Professional Documents
Culture Documents
AIRCRAFT
73
Front Cover
Capt Sidney 'Snuffy' S m i t h , CO of
t h e 441st BS, led t h e 320th BG w h e n
it attacked t h e railway bridge at
Rovereto, in Italy, on 21 January
1944. On t h e right w i n g of Smith's
B-26C-45 42-107795 B / N 11 Little
Catherine w a s B-26B-50 42-96016
B / N 04 Doris K. - lidalizeya, f l o w n
by 1Lt Charles O ' M a h o n y . The latter
pilot recalled;
'Fighters intercepted our
formation of 18 Marauders before
t h e b o m b run. "I've got fighters at
'one o'clock h i g h ! ' " w a s t h e call t h a t
c a m e crackling t h r o u g h m y
headphones. Definitely bad n e w s ,
as w e had no fighter escort, so these
had t o be bogeys. "Three at 'eleven
o'clock level', t w o at ' t w e l v e o'clock'
and four at 'nine o'clock h i g h ! ' " They
w e r e circling us like jackals, and w i t h
t h e same fighters being called in
f r o m different crew positions, it
sounded like t h e w h o l e Luftwaffe
w a s there. W i t h no urging, every
ship in t h e formation pulled in closer
t o give us m o r e concentrated
firepower.
'Capt Smith's head looked like it
w a s on a swivel as he tried t o guess
in w h i c h direction t h e fighters w o u l d
m a k e their first pass. Suddenly, his
blue cap dropped f r o m sight, and
m o m e n t s later his head reappeared,
w e a r i n g a flak helmet. Things w e r e
getting serious.
'The air w a s glassy c a l m , and
I had t h e w i n g of m y ship w e l l
overlapped on t h e group lead. Then
I s a w dozens of parallel, ribbon-thin
trails streaking under our
aeroplanes. Christ - those trails are
f r o m machine gun shells! As fast
as t h a t d a w n e d on m e , t h e fighters
hurtled by underneath us.
The author would like to thank the following individuals for the provision of
photographs published in this volume Joe Baugher, Don Enlow, Pete Guerra,
Jack Haher, Jim Hardy, Louise Hertenstein, Alf Egil Johannessen, Bruce
Kwiatkowski, SSgt Roman S Kwiatkowski, Ronald Macklin, Si Ober, Chuck
O'Mahony, Gust and Sophia Poplos, Franz Reisdorf and Lou Sykes.
CONTENTS
C H A P T E R ONE
ISLAND ATTACKS 15
CHAPTER THREE
INVASION OF ITALY 25
C H A P T E R FOUR
ANZIO 37
C H A P T E R FIVE
ON THE ATTACK 65
CHAPTER SIX
ETO OFFENSIVE 81
APPENDICES 89
COLOUR P L A T E S C O M M E N T A R Y 90
I N D E X 96
O S P R EY
COMBAT
AIRCRAFT
* 73
"
B-26 MARAUDER
UNITS OF THE MTO
MARK STYLING
Front Cover
Capt Sidney 'Snuffy' S m i t h , CO of
t h e 441st BS, led t h e 320th BG w h e n
it attacked t h e railway bridge at
Rovereto, in Italy, on 21 January
1944. On t h e right w i n g of S m i t h ' s
B-26C-45 42-107795 B / N 11 Little
Catherine w a s B-26B-50 42-96016
B/N 04 Doris K. - lidalizeya, f l o w n
by I L t Charles O ' M a h o n y . The latter
pilot recalled;
'Fighters intercepted our
formation of 18 Marauders before
t h e b o m b run. "I've got fighters at
'one o'clock h i g h ! ' " w a s t h e call t h a t
c a m e crackling t h r o u g h m y
headphones. Definitely bad n e w s ,
as w e had no fighter escort, so these
had t o be bogeys. "Three at 'eleven
o'clock level', t w o at ' t w e l v e o'clock'
and four at 'nine o'clock h i g h ! ' " They
w e r e circling us like jackals, and w i t h
t h e same fighters being called in
f r o m different c r e w positions, it
sounded like t h e w h o l e Luftwaffe
w a s there. W i t h no urging, every
ship in t h e formation pulled in closer
t o give us more concentrated
firepower.
'Capt S m i t h ' s head looked like it
w a s on a swivel as he tried t o guess
in w h i c h direction t h e fighters w o u l d
m a k e their first pass. Suddenly, his
blue cap dropped f r o m sight, and
m o m e n t s later his head reappeared,
w e a r i n g a flak helmet. Things w e r e
getting serious.
'The air w a s glassy c a l m , and
I had t h e w i n g of m y ship w e l l
overlapped on t h e group lead. Then
I s a w dozens of parallel, ribbon-thin
trails streaking under our
aeroplanes. Christ - those trails are
f r o m machine gun shells! As fast
as t h a t d a w n e d on m e , t h e fighters
hurtled by underneath us.
The author would like to thank the following individuals for the provision of
photographs published in this volume Joe Baugher, Don Enlow, Pete Guerra,
Jack Haher, Jim Hardy, Louise Hertenstein, Alf Egil Johannessen, Bruce
Kwiatkowski, SSgt Roman S Kwiatkowski, Ronald Macklin, Si Ober, Chuck
O'Mahony, Gust and Sophia Poplos, Franz Reisdorf and Lou Sykes.
CONTENTS
C H A P T E R ONE
ISLAND ATTACKS 15
CHAPTER THREE
INVASION OF ITALY 25
C H A P T E R FOUR
ANZIO 37
C H A P T E R FIVE
ON THE ATTACK 65
CHAPTER SIX
ETO OFFENSIVE 81
APPENDICES 89
COLOUR P L A T E S C O M M E N T A R Y 90
I N D E X 96
TRAINING AN
EARLY COMB
"TIME'S
t h e 440th B S / 3 1 9 t h
BG became lost in t h e w i n t e r
weather, ran out of fuel and
force-landed in Labrador on
12 October 1942. Its crew (standing,
left t o right) consisted of pilot
1Lt Grover C Hodge Jr, co-pilot
2Lt Paul L Jannsen, (squatting, f r o m
left t o right) gunner Sgt Bailey and
radio operator Sgt Frank S G a l m .
Hodge, Jannsen and G a l m , along
w i t h navigator I L t E m m a n u e l
J Josephson, engineer Cpl Russell
Reyrauch, gunner Cpl J a m e s
J Mangini and passenger T S g t
Charles Nolan, belly-landed near
Saglek. They a t t e m p t e d t o radio
for help w i t h o u t success, and on
23 December, Jannsen, Josephson
and Nolan took t h e life raft f r o m
the aeroplane and a t t e m p t e d t o
go for help, but w e r e never seen
again. Hodge k n e w from star
shots t h a t they w e r e close t o t h e
Eskimo settlement of Hebron, but
he believed it impossible to cross
the mountains in t h e continuing
bad weather. Their food supplies ran
out on 17 January 1943, and t h e last
entry w a s m a d e in Hodge's diary
on 3 February. Eskimos discovered
the remaining four bodies w i t h t h e
aeroplane on 9 April 1943. It turned
out that they w e r e only 20 miles
from Hebron (Louise
Hertenstein)
HEADING OVERSEAS
In late J u l y 1942, the 17th, 319th and 320th BGs were selected to join the
USAAF's Twelfth Air Force for the upcoming invasion of North Africa,
code named Operation Torch, which was planned for early November
1942. T h e newly formed 335th BG relieved the 17th BG (which controlled
the 34th, 37th, 95th and 4 3 2 n d BSs) of its O T U status to enable the group
to prepare for combat.
T r a i n i n g and expansion continued apace, and in September the groups
prepared to move overseas. T h e 3 1 9 t h left first, with its ground echelon
being ferried by sea whilst its new B-26Bs were flown to England via the
North Atlantic Route M a i n e to Greenland, then on to Iceland and
finally to Prestwick, in Scotland. Overloading and bad weather took their
toll, with two bombers disappearing without trace en route.
of the
A third machine, B-26B-2 4 1 - 1 7 8 6 2 "TIME'S AWASTIN"
4 4 0 t h BS, ran out of fuel on 12 October w h e n its crew, led by pilot ILt
Grover C H o d g e Jr, became lost. H e set the bomber down on Labrador,
and w h e n a rescue party had not arrived by the 2 3 December, three of the
crew set off looking for help and were never seen again. T h e remainder,
including H o d g e (whose diary told the tale), eventually starved to death
and were subsequently found with their aeroplane in April 1 9 4 3 .
