The target for today, 22nd February 1944, were the aircraft manufacturing factories situated at Halberstadt and Aschersleben, Germany. With favourable weather conditions over the target area, the bomber force were able to hit their primary targets. However, the weather conditions over the UK had earlier in the day already caused chaos and had severely hampered the bomber force numerically, and unfortunately for the 384th, were to also contributed to a tragic incident that was to claim the lives of eight of their crewmen a few short miles from Grafton Underwood.

This was what was to become better known a 'Big Week' - a concerted, maximum effort by the 8th Air Force to break the back of the German Luftwaffe. Today's targets, on day 3 of this effort, were central to this - Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke was an aircraft manufacturing plant that had been repurposed to produce spare parts and components for manufacturing & repair purposes, whilst A.G.O. Flugzeugwerke (Apparatebau GmbH Oschersleben) was a major producer of aircraft, notably the Focke-Wulk FW190 fighter. By crippling both plants, the effect on the ability of the Luftwaffe to both repair and put new aircraft in the air, would be hit. Aircraft from the USAAF 15th Air Force, flying out of airfields in Italy, attacked similar targets at Regensburg simultaneously.

The 384th Bomb Group provided elements of two Group formations today - one element being the high group of 41st 'A' Combat Bombardment Wing led by Major Alfred Nuttall, and the other the high element of the high group of 41st 'B' Combat Bombardment Wing.

Due to heavy overcast, the sixteen aircraft of the 'A' group soon became disorientated when trying to form up with the other element of their wing. Eventually, the decision was made for all aircraft to return to base after four hours of flying, complete with their load of M-47-A1 100lb. incendiary bombs.

The 'B' group, consisiting of the remaining 17 384th aircraft, was led by Major George Harris, Commanding Officer of the 546th BS. They took off between 08.51 and 09.02, reaching 6,000ft in clear weather and were able to formate within the wing without issue around Molesworth. However, tragedy was shortly to strike the Group. 

B-17G #42-31516 June Bug, piloted by 1Lt. Sidney Jeter, was positioned in the top section of the 'B' group formation. At around 8,000ft., as the group continued it's formation, a second group of B-17's were spotted approaching, on  collision course. With the 384th section starting an emergency dive, and the other group trying to climb to pass over them, June Bug collided with a B-17 from the other formation. The other aircraft involved, B-17G #42-38041 Hells Angels II, was from the 358th BS, 303rd Bomb Group from Molesworth. Both aircraft fell from the sky, with the tail section completely severed from the 303rd aircraft. Both aircraft crashed on land near the River Nene in Northamptonshire - the 303rd aircraft in an area outside of Stanwick (now Stanwick Lakes nature reserve), and the 384th aircraft just outside of Irthlingborough, around two miles away. Of the twenty crew members, there were just three survivors who had been able to parachute to safety - two from June Bug, and one from Hells Angels II. The incident occurred at 09.30, just 7 miles from the base.

A further casualty of the collision was B-17G #42-97449, piloted by 1Lt. Kendall Daskey - a section of horizontal stabiliser from June Bug had struck their #3 engine, forcing the aircraft to make a hasty return to Grafton Underwood. Four other B-17's of the 384th were to also abort shortly after, through a mix of mechanical and weather related issues.

Fighter cover for the Group was provided by P-47 Thunderbolts, who stayed with the formation until around 12.30. With the break in fighter escort, the German fighter forces were ready to press home their attack, with four aircraft being lost in quick succession.

First to be lost was B-17G #42-97450, piloted by 1Lt. Henry Victor Markow, which was shot down again near to Wessel, Germany. Attacked by FW190's, the bomb load was set on fire. Severely damaged, the order to bail out was given - however, 2Lt. George Littleton (bombardier) had lost his parachute and was unable to exit the aircrfat. He proceeded to climb into the now vacant pilot's seat - seeing this, 1Lt. Markow returned to the cockpit and climbed into the co-pilot's seat. Between the two of them, they were able to bring the stricken B-17 in for a crash landing. All ten crew members were to become POW's.

Also lost in quick succession were three other aircraft - B-17G #42-97488, piloted by 2Lt. Norman Francis DeFrees was shot down near Wessel / Dortmund, Germany, losing it's tail section in the process - of the crew of ten, all became POW's. B-17G #42-3087 Clean Cut, piloted by 2Lt. William Joseph Kew, was shot down near Wessel, Germany - of the crew of ten, two were killed with the remaining eight becoming POW's. One casulaty was 2nd Lt. Kew, who had remained with the aircraft as the crew bailed out, the aircraft eventually exploding with it assumed the pilot still at his postion - this was his 14th mission. The second casualty was T/Sgt James W. Ross (top turret/engineer), on his 13th mission. He had been seen to bail out of the aircraft but was dead by the time his body came to the ground, it being unclear whether his parachute had failed or he had been killed during the descent. The surviving crew were to gather his body and carry it through the remainder of the day, until eventually handing it over to German forces. B-17G #42-39089, piloted by 2Lt. Raymond Leroy McDonald, was brought down possibly by flak, this aircraft crashing eventually near to Oostrum in the Netherlands. Of the crew of ten, nine were to become POW's. The tenth crew member, 2nd Lt. Paul M. Smith (Co-Pilot) was killed, possibly due to a damage parachute caused by an onboard fire. This was his twelfth mission. Of note, twin brothers ball turret gunner S/Sgt. Richard Egger, and tail gunner S/Sgt. Robert Egger, were part of this crew.

At around 13.03, fighter escort P-51's arrived, driving of the numerically superior Luftwaffe forces, leaving the small bomber force of just seven B-17's to concentrate on the bomb run in to the target. With fighters driven off, and no flak over the target area, bombing results were reported as excellent.

The return flight was mainly without incident, with isolated enemy fighter attacks. Several of the Groups aircraft landed away from base due to damage incurred.

In the aftermath of the mission, Major Harris was to be critical of the fighter escort support for the group on this day, as not being 'as briefed'. The initial P-47 escorts stayed with the group for just 23 minutes, whilst the four P-51's had the desired effect of driving off the enemy figters but left the bomber force after reaching the target. The last P-47 escorts did not reach the bombers until the Belgian border, at around 15.45.

Of the 33 aircraft assigned to the mission, a total of 21 were to abort (either due to the weather issues or due to mechanical failure), 4 failed to return, 1 was lost in a mid-air collision, with just 7 able to proceed to the target area.

The cost for the 384th Bomb Group today was high, give the actual numbers of aircraft that were actually able to complete the mission. Of the 330 crew members that set out in the morning, 2 survived their bailing out of June Bug over the UK, 11 were killed in action (including 8 over the UK in June Bug), with a further 37 ending the day as POW's.

With kind thanks to the 384th Bomb Group Heritage Association website (384thbombgroup.com) for permission in using material from their records in the making of this story. It holds a wealth of information, documents and photographs of the Group’s activities during World War 2.

Research courtesy of Keith Andrews on behalf of 384th Bombardment Group Museum.