| APO-520 | US ARMY |
| S-2 NARRATIVE REPORT | |
| MISSION DATE: JANUARY 16, 1944 |
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MISSION NBR. 7 TARGET: Ossopo, Italy - Airdrome I. CHRONOLOGY Five b-24's dropped 12 ½ tons of 500 lb Demo. bombs on primary target at 1306 hours from 21,000 feet. Twenty-four of our aircraft dropped 60 tons of 500 lb Demo. bombs on alternate target, Zara, Yugoslavia at 1312 hours from 19,000 - 22,000 feet. Five of our aircraft jettisoned bombs in the Adriatic Sea enroute to home base, since they left the formation early. II. ROUTE AND ASSAULT No Information Given. III. RESULTS Five ship elements over Ossopo report bombs in general area of target, administration or barracks destroyed. Twenty-four aircraft at Zara report harbor installations and town area well covered by bomb bursts. One large ship in harbor claimed hit, and sunk - unconfirmed. IV. ENEMY RESISTANCE A. Fighters: Nine of our aircraft reported attacks from 35 to 40 ME-109's and FW-190's, in the primary target area and over the water along the adjacent Adriatic Coast. Attacks principally from 5 - 6 - 7 o'clock from above. During these attacks the formation was flanked on each side about 2,000 yards out by enemy aircraft. Five of our aircraft claim to have destroyed 9 ME-109's as follows: Ship #163, claimed 2 enemy aircraft shot down by Top and Tail Gunners. Leading enemy aircraft blew up with fragments hitting second ship which went into dive and disappeared. Our aircraft #905, reports that Tail Gunner hit one enemy aircraft coming from 4 - 5 level. Enemy aircraft burst into flames, pilot bailed out. Aircraft #161, claimed that Top Turret, Ball Turret, and Left Waist Gunners hit 3 to 15 attacking ME-109's at 1330 hours. Attacks from tail at 5 o'clock high. 3 enemy aircraft hit water. In addition, hits were observed on 2 other enemy aircraft, probables, in the same encounters. B. Flak: Encounted as follows: Over Ossopo, Coorke, Cosara, Italy of heavy type, slight to medium intensity. Accurate over Ossopo, inaccurate at other points. At Zara, flak heavy type, medium intensity inaccurate. Pola, same type, inaccurate. V. OBSERVATIONS A submarine and 10 small miscellaneous ships seen at Pola. A large Aircraft Carrier seen headed southeast off coast of Island of Unie. VI. CASUALTIES One B-24 of our element attacking primary target was seen going down with 2 engines on fire at 1330 hours. 8 to 11 mean seen to bail out. |
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VII. VICTORIES |
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| Destroyed | Probable | Damaged | |
| 9 ME-109's | 2 ME-109's |
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VII. FLIGHT LEADERS |
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| Mills | Kingsman | Gideon | Richman |