B-26B-2 4 1 - 1 7 7 9 0 , flown by 2Lt Clarence W a l l , was lured off course
by false German radio beacons and missed Scotland entirely! It crashlanded at Noord Beveland, on the Dutch coast, thereby placing a flyable
example of the hitherto u n k n o w n type in the hands of the Germans.
Once in the UK, the 319th headed to England in preparation for the long
flight to North Africa. Yet more losses were suffered during the journey
from England to North Africa due to crews' inexperience when it came
to bad weather flying. The group set out for Algeria on 12 November, and
Atlantic route. T h e B-26B-2s of the 17th left first, staging through Puerto
Rico, British Guinea and Brazil, before tackling the long overwater flight to
Ascension Island and then continuing on to the Gold Coast. The group
finally arrived at its new home at Telergma, in Algeria, on 23 December
1942, whereupon it joined up with the 319th BG, which had flown in from
Maison Blanche a little over a week earlier.
O n 3 0 December the 17th BG entered combat when the group sent six
B-26Bs to b o m b Gabes airfield. T h e unit had arrived in North Africa
with one in four of its Marauders equipped with a Norden bombsight,
and this vital piece of equipment allowed the aircraft to hit targets from
altitudes above the enemy's flak envelope with just as m u c h accuracy as if
they had made their attack at 6 0 0 ft.
T h e B-26s encountered both flak and fighters over Gabes, and all but
one of them sustained damage. Indeed, two Marauders were so badly shot
up by Bf 109Gs from J G 53 that they belly landed upon their return to
Telergma. T h e 17th BG sent 12 more Marauders to bomb Gabes on New
Year's Eve, and this time the aircraft were escorted by ten P-40Fs from the
33rd T F S . T h e group suffered its first loss when B-26B-2 4 1 - 1 7 9 0 5
(flown by ILt Phillip W Bailey) of the 4 3 2 n d BS was hit by flak over the
target area, forcing it to lag behind the formation. T h e Marauder was
then set upon by German fighters and quickly shot down, with the loss of
its entire crew.
ARLEEN
Kwiatkowski)
For the next month the 17th BG attacked Axis airfields and transport
routes, as well as joining the 319th BG in a series of anti-shipping missions
- part of the Twelfth Air Force's campaign to stop supplies from Sicily
reaching Axis forces in North Africa. During this period, the 319th BG's
serviceability rates dropped to just six B-26s, so XII Bomber C o m m a n d
ordered the recently arrived 320th BG to transfer 18 aeroplanes and six
crews to the beleaguered group.
Elements of the 320th began reaching the group's new base at Tafaraoui,
4 0 0 miles east of Oran, on 22 November 1942 following their transatlantic
crossing. T h e last flight arrived in Algeria on 2 January 1943. Having then
given most of its B-26Bs to the 319th BG, the group began training in
m e d i u m level tactics prior to entering combat.
O n 7 February the 17th BG participated in the Twelfth Air Force's first
raid on a European target when it sent 19 Marauders to attack the
Cagliari-Elmas airfield complex on the Italian island of Sardinia. Six days
later, the group joined forces with the 319th BG to send 25 B-26s to
b o m b El Aouina airfield once again. Twelve Marauders returned early
due to bad weather, and the rest lost their fighter escort and were attacked
by II./JG 2. O n e B-26 was shot down over the target area and a second
bomber crash-landed in Allied territory.
T h e 3 1 9 t h BG was withdrawn from combat on 15 February and sent
to retrain and re-equip. T h e group handed over its last 17 Marauders to
the 17th BG, which was now the only operational B-26 unit in the
Twelfth Air Force, as the 3 2 0 t h BG was still not ready to enter combat.
O n 17 February, the 17th BG joined other groups flying B-17s and
B-25s for a series of raids on the Sardinian airfield at Decimomannu.
Some 17 Marauders were despatched, and B-26B-2s 4 1 - 1 7 8 3 9 Air
Corpse, flown by Capt Frank K W a l s h of the 95th BS, and 4 1 - 1 7 8 5 0 ,
flown by 2Lt Ernest F Case of the 4 3 2 n d BS, collided over the target area.
Exactly one week later, the 17th BG targeted El Aouina once more.
Despite being escorted by Spitfire VBs from the USAAF's 5 2 n d FG, the
bombers were set upon by Bf 109Gs from II./JG 53 and three 37th BS aircraft shot down - these machines m a y have also been hit by the intense flak
barrage thrown up over the target area. T h e aircraft lost were B-26B-2s 4 1 17868, flown by l L t Henry C S c h m e l i g j r , 4 1 - 1 7 8 7 3 , flown by l L t Harry
T Martin, and 4 1 - 1 7 9 1 2 Pardon Me, flown by 1 Lt Lester D Rowher. T e n
other Marauders were damaged by flak, including 41 - 1 7 9 1 6 NEW YORK
CENTRAL, flown by Capt Garnet Dilworth. This aeroplane was salvaged
after crash-landing at Telergma with mortally w o u n d e d turret gunner
SSgt Albert L Dalton on board.
1 March saw yet more losses suffered by the 17th BG as it bombed road
and railway bridges at La Hencha, between Gabes and Sfax. These welldefended bridges were part of a major supply route for General Erwin
Rommel's Afrika Korps, and XII Bomber C o m m a n d gave the 17th four
days to destroy them from either high or low altitude.
Eight Bf 109Gs from II./JG 7 7 succeeded in penetrating the P-38
fighter screen put up by the 8 2 n d FG and quickly shot down 95th BS
B-26B-2 4 1 - 1 7 8 9 8 Barrel House Bessie, flown by 1 Lt H i r a m F Appleget,
northwest of Kasserine Pass. M i n u t e s later, 4 3 2 n d BS B-26B-2 4 1 - 1 7 9 2 8
Terrible Terrapin, flown by Capt Allan E Karstens, also went down in
flames over the target.
Photographed at Djedeida, in
Tunisia, in t h e a u t u m n of 1943,
B-26B-2 41-17858
COUGHIN'COFFIN
w a s n a m e d and regularly f l o w n by
Capt W i l l i a m R Pritchard. On 11 July
1943 it b e c a m e only t h e second
17th BG M a r a u d e r t o reach t h e
50-mission mark. I L t Fred M e h e r
f l e w t h e aeroplane on its final
mission, in late October 1943,
w i t h Pritchard tagging along as
an observer. The b o m b e r w a s t h e n
sent back t o t h e U S , having been
designated c o m b a t w e a r y . The 34th
BS's Thunderbird e m b l e m adorned
t h e starboard side of t h e bomber's
nose, and t h e n a m e s of Pritchard's
original c r e w appeared beneath
t h e co-pilot's w i n d o w
(Bruce
Kwiatkowski)
McGoon
of
McGoon
in t h e latter position as w e l l
T w o weeks of poor weather then brought a halt to missions for the 17th
BG until 10 April, when the group attacked bridges and airfields in the
C a p Bon Peninsula.
(Author)
Right
UNCLE"
of t h e 442nd B S / 3 2 0 t h BG lifts
off at t h e very end of t h e r u n w a y
at Montiescquieu. Starting w i t h t h e
B-4 m o d e l , M a r a u d e r s w e r e fitted
w i t h a longer nose w h e e l strut to
help reduce t h e type's notoriously
long take-off run. The resulting
bulge added t o t h e nose w h e e l
doors is therefore missing f r o m
this B-3 m o d e l . The letter 'A' on t h e
rear fuselage w a s t h e 320th BG's
first m e t h o d of individual aircraft
identification. The running duck
nose art w a s applied t o m a n y of t h e
early M a r a u d e r s f l o w n in c o m b a t in
N o r t h Africa by t h e 442nd BS. N o t e
t h e lone Swordfish parked behind
t h e b o m b e r (via Franz
has
Reisdorf)
Baby,
flown
by
lLt
the
heavily
damaged
41-1 777G Most Likely to base, whilst the first aerial victory was claimed by
f l o w n by Capt T h e o d o r e M D o r m a n
l L t Marshall W D o x s e .
