned rendezvous with its element leader and every other subsequent navigational waypoint over England. Eventually, the 305th formed up on the wrong combat wing -- the 1st Combat Wing rather than the 40th -- becoming the "low group" in a very unconventional four-group alignment. Unlike England, the weather over occupied Europe was generally excellent for the defending fighters, only adding more misery to the 305th's longest day, as flak, fighters and coast watchers had no trouble plotting their course.  Rocket-firing German Messerschmitt-110s and Messerschmitt-210s destroyed most of the 305th BG before they even reached the Rhein River -- some 115 miles short of the target. Only three of the group's B-17s made it to the target area -- one of those crews released its bomb load while the aircraft burned. Only two 305th BG B-17s left Schweinfurt that day, and their crews managed to survive the long trip back to England by tucking into the 92nd Bomb Group's protective formation. Many tales of bravery transpired that day, such that unbelievable courage was the rule rather than the exception. Unfortunately, there weren't enough survivors to write many decoration packages. Since only two moderately damaged "Flying Fortresses" had taxied to the maintenance area, Lt. Col. Thomas McGehee, commander of the 305th, asked a returning crewman where the rest of the group's B-17s were. He received the most chilling reply in 305 AMW history.  "Sir, there are no more ships," the crewman said. "We are the only ones left." The ground crews of the missing 13 aircraft refused to give up hope and desperately milled about the hardstands for hours until ordered to stand down. Leadership sometimes requires that higher headquarters be disappointed. Given the abysmal weather over England, the lack of coordination in the air, and the known, strong aerial opposition ahead, the Schweinfurt mission should have been scrubbed. Despite the odds, the Eighth Air Force had not turned back, had hit its intended target, and suffered the loss of more than 600 crewmen that day. As a result, the face of the bomber offensive changed almost immediately. Never again would the Eighth Air Force commit so many lives to deep penetrations of occupied Europe without adequate fighter protection. No group ever again suffered the horrendous 87-percent attrition rate the "Can Do" group did that October day. When the 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division liberated Schweinfurt in 1945, they sent the Nazi flag flying over the town hall to the men of the 305th Bombardment Group. Now housed at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, the flag is inscribed with the simple words, "The Rainbow has avenged your losses at Schweinfurt." 
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I guess you mean "Black Thursday". It is an awesome book, in my opinion. I read it first when I was about 12 years old. B-17's rule!
Walt
Luftwaffe War Diaries, p.340 by Cajus Bekker
"The First and the Last" p. 178, Adolf Galland
Boy it really torques the Brits off when you point out little factoids like this.
Walt
A very unhappy "what didn't" was that an effective long range escort was not developed sooner. And what is most tragic is that that escort WAS IN ENGLAND in the summer of 1942. That was the P38.
There was a P38 group sent to England; shortly it was detailed to North Africa.
The P-38 would and could have been MUCH more effective as an escort than it was, and earlier than it was.
As many may not know, the P-38 was plagued by mechanical problems that limited its effectiveness. I don't recall the exact problems, but they caused the lead to separate out of the gasoline, causing detonation, and engine failure. A re-designed carburator --later-- fixed the problem. As it was, even a few dozen P-38's made a big difference in breaking up the German fighter attacks on the bomber boxes. But the technical problems were not given top priority, and no large P-38 force was built up in '42-'43. Some DID go to Guadalcanal. Great thinking.
The big wigs in England just kept bulling ahead, thinking they were killing the German day fighter force, when that just wasn't happening. They seemed to think the bomber boxes were these flying buzz saws that would wreck the German fighter force. Black Thursday was the final wake up call. The 8th had lost 45 Forts on a raid to Munster the week previous to 14 October, '43.
It was finally an assistant secretary of War that came out to England in the Summer of '43 that got the ball rolling faster on the redesigned Mustang.
But the Germans had defeated the day bomber as of 10/14/43.
Walt
So I was 'kind-of' ready when on 19 Dec. '72 they put up a slide of... not Schweinfurt....
I have heard more than 600 J57s running at the same time. Have you any idea what that sounds like?
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