Mission No. 97
15 Jun 1944
Station: 166
Target: Road Junction at St. Martin du Besaces, France
Time Of Take-Off: 07:37 / Time Over Target: 08:59 / Time Landed: 10:20
36 B-26 aircraft were dispatched to attack an enemy Road Junction at St. Martin du Besaces, France. 2 flights were loaded with 8x500LB General Purpose bombs and 4 flights 16x250LB General Purpose bombs, with bombing to be done by flights of 6 aircraft at 8,000 feet or below the cloud layer. Allied aircraft will furnish area cover.
Weather conditions were 6/10 to 8/10 medium clouds over England, nil clouds over the Channel and over the target area with 10 to 15 miles visibility.
No photo coverage was available for the 1st flight of the 1st box, but crews reported results as excellent. The bombs of the 2nd flight fell in open fields about 3 miles from the aiming point. The bombs of the 3rd flight fell in a tight concentration about 740 feet of the aiming point, with hits across one main and one minor road but mostly in open fields. Results for the 2nd and 3rd flights were rated as GROSS and FAIR respectively.
The bombs of the 1st flight of the 2nd box fell in an excellent concentration across a main road intersection northeast of the aiming point, and small buildings and open fields about 500 feet from the aiming point. The bombs of the 2nd flight fell in a good concentration about 200 feet northwest of aiming point and walked northwest of aiming point hitting a main road, 7 small buildings and open fields. The bombs of the 3rd flight fell in a tight concentration across a main road next to the aiming point with hits on one large and 3 or 4 small buildings, the rest falling in open fields. Results were rated as GOOD, FAIR, and GOOD by the group's photographic interpreters.
Heavy, Moderate, Accurate FLAK was encountered over the target area; also Heavy, Weak, Inaccurate FLAK at Caen and Tille, and Heavy, Moderate, Inaccurate FLAK at Falaise. 5 aircraft suffered battle damage, including Schreiber (a/c 739) whose right wing was badly hit by FLAK and caused him to briefly fall out of formation. His Flight Engineer, Sgt. Franklin J. Randall, also received slight wounds to his face.
One crew reported that there were only about 6 bursts of flak but that they were "Accurate as hell". Many crews reported extensive FLAK damage and felt that more evasive action was needed when passing near known enemy FLAK gun positions. Two B-26s (presumably from another group) were sighted returning to England: one plane was silver, one dark.

SECTION VALUE
Field Order:113
Reel:B0435
Page Start:576
Mission:97
Date Order Sent:15 Jun 1944
Zero Hour (Day number + Time):150700b
Target(s) (Primary, Secondary, Alternate):St. Martin du Besaces.
Fighter Escort:Allied aircraft will furnish area cover.
Rendezvous:
Route Out:base to Brighton to 49d17n/00d06w to 48d42n/00d15w to target.
Route Back:turn right to 49d22n/00d58w to Selsey Bill.
Altitudes:8000 feet or below cloud deck.
Initial Point (IP):48d42n/00d15w
Axis of Attack:310 Degrees.
Emergency Airdromes:
Intervalometer Setting:50 feet
Bomb Load:4 flights 16x250gp fused 1/100 sec tail only, 2 flights 8x500gp fused 1/10 sec nose and 1/100 sec tail, 1 leaflet bomb ZG5 will be dropped.
Purpose/Notes/Time Over Target:bombing will be done by flights.
OPFLASH
SECTION VALUE
Reel: B0435
Page: 582
Field Order: 113
A(i) Target Ordered: St. Martin du Besaces
A(ii) Target Attacked: St. Martin du Besaces
B(i) Group: 391
B(ii) No. Of A/C Off By Type: 36 B-26
B(iii) No. A/C Failing To Bomb: (weather-personnel-mechanical-other): 0-0-0-0
B(iv) No. A/C Bombing: (primary-secondary-other): 36-0-0
C(i) Time Up: 07:37
C(ii) Time Over Target: 08:59
C(iii) Time Down: 10:20
D(i) No A/C: (missing-destroyed-damaged(cat. B-A/C)-Damaged(Cat. A)): 0-0-1-4
D(ii) Enemy A/C: (destroyed-prob. Destroyed-Damaged): 0-0-0
D(iii) No. Crew: (killed-wounded-missing): 0-1-0
E. Results Of Bombing: good to excellent as observed by crews.
F(i)(A) Enemy Opposition Over Target: nil
F(i)(B) Enemy Opposition Elsewhere: nil
F(ii)(A) Flak Over Target: HF M ACC
F(ii)(B) Flak Elsewhere: HF W INACC at Caen and Tille; HF M INACC at Falaise.
G. info,Observations, Hot News: 2 B-26 were sighted returning to England singly when this flight was going in. The ships were not on single engine. One plane was silver, one dark.
H(i) Weather Affecting Bombing: 10 to 15 miles visibility, clouds nil.
H(ii) Weather En Route: nil clouds over channel, 6/10 to 8/10 medium clouds over England.
I. Bombs On: (primary-secondary-other-jettisoned-returned): 327-0-0-0-9 (250gp), 96-0-0-0-0 (500gp), leaflet bomb ZG5 not on hand.
J. Altitude Of Attack: 8000 to 9000
View Crew Loading Lists for Mission No. 97
DIAGRAM NOTES:

Pilot and crew are not shown on crew loading lists where Squadron field of aircraft is blank.

All aircraft not participating in this mission (e.g. Spares, Abortive) are shown in yellow.

All aircraft damaged by FLAK are shown in orange.


Box #1 - Lead Flight
Sellers
573
801-G
19
Youse
573
102-X
23
Colsch
573
978-Q
22
Ljunggren
572
836-N
14
Boylan
573
822-O
24
Bjork
573
834-F
17
Box #1 - High Flight
Armstrong
572
947-U
15
Hartman
573
828-L
24
Dearing
572
719-F
13
Sloss
573
820-S
21
Watson
572
813-J
7
Bollinger
573
595-V
18
Box #1 - Low Flight
Shaffner
573
825-B
25
Baxter
572
812-D
9
Clark
573
842-D
28
Logan
573
810-W
25
Dillard
573
806-C
22
Cassiday
573
841-A
28
Lowe
809-O
16

Box #2 - Lead Flight
Olfson
575
847-H
41
Tucker
575
844-D
38
Fleck
575
843-J
45
Schirmer
575
678-M
40
Martin
575
808-C
44
Harlow
574
839-G
37
Box #2 - High Flight
O'Hare
574
873-U
37
Wilkinson
575
855-R
45
Schreiber
574
739-O
31
Jannsen
575
620-B
46
Kiedinger
574
597-P
32
Lakin
574
815-W
36
Box #2 - Low Flight
Stalnaker
575
821-O
38
Wolfe
575
846-P
39
Ruble
575
853-F
39
Petrich
575
811-V
47
Jacobi
575
932-T
46
La Framboise
575
615-A
41
Rutledge
268-K
44
Box #2 - Extra Flight/Spares
Spare Lead
931-F
34
Spare
797-P
16