On 25 April the 3 2 0 t h was scheduled to attack M i l i s airfield, on
Sardinia, but it aborted the mission w h e n the fighter escorts failed
to materialise. XII Bomber C o m m a n d had ordered that no more
un-escorted missions were to be attempted following the Arbatax raid. A
Fortune,
is t h e m o u n t i n g for a M k 13 t o r p e d o .
to production aircraft f r o m t h e
(via Franz
Reisdorf)
Reisdorf)
Below and b o t t o m
B-26B-4 41-18017
PLAYMATE,
DEVIL'S
assigned t o t h e
Reisdorf)
ISLAND ATTACKS
aving defeated Axis forces in North Africa, the Allies now turned
their attentions to the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and
Sicily as a prelude to the invasion of Italy itself. As mentioned in
the previous chapter, the 17th BG moved to an airfield near the Algerian
town of Sedrata, close to the border with Tunisia, in early M a y in
preparation for the island bombing campaign that was to keep the Twelfth
Air Force occupied throughout the summer of 1943.
Like most airstrips in Algeria, Sedrata was a hot, dusty, desert base that
had been hastily constructed by U S Army engineers just weeks prior to its
occupation. T h e dust caused endless maintenance problems that added to
the groundcrews' burgeoning workload, as they tried to prevent mechanical
failures from downing bombers over the Mediterranean.
T h e 17th BG flew its first mission from Sedrata on 18 M a y , when it
joined the 320th in a raid on Pantelleria. This 42-square-mile volcanic
island lies in the Strait of Sicily 62 miles southwest of Sicily itself and 4 3
miles east of the Tunisian coast. T h e island was a strategically important
base from which Axis aircraft could attack Allied shipping sailing along
the North African coast. It was also viewed by senior Allied commanders
as key territory that had to be taken prior to the planned invasion of Sicily.
B-26B-2 41-17765
HALITOSIS"
"LADY
of t h e 441st B S / 3 2 0 t h
Origine
beginning'), w h i c h w a s a quotation
t a k e n f r o m t h e astrological p o e m
Astronomica of Manilius, w r i t t e n
by R o m a n poet Marcus Manilius
(via Franz
Reisdorf)
HALITOSIS"
Reisdorf)
was
destroyed in a crash-landing at
Montiescquieu following a mission
t o Milo airfield on 15 June 1943.
The b o m b e r c a m e t o grief w h e n it
careered into an irrigation ditch t h a t
ripped off its starboard engine. N o t e
t h a t t h e B-26 still has t h e y e l l o w
surround t o its national insignia,
this marking having applied as
a recognition aid for t h e Torch
landings (via Franz
Reisdorf)
Reisdorf)
BASE MOVE
By late J u n e all three groups again needed to move closer to their targets,
with the 17th and 3 1 9 t h BGs transferring to Djedeida, west of T u n i s , and
the 3 2 0 t h BG heading to Massicault, southwest of the Tunisian capital.
Djedeida was the most modern of the North African bases in that it had a
hard-surfaced runway. Massicault was yet another dirt strip, however,
and was hot in the s u m m e r and almost unusable in the winter.
T h e 3 1 9 t h flew its first mission from its new base on 3 0 J u n e when it
sent bombers to attack M i l o airfield. 4 3 7 t h BS B - 2 6 C - 1 0 4 1 - 3 4 8 6 9 was
damaged by flak over the target area, and its crew, led by pilot l L t Al
Graves, ditched the M a r a u d e r in the sea. All survived bar the pilot.
T h e 17th BG sortied from Djedeida for the first time on 3 J u l y when it
attacked Milis airfield, on Sardinia - the 3 2 0 t h BG also commenced
operations from Massicault that same day, sending B-26s to attack
Capoterra, again on Sardinia. Finally, the 17th BG sent 31 B-26s to
attack Gerbini airfield, on Sicily, on the 3rd too. Barrage-type flak and 50
Axis fighters were encountered over the target, and 95th BS B-26B-2
4 1 - 1 7 9 2 4 Gremlin s Roost, flown by 1 Lt Frank N Dorsey, was shot down.
T w o more Marauders were lost the following day w h e n the 3 1 9 t h BG
revisited the same target. Axis fighters first claimed 4 4 0 t h BS B - 2 6 C - 1 0
4 1 - 3 4 8 7 2 , flown by Capt Griffith P W i l l i a m s . O n e of the crew aboard
the bomber was group C O Lt Col W i l b u r W Aring, flying his 13th
mission - he and the rest of the crew baled out into captivity. C o m i n g
off the target, the already damaged 4 4 0 t h BS B-26B-15 4 1 - 3 1 5 8 9 , flown
by 2Lt Robert Praun, was also downed by fighters. Although only two
parachutes were seen, the entire crew escaped the doomed aeroplane
except for the pilot, w h o had been killed during the attack by the fighters.
SSgt Lou Sykes was the turret gunner on board l L t Jack Logan's B-26
that day, and he recalled;
' O n 4 J u l y 1943 ( m y eighth mission), we were briefed that our target
was the airfield at Gerbini. W e were told that we could expect a lot of
e n e m y flak, and that there was an abundance of Axis fighters that would
be waiting for us w h e n we got to the target area. O u r fighter coverage for
this mission was to be the P-38, and due to it having a twin-boom
fuselage, it could not possibly be mistaken for any e n e m y aeroplane.
'As we neared the target, and the flak started darkening the sky, a
number of enemy fighters attracted our P-38s away, leaving us unprotected.
Once they were some distance away, the flak stopped and we were attacked
by another group of fighters.
'I was the top turret gunner, and a fighter came in from high on m y left
side. I picked h i m up in m y gunsight and gave h i m several short bursts m y two 0.50-cal guns stopped firing automatically so as not to put any
shells through the tail section. T h e fighter started to smoke, so I got on the
intercom to relate this information to the tail gunner, w h o picked h i m up
and finished off the job that I had started. H e got credit for the "kill".
'Another e n e m y fighter then came in with his guns blazing and tried
break up our six-aeroplane formation by passing as close to the group
possible - some aircraft actually flew through other formations that day
the B-26s took evasive action. W e had been briefed to expect this type
attack as the Axis fighters attempted to disrupt our mission.
to
as
as
of
*wmm
B-26B-2 41-17903 HELL CATwas
in
service w i t h t h e 3 7 t h B S / 1 7 t h BG
f r o m 18 N o v e m b e r 1942, and it
m a y have also f l o w n w i t h t h e
319th BG for a t i m e t o o . Indeed, 1 Lt
Ashley Woolridge of t h e t h e latter
group is seen here posing in t h e
pilot's seat. W o o l r i d g e f l e w 88
missions w i t h t h e 319th BG before
he t o o k c o m m a n d of t h e 320th BG
on 3 N o v e m b e r 1944. HELL
CAT's
[Author)
The Mediums,
and f l e w at least 90
Kwiatkowski)
B-26B-2 41-17882
RENAISSANCE'
The
of t h e 37th B S / 1 7 t h
BG w a s t h e Marauder w i t h t h e
highest number of missions t o its
credit by t h e end S e p t e m b e r 1943.
It w a s returned to t h e U S for
promotional duties in November,
by which t i m e it had completed
75 missions. This aircraft, stripped
of paint, but still w i t h its nose art
intact, w o u l d later be offered for
sale by a salvage company in
California for t h e 'bargain' price
of $8500 {Don
Enlow)
INVASION OF
ITALY
A
t 0 4 3 0 hrs on 3 September 1943, the Allies launched Operation
Bay town, which saw British and C a n a d i a n troops of the Eighth
Army land on the Italian mainland at Calabria after crossing from
Sicily via the Strait of Messina. It was hoped that this operation w o u l d
draw the enemy away from the main invading force that was soon to go
ashore at Salerno, south of Naples, as part of Operation Avalanche.
T o help further reduce Axis defences in preparation for the invasion, all
three B-26 groups of the 4 2 n d B W again attacked the Grazzanise landing
grounds on 5 and 6 September, destroying yet more enemy aircraft found
at the various airfields in this area.
On the 7th and 8th the groups went after the railway bridge south of
Sapri, which they had failed to knock out in previous missions sent to
bomb the nearby railway marshalling yards. This time they finally scored
hits on this elusive target. T h e 4 4 2 n d BS/320th BG lost a M a r a u d e r to
flak over the target area on the 7th, the crew of B-26B-4 4 1 - 1 8 0 4 8 , flown
by ILt Morris M Thompson, salvoing their bombs and taking to their
parachutes before the aeroplane spun in.
