| APO-520 | US ARMY |
| S-2 NARRATIVE REPORT | |
| MISSION DATE: APRIL 4, 1944 | |||||||||
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MISSION NBR. 44 TARGET: Bucharest, Rumania - Marshalling Yard I. CHRONOLOGY Forty-one B-24's took off at 1010 hours to bomb Bucharest Marshalling Yard. Three returned early. Thirty-four dropped 101 tons of 500 lb G.P. bombs on target at 1406 hours from 19,500 - 23,000 feet. Six planes jettisoned due to sundry mechanical malfunctions. Thirty-eight returned to base at 1655 to 1730 hours. None lost. None at other bases. II. ROUTE AND ASSAULT Rendezvous was made with the 98th Bomb Group over Manduria at 1059 hours on course to San Vito Di'Normanni. Rendezvous was completed with the other groups comprising the attack wing. Then to Yugoslav Coast to I.P. then over target on a 120 degree heading. Rally was right and then direct home. III. RESULTS Attack was made on a direct course down the railroad tracks from the NW. Our aiming point was covered by a concentration of hits. Many other strikes were seen as per photo coverage assessment with the following as important points: Direct hit on choke point leading north to Ploesti. Thirty-six direct hits on choke point with at least four strikes on the Prahova Oil Refinery, a large fire resulting. Twenty-four hits on choke point SE of locomotive sheds. Twenty-four strikes on sidings and industrial area. Many hits on industrial buildings. About 24 hits seen on warehouses and stores buildings 3500 feet NW of roundhouse in the NW marshalling yard. IV. ENEMY RESISTANCE A. Fighters: All encounters occurred in the target area. Moderately aggressive attacks were made from 6 o'clock level principally by ME-109's and FW-190's, singly and in pairs; a few JU-88's and ME-109's stood off out of our range and fired rockets and explosive shells. In all, 10 to 15 ME-109's and FW-190's plus 5 ME-202's, 10 JU-88's, 4 AR-8's and 1 ME-110 were seen. Our claims are: destroyed - 1 ME-109. Markings: FW-190's had some yellow spinners and wing tips. Yellow number 15 was seen on one of these. ME-109's were black-grey with yellow spots. A JU-88 was observed with a yellow nose. One ME-109 had a silver nose with yellow fuselage, while another had a yellow nose and black belly. B. Flak: Over the target, flak was slight to moderate, inaccurate, heavy type. At NIs, moderate, inaccurate, heavy type was encountered. From Skoplje, intense, inaccurate, heavy type came up. Four of our aircraft received minor damage from flak bursts. IN general, it was believed that the enemy flak gunners in the target area were inexperienced and that if radar aiming was used, it was upset by 'window'. V. OBSERVATIONS Smoke screen seen around marshalling yard at target and near Ploesti, not too effective. At 1335 hours from 15,000 feet, 22 barges seen in harbor at Lom. Much traffic in Danube. At 1455 hours, from 11,500 feet, 25 river barges seen at Calafat. At 1338 hours from 15,000 feet, 12 barges seen near Orekhov. At 1340 hours from 16,000 feet near Caracal, 150 oil cars seen in marshalling yard, At 1517 hours at 13,000 feet near Aleksina, freight cars were seen in marshalling yard. At 1459 hours from 13,000 feet military installations seen on east side of river. At 1406 from 21,000 feet at Bucharest/Cotrocene Airdrome 12 aircraft see, 3 or 5 of them bombers. VI. CASUALTIES None. Four of our aircraft received minor flak damage and one received minor damage from fighters. VII. VICTORIES
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| Snaith | Kaecker | Ley | Teed | Word | Gottfried |
| Scott | Poggi | Courtright | Coates | Hervey | Gottlieb |