A B-17 Flying Fortress of the 91st Bomb Group in flight, photographed from the nose gun position of another B-17.
Two U.S. air gunners show how they repel enemy attacks showing the heavy calibre machine-gun bullets that drape from a container in the ceiling of the Fortress which feeds into their guns
First American Raid On Germany. Flying Fortresses And Liberators Of The U.S. Army Air Corps Carried Out Their First Raid On Germany On Wednesday Last. O.P.S., Left To Right: Sergt. Ward W. Kirkpatrick, (Kalispele, Mont.); T/Sgt. Lucian W. Means, (Luguna Beach, Cal.); 1st Lt. Milton K. Conver, (Cincinnatti, Ohio); 2nd Lt. John W. Dillinger, (Avoca, Iowa), co-pilot; Capt. B.B. Southworth, (Columbus, Ohio), pilot; Sgt. Jack Belk, (Temple, Tex.); Sgt. William Fleming, (Burdine, K.Y.); 1st Lt. Jon R. Schueler, (Milwaukee, Wis.); T/Sgt. Edward J. Doughty, (Phiadelphia, Penn.); T/Sgt. Waldo B. Brandt, (Denver, Ind.). Barratt's. 29/1/43.'
One of the many decisions made at the Casablanca Conference was confirmation of the intensified bomber offensive against Germany, now to be undertaken by both RAF Bomber Command and the U.S. Eighth Air Force, based in Britain. This was known as the 'Casablanca Directive":
1. Your Primary object will be the progressive destruction and dislocation of the German military, industrial, and economic system, and the undermining of the morale of the German people to a point where their capacity for armed resistance is fatally weakened.
The 8th Air Force had been building up its strength in Britain since early 1942 and had flown its first missions against targets in occupied France.
Capt. McKay, of the 306th Bomb Group, in the cockpit of his B-17 Flying Fortress, led the Fortresses on the bombing raid on Wilhelmshaven.
Some of the airmen from America who are taking part in the daily raids on enemy occupied territory and Germany, in their giant high altitude aircraft, the "Flying Fortress", capable of carrying a 10,000 pound bomb load.
'They "Bailed Out" On Saturday But Bombed Germany On Wednesday. One of the Fortresses which took part in the first American daylight raid on Germany on Wednesday was manned by a crew who had "bailed out" on Saturday. They were the crew of one of the Fortresses which had bombed Lorraine, and having got back to England on one engine the pilot, Lt. G. Oxrider, ordered his crew to bail out, and then managed to land the plane safely in a field. O.P.S., left to right: 2nd Lt. D.W. Hurlburt, (Panama) co-pilot; 2nd Lt. Donald L. Grant, (Sullivan, Ill.) navigator; 1st Lt. George T. Oxrider, (Dayton, Ohio) pilot; T/Sgt. Everet A. Dasher, (Marlow, G.A.); T/Sgt. F.B. Ziemer, (Kanakee, Ill.) Gunner; 2nd Lt. Earle A. Steele, (Elisabeth, Colo) Bombardier; Sergt. Theodore C. Heaps, (Dusquesne, Penna). (Barratt's, 29/1/43).' [See also #41-24541, Spook, below]
Now operations moved up a stage with the first attack1 on Germany from Britain. This was a very modest beginning compared with what was to come :
303rd BG(H) Combat Mission No. 12 27 January 1943 Target: Wilhelmshaven Naval Base, Germany Crews Dispatched: 11 Length of Mission: 5 1/2 hours Bomb Load: 4 x 1000 lbs H.E. Demolition bombs Bombing Altitude: 23,000 ft Ammo Fired: 14,142 rounds Enemy Aircraft Claims: 1 Destroyed, 1 Damaged
Germany, for the first time, was bombed with U.S. bombs, from U.S. airplanes, with U.S. crews. Maj. Green and Lt. Von Schmidt conducted the briefing at 0545 hours.
#41-24541, Spook, 358BS-G, piloted by Lt. Oxrider, had a harrowing experience in keeping with the aircraft's name. A life raft, released by the vibration from the firing of the top turret by T/Sgt. Frederick B. Ziemer, struck the left waist gunner, Sgt. Wilmer G. Raesley. The left waist gun went wild, shooting holes in the side of the aircraft and wounding the tail gunner, S/Sgt. James K. Sadler. Sgt. Sadler received two bullet holes (not serious) in his right buttock and was hospitalized. These events caused Lt. Oxrider to return home when ten miles over the English Channel.
Both waist guns and the ball turret fuse went out on #41-24558, Hunga Dunga, 358BS-F, piloted by Lt. McDonald.
#41-24605, Knockout Dropper, 359BS-R, piloted by Lt. Roller, turned back when the interphone system stopped working.
The eight remaining 303rd BG(H) B-17s and 45 others from the 91st, 305th, and 306th Bomb Groups, bombed the secondary target at Wilhelmshaven. The primary target, a power house at Vegesack, Germany, was obscured by clouds.
The 2BW B-24s failed to bomb when they were unable to locate the target because of cloud cover and poor navigation. Moderate, heavy and inaccurate anti-aircraft fire was observed in the target area while dropping 1,000-lb. bombs from 25,000 feet. Ten to fifteen ME-109s were observed by the crews and about 30 encounters ensued. There were many claims for aircraft destroyed, and gunners were credited with one destroyed that crashed into the sea and one damaged.
All aircraft returned safely with only a few battle scars. Gunners declared that most of the German pilots were "Greenhorns" and made constant tactical mistakes, many of which would not be made again. Two crewmen suffered from frostbite.
AMERICAN AIRMEN WHO MADE FIRST DAYLIGHT RAID ON GERMANY. Intelligence officers questioning members of a Fortress crew, the first to bomb Wilhelmshaven. Left to right: Major John B. Wright, Group Intelligence Officer of New York; Major Ralph Oliver, Operations Officer of Palo Alto Calif., Talking to Lt. Frank Yaussi of Glendale, Calif; Lt. R.J. Salitrink of Alhambra, Calif.; S/Sgt Donald Tunstall of Darlington, S. Carolina,; S/Sgt Raymond R. Erikson of Chicago; and S/Sgt Charles D. Hill of Baltimore.
Part of a vertical photographic reconnaissance aerial taken over Wilhelmshaven, Germany, showing the naval ammunition depot at Mariensel, prior to attacks by the USAAF (27 January 1943) and RAF Bomber Command (11/12 February 1943).
Part of a vertical photographic reconnaissance aerial taken over Wilhelmshaven, Germany, showing the naval ammunition depot at Mariensel, after the night attack by RAF Bomber Command on 11/12 February 1943. This raid was the first on which Pathfinder aircraft used the H2S radar successfully to mark the target accurately. The resulting bombing by the Main Force was very effective, detonating an explosion in the depot which devastated an area of nearly 120 acres and caused widespread damage in the dockyards and town. Blast damage can be seen to have spread as far as the oil storage tanks on the south side of the Tirpitz Hafen (bottom right).