The Allies had secretly signed an armistice with Italy on 3 September,
and five days later, following pressure by the Allies, Marshal Pietre Badoglio
announced the formal surrender and then formed a government-in-exile in
Bari, on the Adriatic Sea coast. T h e following month he declared war on the
Axis powers that still controlled the industrial north of the country. Despite
the surrender of Italian forces in the south, 2 0 months of fighting still lay
ahead for the Allies as they engaged 'co-belligerent' Axis troops in central
and northern Italy.
O n 9 September the 17th and 3 1 9 t h BGs attacked Scanzano landing
ground near Taranto in support of Operation Slapstick - the British
landing to capture this important Italian naval base. T h e U S Fifth A r m y
came ashore at Salerno that same day, and all three groups helped Allied
forces establish themselves in Italy by bombing road junctions at Formia,
Insernia, M i g a n o and Torre Annunziata over the next few days.
At briefings on 14 September aircrew were told of the desperate situation
facing the Salerno beachhead. Field Marshal Albrecht Kesselring, who
commanded German forces in Italy, had not been fooled by the British
landings to the south and had deployed General Oberst Heinrich-Gottfried
von Vietinghoffs 10th Army ready to attack the main invasion force.
Wehrmacht troops in the immediate area of the Allied beachhead were
supported by one SS and two regular army Panzer divisions, and they would
almost succeed in thwarting the invasion.
Outgunned, the U S A r m y requested that the Twelfth Air Force target
German forces that were threatening to overwhelm the beachhead.
the next day met with abject failure. T o m a k e matters worse, the group
lost B - 2 6 C - 2 0 4 1 - 3 5 1 3 8 , flown by l L t Callat of the 4 4 0 t h BS, after it
dropped out of formation and crash-landed at Termoli.
O n the 24th, the 17th BG also hit the road junction at M i g a n o , whilst
the 3 2 0 t h BG's 4 4 3 r d and 4 4 4 t h BSs failed in their attempt to b o m b the
bridges at Cancello ed Arnone once again. T h e 441st and 4 4 2 n d BSs
enjoyed more success, however, scoring probable hits on the southern end
of a bridge south of Amorosi. Both the 3 1 9 t h and 3 2 0 t h BGs returned to
the railway bridge at Cancello ed Arnone on the 25th, and again missed
the target. T h e 3 2 0 t h BG's B - 2 6 C - 2 0 4 1 - 3 5 0 3 0 B/N 0 6 Miss Georgie,
flown by l L t Carl E H o y of the 441st BS, was damaged by flak over the
target area and was salvaged following a crash-landing on its return to
base. T h a t same day the 17th BG tried its luck against the C a p u a road and
railway bridges, but without any success.
Rain led to the cancellation of most missions at the end of September,
with bases in North Africa being waterlogged or targets in Italy obscured
by low cloud. Conditions at Massicault became so bad that the 3 2 0 t h BG
operated m a n y of its B-26s from the 17th and 3 1 9 t h BG base at Djedeida.
O n 2 9 September the 3 1 9 t h BG managed to attack the railway bridge
at Cancello ed Arnone, and finally scored hits on its northern end. 4 3 9 t h
BS B - 2 6 B - 1 0 4 1 - 1 8 3 1 6 Charlotte the Harlot, piloted by l L t Basil B
Burnstad (who was flying his 4 0 t h mission), was shot down by flak over
the target. Known as 'Bumstead', to his friends, Burnstad and three
gunners hid and waited for Allied troops to advance. His co-pilot and
bombardier, w h o baled out further behind e n e m y lines, were hidden by a
priest until they too were returned to the unit.
T h e 3 1 9 t h BG redoubled its efforts against the C a p u a road and railway
bridge on 3 0 September, with the first of that day's two missions being
the group's 100th of the war. Unfortunately, the B-26s missed the target
on both occasions. T h e group was thwarted by cloud on 1 October, and
missed the target for a third time on its first mission on the 3rd. A second
wave from the 3 1 9 t h finally hit the C a p u a bridge 3 0 minutes later.
O n 4 October the 3 1 9 t h BG attacked a railway overpass at M i g n a n o ,
scoring m a n y hits, whilst the 3 2 0 t h BG targeted road defiles at Terracina.
O n the 5th, the 3 2 0 t h bombed a junction near Isernia, whilst the 3 1 9 t h
BG gained partial hits on the northern end of a 'horseshoe' road defile at
M i g n a n o the same target was missed the next day by the 3 2 0 t h BG.
O n their return from Italy on 5 October, bad weather forced m a n y
Marauders to divert, and some crash-landed. 4 4 3 r d BS B - 2 6 B - 1 0
4 1 - 1 8 2 9 4 B/N 57, flown by l L t Robert W Swigart, ground looped at
Sidi A h m e d , and 4 4 3 r d BS B-26B-4 4 1 - 1 7 9 8 7 B/N 2 5 , flown by 2Lt
Edward G Davis, crashed at the same location. Elsewhere, B - 2 6 C - 2 0
4 1 - 3 5 0 2 5 B/N 9 5 , flown by l L t J o h n C Edwards of the 4 4 4 t h BS,
crashed at Sedjenina.
T h e 319th BG bombed a road junction at Insernia on 6 October, and that
same day the 17th BG was temporarily removed from combat. T h e group's
bombing results had declined so drastically that a period of intensive training was required in order to restore its combat effectiveness. C o m m a n d
changes were also made at group and squadron level, with personnel being
brought in from other units to replace officers who had failed to provide the
17th with effective leadership.
B-26B-40 42-43291 B / N 61
Eightball
Hertenstein)
D e c i m o m a n n u ' s 500-ft w i d e r u n w a y
a l l o w e d t h e 319th BG CO Col
Joseph R Holzapple t o introduce
three-ship take-offs, as seen here.
The first mission t o e m p l o y this
m e t h o d w a s t h e attack on t h e
railway line b e t w e e n Tarquinia
and M o n t a l t o di Castro m o u n t e d on
12 N o v e m b e r 1943. T h e procedure
reduced f o r m - u p t i m e s by 13
minutes, thereby adding an extra 50
miles t o t h e group's c o m b a t radius
if required. The nearest M a r a u d e r
is 41-31985 B / N 15 Charlotte
the
the
w h i c h w a s brought d o w n
the Harlot
[Louise
Hertenstein)
IV
Bird, flown by
lLt
B/N 7 3
The Elmer
Fudd,
T w o M a r a u d e r s f r o m t h e 432nd B S /
17th BG t h a t had t h e s a m e n a m e
and battle number w e r e B-26B-10
41-18187 B / N 81 "THE
WOLVES"
T h e former had f l o w n
m o r e t h a n 40 missions by t h e t i m e
it w a s shot d o w n over Vieano on
30 N o v e m b e r 1943 whilst being
f l o w n by Capt Morris McCarver. Its
replacement, 42-95765, survived t h e
w a r . T h e latter is s h o w n early in its
c o m b a t career prior t o t h e reclining
nude being clothed in response t o
an order issued by t h e 42nd B W
(Bruce
Kwiatkowski)
B-26C-25 41-35177 B / N 17
UDEN'S
UDEN
B S / 1 7 t h BG is escorted h o m e w i t h
its engine feathered following a
mission t o t h e Rocca Secca bridge
on 30 December 1943. Its pilot,
I L t Tilman Beardon, had ordered
everything jettisoned t o help t h e
b o m b e r retain its altitude on one
engine - a 0.50-cal a m m u n i t i o n
belt has just been t h r o w n out of
t h e w a i s t w i n d o w . T h e aircraft w a s
n a m e d for t h e w i f e of t h e pilot's
instructor, w h o had been killed in
a training accident. It sports t h e
early w h i t e battle n u m b e r on t h e
fin, w h i c h w a s later changed t o red,
edged w i t h w h i t e . T h e aeroplane
escorting 41-35177 is B-26B-40
42-43272 B / N 87 Hawkeye
of
Johannessen)
ORGANISATIONAL CHANGES
At year-end, the 4 2 n d B W was transferred back to Twelfth Air Force
control, with XII Bomber C o m m a n d in turn being assigned to the
Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Forces ( M A T A F ) . These changes had
little impact on the trio of B-26 groups on Sardinia, which continued to
attack transport-related targets in Italy and France.
T o end the year Capt Lawrence J Hayward of the 320th BG's 4 4 1 st BS
flew with a volunteer crew on an unescorted single aeroplane mission to
was
w r e c k e d in a crash landing
upon its return t o Villacidro
[Bruce
Kwiatkowski)
Reisdorf)
CATII,
52 SKEETER of
the
437th B S / 3 1 9 t h BG. A t t h e t i m e
this p h o t o g r a p h w a s t a k e n , t h e
bomber's mission log indicated t h a t
it had f l o w n 56 missions. Holtorp
had given t h e M a r a u d e r its n a m e ,
w h i c h w a s in fact his favourite
nickname for his w i f e . The
aeroplane w a s lost on its 67th
mission w h e n , on 21 January 1944,
it w a s hit by flak whilst attacking
the bridges at Orvieto (Don
Enlow)
Right
B-26B-10 41-18305 B / N 14 Miss
Manchester
BG M a r a u d e r s lost t o flak on t h e
costly mission t o Orvieto railway
<
w a s replaced by
Manchester
B / N 14, w h i c h w e n t on t o fly m o r e
t h a n 100 missions, and survive t h e
w a r [via Franz
Reisdorf)
Minium
'if Miiiiii
ui nni
Reisdorf)
36
NZIO
4k
jr"
V
v
WW
mm
Sykes)
their belts by early 1944 had been automatically sent home, units would
have found themselves short of aircrew, as there were not enough
replacements arriving from U S O T U s to make up the numbers. Personnel
in-theatre were assured that when there were sufficient crews available,
those with the most missions would be sent home.
w e n t on to fly
Kwiatkowski)
B-26C-10-MO 41-34892 B / N 83
MODERN
DESIGN
of t h e 440th B S /
DESIGN
Kwiatkowski)
CASSINO
T h e town of Cassino formed part of the 'Gustav Line', and Allied
intelligence reports suggested that the Germans were using the vast
historic abbey on M o n t e Cassino, founded in A D 524 by St Benedict, as
an artillery observation post due to its c o m m a n d i n g views over the town.
This later proved not to be the case, but the Germans did have defensive
positions set into the slopes below the abbey. Apart from being an
historically significant building in itself, the abbey contained a library of
7 0 , 0 0 0 books and 8 0 , 0 0 0 documents, the latter including the handwritten works of St Gregory the Great and St T h o m a s Aquinas. There
were also m a n y important works of art and other artefacts in the abbey.
T o their credit, two German officers of the H e r m a n n Goring Panzer
Division arranged for the archive to be taken to the Vatican for safe
keeping at the start of the Battle of Cassino, thus saving these irreplaceable
treasures from almost certain destruction
T h e C o m m a n d e r - i n - C h i e f of M A T A F , Lt Gen Ira C Eaker, did not
approve of the plan to bomb M o n t e Cassino, as he considered it a
dubious military target. However, he eventually gave in to pressure from
ground commanders and allowed the bombing to go ahead from 15
February. Twenty-four hours prior to this attack, Allied aircraft dropped
leaflets w a r n i n g that the monastery was about to be bombed, and
instructing civilians to leave the area immediately.
B-17s and B-24s of the strategic Fifteenth Air Force bombed first,
followed by the ' m e d i u m twins' of the tactical Twelfth Air Force. T h e
3 2 0 t h BG had to turn back due to bad weather, but the 319th BG
completed two missions to the abbey. O n l y ten per cent of the bombs
dropped by the Fifteenth Air Force's heavy bombers hit the monastery,
with the majority falling on both German and Allied positions in the
surrounding area. Eyewitnesses on the ground stated that the B-26s
dropped with the most accuracy, and did the most damage.
Following the bombing, it was revealed that the only people killed in
the monastery itself were Italian refugees w h o had sought sanctuary in
the abbey. T h e Germans subsequently evacuated the 40+ survivors,
including the 79-year-old abbot, Gregorio Diamare, w h o had sheltered
deep in the vaults of the abbey, the next day. Ironically, the ancient
monastery, having been reduced to rubble, became a fortress w h e n
German paratroopers of the 1st Parachute Division took up defensive
positions within the ruins two days after the bombing.
M e a n w h i l e , at Anzio, the German counter attack was now entering its
third week. In an effort to blunt the enemy's advance on the beachhead,
the B-26 groups were again called in to target ground forces and supply
lines in the immediate area. T h e first of these missions was flown on 16
February w h e n the 3 2 0 t h BG attempted to hit the Perugia railway bridge,
but missed due to cloud cover. Some of the B-26s bombed Porto San
Steffano instead, and four of the bombers were damaged by flak.
T h a t same day the 3 1 9 t h BG again attacked the northern railway
bridge at Orvieto, but no hits were achieved. Some flights from the group
bombed an alternate bridge, and others attacked merchant ships on their
return to Sardinia.
O n 17 February, the 17th and 319th BGs bombed troop concentrations
at Campoleone, whilst the 320th BG attacked a road junction at Lanuvio.
T h e latter group achieved good results against this vital target, but two
Marauders were lost in the process. 444th BS B - 2 6 C - 1 5 4 1 - 3 4 9 2 0 B/N 80,
flown by 1 Lt George H Browne, was hit by flak over the target, and the
aeroplane was last seen missing a wing and on fire from nose to tail. There
were no survivors. B-26B-45 4 2 - 9 5 7 4 1 B/N 7 9 , flown by l L t Ralph L
Peters, was also hit, but the crew completed its bomb run nonetheless.
Peters was awarded the D F C for getting the heavily damaged aeroplane
back to the recently captured airstrip at Nettuno, near Anzio. T h e crew,
which included 444th BS C O Capt Howard Brewer, all subsequently
returned to Sardinia.
O n 2 0 February the 320th BG bombed troop concentrations north of
Carroceto, whilst the 17th and 319th BGs targeted troops at Campoleone.
All bombs dropped during the latter attack fell within the designated
500-yard radius, despite the presence of heavy flak. T h e 17th BG lost
4 3 2 n d BS B-26B-50 4 2 - 9 5 9 6 9 B/N 89 Rita, flown by l L t Charles F
Ulman, and the 319th BG had B - 2 6 C - 4 5 4 2 - 1 0 7 5 3 7 B/N 13, flown
by l L t Clyde W Owens, shot down. T h e crew of the latter bomber, bar
Owens, baled out and were captured, whilst the pilot, being the last to leave
the stricken aeroplane, came down in friendly territory.
T h e German counter attacks at Anzio were finally stopped in late
February, allowing the B-26 groups to return to hitting e n e m y supply
lines and airfields when the weather permitted. T h e 4 2 n d B W ended the
month with an all out effort against the Luftwaffe base at Viterbo on
2 9 February. Escorted by Spitfires from the 31st FG, the Marauders
destroyed m a n y aircraft and airfield facilities.
T h e mission started badly for the 17th BG, however, as the crew of
B - 2 6 B - 1 0 4 1 - 1 8 2 0 1 B/N 88 Sweet Sue was killed when it crashed on
take-off. Amongst those to lose their lives was the C O of the 4 3 2 n d BS.
Over the target, flak again took its toll, with 4 3 8 t h BS/319th BG
B - 2 6 B - 5 0 4 2 - 9 5 8 8 0 , flown by l L t Ralph W W a l k e r , being hit in the
B-26B-50 42-95994 B / N 74
Naomi
Elaine of t h e 439th B S / 3 1 9 t h BG
overflies Florence (Firenze) on
11 March 1944. The M a r a u d e r s of
t h e 42nd BW w e r e selected t o b o m b
t h e C a m p o di M a r t e railway
marshalling yards t o t h e w e s t of t h e
city due to their unrivalled b o m b i n g
accuracy - t h e w i n g used a 400-ft
circle t o c o m p u t e b o m b i n g
accuracy, as opposed t o t h e
standard U S A A F 1000-ft circle.
Allied high c o m m a n d w a s a d a m a n t
t h a t none of t h e city's n u m e r o u s
buildings of cultural significance
w o u l d be hit by stray ordnance
during t h e raid, and t h e 319th BG
w a s singled out for particular praise
post-mission as a result of its
concentrated b o m b i n g . Indeed, t h e
group w a s a w a r d e d its second D U C
in eight days for t h e accuracy of its
attack [Louise
Hertenstein)
right engine and exploding when it crashed. Also downed over the target
was 4 3 2 n d BS/17th BG B-26B-45 4 2 - 9 5 7 5 6 B/N 7 7 Hells Kitchen,
flown by l L t Richard T Phelps. T h e Marauder left the formation with its
left engine on fire, and three parachutes were seen to emerge from the
stricken bomber. Finally, the unit's B - 2 6 B - 1 0 4 1 - 1 8 3 0 9 B/N 80 Helen of
Troy crashed due to flak damage upon its return to Decimomannu.
O n 2 M a r c h the 17th BG staged the 4 2 n d B W s final raid in the Anzio
area w h e n it bombed troop concentrations northeast of C a m p o Di
Carne, whilst the 3 1 9 t h and 3 2 0 t h BGs targeted ground forces at
Cisterna - 3 1 9 t h BG crews could not drop their bombs, however, due to
cloud. T h e next day the w i n g began another all out effort against railway
marshalling yards in the Rome area. All three groups initially bombed
Ostiense, and finished off the job with a follow up raid on 7 March.
T h e highlight of these missions was the accuracy with which 319th BG
crews delivered their ordnance, dropping 138 of their 142 500-lb bombs
within 2 0 0 yards of the target centre - the group was later awarded a
D U C for its bombing. 3 2 0 t h BG crews did not perform so well, however,
for having fought their w a y through cloud to the target, some of their
bombs fell on an urban area south of the yards, causing civilian casualties.
O n 8 M a r c h the 3 1 9 t h BG attempted to bomb Ostiense once again,
but it was forced to attack the railway marshalling yards at Tiburtina
instead due to cloud cover. That
same day the 17th BG bombed
Porto San Stephano, and the group
suffered a single loss when flak blew
the right engine off 34th BS B-26B4 5 4 2 - 9 5 7 4 5 B/N 02, flown by
Capt Russell C Craig, T h e aeroplane spun down and crashed into
the Mediterranean.
T h e wing returned to the railwaymarshalling yards of Rome on 10
M a r c h , and the strike photos from
the mission showed that the bombs
dropped had hit the
Roma
Tiburtina railway station (Rome's
second largest) with great precision.
All three groups hit the railway
marshalling yards in Florence on 11
March, and the recent accuracy of the
B-26 units was the deciding factor
when choosing the wing for the job.
Florence is one of the most culturally
significant cities in Western civilization, having been home to the
Renaissance (when classical culture
was re-learnt following the dark ages)
from the 14th to the 17th centuries.
Apart from important architecture
such as Florence Cathedral, there are
many great works of art located in the
Uffizi gallery and the many churches dotted around the city. Destroying
such buildings or irreplaceable works by artists such as Michelangelo and
Leonardo Da Vinci would have been a major loss to humanity as well as a
public relations disaster for the Allies.
T h e wing's current record for bombing accuracy augured well, and the
yards were duly hit with pinpoint accuracy. T h e 3 1 9 t h BG was deemed
to have performed particularly well, and it was duly awarded its second
D U C in eight days for accurate bombing.
O n 13 M a r c h the 320th BG attempted to hit the Viareggio railway
bridge. Although the latter only received some damaging near misses, 4 0
wagons were destroyed and the line itself cut north of the bridge. T h a t
same day the 17th and 3 1 9 t h BGs bombed the Sarzana railway bridge
over M a g r a River with better results. Reconnaissance photographs w o u l d
later show that three spans had been dropped at one end and a fourth at
the other end, thus putting the bridge out of commission. T h e results
achieved by 17th BG was particularly impressive, as all 9 6 bombs
dropped from its 24 Marauders fell within the designated 400-ft target
area - the first 100 per cent mission for the 4 2 n d B W , and the 2 0 0 t h
operation for the 17th BG.
During the 320th BG's 14 M a r c h mission to the Prenestina railway
marshalling yards, 4 4 3 r d BS B - 2 6 B - 1 0 4 1 - 1 8 3 2 8 B/N 59 Miss
Represented, flown by 2Lt Stinson, had three 500-lb bombs that refused to
budge. Despite the possibility of these armed weapons exploding,
bombardier Sgt Charles J Szafir disarmed and re-hung them, allowing the
bomber to return to base and land safely - Szafir was awarded the D F C
for his actions.
T h e next day all three groups hit the town of Cassino, and Gen Eaker
would later state that the B-26s performed the best bombing that he had
ever seen during the course of the mission. T h e 3 2 0 t h BG's 34 B-26s were
the last over the target, led by Capt Laurence E Probasco at the controls of
4 1 - 3 1 5 9 6 B/N 31 Cornfed Commando. T h e lead navigator for the
operation, l L t Francis J Boyne, and
Flight C o m m a n d e r M a j Gordon F
Friday were both awarded the D F C
for their leadership that day. There
was no flak, and the B-26s did not
actually overfly enemy territory, as
they broke off just after releasing
their bombs.
Unfortunately, the concentrated
bombing failed to dislodge the German defenders, and the second
Allied Cassino offensive had to be
called off when troops met fierce
resistance in the ruins of the town.
T h e wing staged another group
effort on 16 M a r c h when it targeted
ground forces in Aquino. T h e city
was one of the strong points in the
so-called 'Adolf Hitler Line', which
was the fallback position ten miles
Hertenstein)
north of the 'Gustav Line'. T h e 17th BG lost two 37th BS Marauders and
their crews w h e n the bombers ( B - 2 6 C - 2 0 B/N 32 4 1 - 3 5 0 1 8 Spooks,
flown by ILt C M Angel, and B - 2 6 B - 4 5 4 2 - 9 5 7 8 2 B/N 2 6 , flown by 2Lt
C L Bosch) collided whilst forming up for the mission.
T h e target was squarely hit, but again flak took its toll. T h e 3 2 0 t h BG
lost B - 2 6 B - 4 5 4 2 - 9 5 7 9 0 B/N 17 Beauts and Saddles, flown by 2Lt
Francis B Hendrix of the 4 4 1 st BS, on the breakaway from the target. T h e
aeroplane was hit in the right engine, which in turn started a fire in the
nearby w i n g area. Seven parachutes were seen to emerge from the bomber
before the it hit the ground.
OPERATION STRANGLE
O n 19 M a r c h M A T A F launched Operation Strangle, the aim of which
was to weaken German supply lines to their forces defending the 'Gustav
Line' in an effort to diminish their ability to defend against an impending
Allied offensive. Although the 4 2 n d B W w o u l d be attacking the same
types of targets it had bombed before (and re-visiting a n u m b e r it had
already attacked), the operation differed from earlier campaigns in that it
was conducted by M A T A F . A n d this time the entire Axis railway system
of bridges, tunnels, marshalling yards and, in some instances, stretches of
track w o u l d be bombed.
Sea routes and ports were also hit, all of which was designed to force the
Germans to use the inadequate Italian road system. M A T A F m e d i u m
bombers and dedicated ground attack aircraft w o u l d then target the
enemy's supply system once it started to appear on the roads.
bridge to the south of the city, rather than the railway bridge to the
northwest. Group C O , Col J R Holzapple, blamed the failure of this
mission on his bombardiers, w h o he claimed had not sufficiently studied
their maps.
T h e 3 2 0 t h BG crews fared m u c h better, hitting the road bridge and
scoring possible hits on the railway bridge too. T h e i r bombs also cut the
tracks with a direct hit. T h e group did, however, suffer a loss at the start
of the mission w h e n B - 2 6 B - 4 5 4 2 - 9 5 7 6 7 B/N 10 Ozark Queen, flown by
441st BS C O Capt Elmer G Oglietti, crashed and exploded on take-off.
T h e bomber's co-pilot, 2Lt Oran B W i l l i a m s , was killed, whilst both
Oglietti and the lead bombardier, 1 Lt Joseph L Cukar, succumbed to
their injuries 4 8 hours later. T h e remaining crewmembers were seriously
injured, but they recovered.
All three groups attacked the C a m p o di M a r t e railway marshalling
yards at Florence on 2 3 M a r c h and dropped an excellent pattern of
bombs in the assigned area the 3 2 0 t h BG alone claimed the destruction
of an estimated 2 7 0 railway trucks. Recently promoted M a j Brewer and
lead bombardier l L t Robert W Powers were both awarded D F C s for
hitting the target, despite heavy flak. Another series of raids involving all
three groups was staged on 2 6 M a r c h , when the w i n g returned to the
Arezzo viaduct. As with previous missions against this target, the bombers
failed to hit the viaduct, although crews from the 3 2 0 t h did destroy a
repair train and cut the tracks.
Brig Gen R M Webster, C o m m a n d i n g General of the 4 2 n d B W ,
observed the bombing on this mission from a 4 4 4 t h BS Marauder.
O n 2 7 M a r c h the 17th and 3 1 9 t h BGs missed the Poggibonsi railway
bridges, with the latter group having attempted to hit the Incisa bridge all 2 6 of its Marauders missed the target!
T w o days later, FFAF squadron 1/22 'Maroc', attached to the 17th BG
at Villacidro, flew its first mission when it bombed the docks on the
Italian islands of Elba. Prior to performing this operation, the FFAF had
sent its USAAF-trained M a r a u d e r crews to observe earlier missions
conducted by the 4 2 n d B W . There w o u l d eventually be six FFAFm a n n e d B-26 units assigned to the 4 2 n d B W .
T h e 3 1 9 t h BG flew its 2 0 0 t h mission on 1 April w h e n the group again
attacked the Incisa railway bridge. Bombs exploded all around the
structure, but they missed the target. T h e 3 2 0 t h BG returned to Incisa six
days later, w h e n 2 3 of its B-26s dropped 91 1000-lb demolition bombs
and scored both direct hits and near misses on the bridge, and possible
direct hits on the viaduct. T h e bridge was, at least, finally destroyed.
Some 2 4 B-26s of the 3 2 0 t h BG returned to the Bucine viaducts
on 10 April, although cloud obscured the target on the first b o m b run.
Forced to m a k e a second pass, the formation scored at least one direct hit
on the centre of the viaduct. T h e group attacked Bucine again on the
14th, w h e n 17 of its 24 Marauders dropped their bombs on both the
north and south viaducts. Crews put a good concentration of bombs in
the target area, damaging the railway lines but missing both viaducts. T h e
rest of the formation returned with their bombs, as they were not in the
correct position to drop.
T h a t same day the 3 1 9 t h BG attempted to hit the Poggibonsi, Certaldo
and Cecina railway bridges, but missed all three.
Following t h e w i d e n i n g of t h e
r u n w a y at D e c i m o m a n n u , t h e 319th
BG conducted its first six-ship takeoff on 20 April 1944. The flight
leaders launched slightly ahead of
their t w o w i n g ships - in this
instance, B-26C-45 42-107565 B / N 88
Roger The Dodger and B-26B-30
41-31969 B / N 96 Ruth Marie lead t h e
unidentified M a r a u d e r nearest t o
t h e camera, together w i t h B-26C-45
42-107561 B / N 97 Tally Ho, B-26B-50
B / N 77 42-95955 and B-26B-50 B / N
89 42-95983, all w h i c h w e r e
assigned t o t h e 440th BS. Axis
fighters shot d o w n Roger
The
Hertenstein)
This p h o t o g r a p h , although of
poor quality, s h o w s t h e separation
b e t w e e n each Marauder. In t h e
event of p o w e r loss or a b l o w n t y r e ,
there w a s enough r o o m for a
Marauder t o s w e r v e inside t h e other
aeroplanes in t h e flight. Taking off in
six-ship formations cut 25 minutes
off t h e group's join up t i m e s .
The 320th BG often f l e w four-ship
flights, thus limiting t h e number
of B-26s it could launch at once
(Louise
Hertenstein)
25 April, the group attacked the railway bridge two-and-a-half miles west
of the city, but cloud prevented half of the Marauders from dropping
their bombs. T h e target was missed, but one flight of three B-26s dropped
on the Asciano bridge instead, as this was the alternate target. A good
concentration of bombs possibly cut one of its approach lines.
Returning to the railway bridge just east of Arezzo on 28 April, the
3 1 9 t h scored some direct hits. It again hit the Arezzo targets two days
later, and this time scored direct hits on both the bridges and the viaducts.
Elsewhere that same day, the 17th BG bombed a railway bridge at
Cortona, claiming two hits and cutting the tracks.
O n 1 M a y the 17th BG targeted the railway bridge at Pescaia, whilst
the 3 1 9 t h BG sent 3 6 Marauders in two 18-aircraft formations to the
C a m p o di M a r t e railway marshalling yards in Florence. T h e weather
intervened, so two formations of nine B-26s attacked alternate targets the Pontedera railway bridge and the Califura railway viaduct. Results on
the first target were not seen due to cloud cover and smoke from an attack
conducted moments before by the 3 2 0 t h BG. Extensive damage was
inflicted on the railway viaduct, however.
T h e 3 1 9 t h BG's second 18-aeroplane formation also had trouble
seeing the target, and only one flight dropped accurately on the railway
marshalling yards. Unfortunately, some of the bombs also fell on
surrounding buildings. D u r i n g the course of this mission, l L t Elliot
Lysco's mount, B - 2 6 B - 1 0 4 1 - 1 8 3 2 2 B/N 64 Hells Belle II, became the
first M a r a u d e r to fly 100 missions in the M T O .
T h e group returned to C a m p o di M a r t e the next day, with all the
formations hitting the target. 4 3 7 t h BS B - 2 6 B - 5 0 4 2 - 9 6 0 1 1 , flown by
l L t W i l l i a m 'Spec' Young, crash-landed with an engine out at
Ghisonaccia, on the east coast of Corsica, killing both the pilot and
gunner SSgt J o h n Santa.
T h e final ten days of Strangle began with another attack against the
railway marshalling yards at Florence, conducted by both the 17th and
3 2 0 t h BGs, followed by an attack by the former group on the Ventimiglia
railway marshalling yards the following day. T h e w i n g then hit either
bridges or viaducts at Arezzo, Borgo San Lorenzo, Certaldo, Imperia,
Incisa, Poggibonsi, San Giovanni and Ventimiglia.
1
B-26B-2-MA 41-17858 COUGHIN'
COFFIN oi the 34th BS/17th BG,
Djedeida, Tunisia, October 1943
2
B-26B-40-MA 42-43311
B/N 09 SPOT CASH! oi
the 34th BS/17th BG,
Villacidro, Sardinia,
January 1944
3
B-26C-20-MO 41-35007 B/N 13 Redely
Teddy oi the 34th BS/17th BG,
Villacidro, Sardinia, January 1944
CD
4
B-26C-25-MO 41-35177 B/N 17
UDEN UDEN'S OIL BURNER of
the 34th BS/17th BG, Villacidro,
Sardinia, May 1944
0?
7*
A- X
15
B-26C-11-MO 41-34868 B/N 04
ZERO-4 of the 437th BS/319th BG
Decimomannu, Sardinia, June
1944
19
B-26B-MA 41-17751 "SNAFU"
of the 439th BS/319th BG,
Horsham St Faith, Suffolk,
November 1942
20
B-26B-15-MA 41-31609 Jabo/SKY KING
the 2ND of the 439th BS/319th BG,
Djedeida, Tunisia, July 1943
21
B-26C-11-MO 41-18326 B/N 52 SKEETER
of the 439th BS/319th BG, Djedeida,
Tunisia, July 1943
26
B-26C-11-MO 41-34892 B/N 83
MODERN DESIGN of the 440th
BS/319th BG, Serragia, Corsica,
September 1944
27
B-26B-MA 41-17765 "LADY HALITOSIS
of the 441st BS/320th BG, Massicault,
Tunisia, July 1943
sinii
*ijpy&/rq
28
B-26C-20-MO 41-35070
FRANCES JOAN B/N 04 of the 441st BS/320th
BG, El Bathan, Tunisia, October 1943
29
B-26B-50-MA 42-96016 B/N 04
Doris K./lidalizeya of the 441st BS/320th BG,
Decimomannu, Sardinia,
May 1944
30
B-26B-45-MA 42-95753 B/N 08
MY-GAL of the 441st BS/320th BG
Alto, Corsica, September 1944
31
B-26B-10-MA 41-18305 B/N 14
Miss Manchester of the 441st BS/320th BG,
Decimomannu, Sardinia, December 1943
32
B-26G-5-MA 43-34284 B/N 32
Green Eyed Glodine of the 442nd BS/320th BG
Longvic, France, January 1945
33
B-26C-20-MO 41-34999 B/N 33
"SHIF'LESS" of the 442nd BS/320th BG
Decimomannu, Sardinia, February 1944
37
B-26B-3-MA 41-17959
Miss Fortune of the 444th BS/320th BG
Montiescquieu, Algeria, June 1943
63
ON THE ATTACK
Hertenstein)
M a r a u d e r s of t h e 3 1 9 t h BG fly close
f o r m a t i o n . W i n g ships w o u l d fly
very close t o t h e flight leaders on
t h e b o m b run, often having their
w i n g s overlapping. N o t e t h e glass
panel fitted t o t h e single-piece rear
b o m b - b a y doors in t h e B-26 in t h e
foreground. A strike camera could
be located in this position. In
practice most strike photos w e r e
t a k e n using hand-held cameras in
t h e w a i s t positions. Originally, t h e
rear b o m b - b a y could house up t o
4800-lb of smaller b o m b s . Following
its lack of use in c o m b a t , M a r t i n
sealed t h e rear doors shut f r o m
t h e B-26B-20 o n w a r d s and fitted
t w o 250-gallon fuel tanks in t h e bay
instead. The rear b o m b - b a y doors
differed f r o m t h e centrally hinging
t w o - p i e c e f o r w a r d bay doors, and
w e r e totally deleted f r o m B-40
model o n w a r d s [Louise
Hertenstein)
Hertenstein)
Allied ground forces achieved rapid gains at the start of Diadem, and
the 'Gustav Line' soon began to collapse. Cassino was finally captured on
2 0 M a y following a seven-month battle, and German troops fell back on
the 'Hitler Line', some ten miles further north. T h e wing continued its
support of the offensive by attacking both rail and road targets in the Liri
Valley, thus hampering the German withdrawal.
T h e ground fighting had also drawn in German reserves, which in turn
relieved the pressure on battle-weary Allied troops at Anzio and allowed
them to finally break out and begin their advance northwards on 23 M a y .
T h e M a r a u d e r units concentrated on the roads for a few days during
this period, with their targets primarily being junctions. Crews used their
bombs to crater the roads, thereby making them temporarily impassable.
Targets included roads in Anagni, Carsoli, Ferentino, Genzano, Marine,
Moletta, Roviano, Subiaco, Valmontone Velletri and Viterbo.
O n 2 3 M a y , the 17th BG introduced chaff for the first time when it
bombed the M a r i n e road junction. None of the B-26s involved in the
mission were damaged by flak, but the formation was set upon by 15
fighters. T h e Marauders flew into cloud and escaped, sustaining no losses.
Over the next 72 hours, the 4 2 n d B W again attacked bridges, this time at
Arezzo, Borghetto, Catiglion Fiorentino, Compiobbi, Cortona, Ladispoli,
Monterotondo, Narni, Poggibonsi, Pontassieve, Spoleto, Stifone, Torrita
Savina, Torrita di Siena, Terni and Terentola. Then, on 31 M a y and
1 June, German troops were hit at Albano, Ariccia, Genazzano, Palestrina
and Pisoniano. T h e mission to Albano and Ariccia on 1 June was led by
319th BG B - 2 6 C - 1 5 4 1 - 3 4 9 3 8 B/N 35 BIG ASS BIRD, which was flying
its 100th mission.
Gen M a r k Clark's Fifth A r m y liberated Rome on 3 June, and by
concentrating on taking the Italian capital, the Allies allowed the bulk of
the German 10th A r m y to retreat northwards firstly to the 'Trasimene
Line' and then on to the 'Gothic Line'. Enemy troops were attacked
throughout their 2 4 0 - m i l e retreat by the pursuing British Eighth Army.
T h e 4 2 n d B W assisted British forces in their efforts to hinder the enemy's
withdrawal by attacking bridges during the first two weeks of June. The
three groups targeted bridges at or near Acqualagna, Albinia, Amelia,
Arezzo, Attigliano, Baschi, Borghetto, Bucine, Cagli, Castiglion
Fiorentino, Cecina, Civita Castellana, Collepepe, Farmignano, Ficulle,
Foligno, Montepescali, Narni, Orvieto, Perugia, Pesaro, Piteccio, Pode
Nuovo, Poggibonsi, Pontassieve,
Radiocofani, Rieti, Roccastrada,
Siena, Spoleto, Staz di Ficulle,
Tabianello, Terni, Todi, Vetralla
and Viterbo.
Enjoying a break from 'bridge
busting', the 3 1 9 t h and 320th BGs
flew some unusual missions to
Leghorn harbour on 13 J u n e . T h e
25 t i m e s as group leader, 53 t i m e s
Hertenstein)
transpired that both group formations could not find the target due
to poor weather, so they had
diverted to the Fifteenth Air Force
base at Amendola (one of the
Marauders had landed at nearby
Foggia) to refuel and then try again.
Boy of t h e 441st B S /
Strong
Reisdorf)
B-26B-40 42-43278 B / N 36
BOUNCER
JERSEY
III of t h e 37th B S / 1 7 t h BG
Johannessen)
Mission C o m m a n d e r 439th BS
C O M a j Harold G Senften duly led
31 B-26s from Amendola to the secondary target - the railway bridges
southeast of Siena. Again, cloud stymied the group's attack runs, so the
bombers gave up and returned to Sardinia.
Bad weather continued to hamper missions during this period, and
none were successfully carried out for a whole week. Then, on 2 9 June, all
three groups were back in action, allowing the 17th BG to fly its 300th
mission of the war when it attacked the a m m u n i t i o n dumps at La Spezia.
Three days later, on a mission to the Vado railway viaduct, the group's
veteran B - 2 6 B - 4 0 4 2 - 4 3 2 7 8 B/N 3 6 JERSEY BO UNCER ///became the
first 17th BG M a r a u d e r to complete 100 missions - group C O Col
Donald L Gilbert flew as its co-pilot on this sortie.
During the first 11 days of July, the three groups attacked bridges at or
near Borgo Val di Taro, Fidenza, Fiorenzuola, Marzabotto, Peteccio,
Piacenza, Pontremoli, Prato, Ronco Scrivia, Vado Ligure and
Villafranca. There were, however, other types of targets being hit as well,
with fuel depots/storage tanks and a m m u n i t i o n factories all being visited
by Marauders from the 4 2 n d B W .
W i t h the Germans in retreat and their defences in disarray, few USAAF
bombers were now being brought down by flak or fighters. T h e one
exception to this rule came on 10 July, when the railway bridge north of
Marzabotto was attacked. Crews were surprised by the ferocity and
accuracy of the flak defending this target, and four B-26s were damaged
and one brought down. T h e latter aircraft, B - 2 6 C - 4 5 4 2 - 1 0 7 5 6 6 B/N 06
of the 4 4 1 st BS/320th BG, was on its bomb run when it was hit by at least
one 88 m m shell. T h e round damaged the bomber's fin and left
horizontal stabiliser and tore off the left wing outboard of the engine.
Pilot l L t M u r r a y B W i g i n t o n Jr fought to control the aeroplane by
pulling full aileron deflection on the right wing, but the bomber
immediately started to spin, trapping the six-man crew - no one survived.
W i g i n t o n and his co-pilot, 2Lt W i l l i a m E W i g g i n t o n , were not related,
but they had requested to fly all their missions together. Exploration of
the crash site during the 1980s discovered W i g i n t o n ' s dog tags and the
remains of radio/gunner Sgt Wesley B Hoffman, who was reburied in the
Arlington National Cemetery on 1 October 1 9 9 1 .
MAJOR MALLORY
Staged between the 12 and 14 July, Operation Major Mallory was a
successful attempt to destroy the bridges over the Po River. Targets were
located at Casalmaggiore, Cremona, Guastalla, Piacenza and Viadana. In
response to this offensive, the Germans started using smoke pots to try
and obscure the bridges in the hope that the bombardiers would not be
O'Mahony)
T h e 17th BG's first Major Mallory target was the railway bridge
at Piacenza. Constructed of steel, it
w o u l d prove difficult to destroy.
T h e group flew two missions to the
bridge on the 12th, but it w o u l d
take a lot more bombs to ensure its destruction. T h e 17th lost 37th BS
B-26F-1 4 2 - 9 6 3 0 5 B / N 4 0 Yehudi, flown by l L t Valentine W Krug,
during the first mission when its left engine was hit by flak over La Spezia.
T h e pilot was unable to feather the propeller, and the M a r a u d e r quickly
lost altitude and eventually made a good water landing off Corsica. T h e
crew was rescued within five minutes by a British motor torpedo boat.
T h a t same day, the 3 2 0 t h BG generated two missions to the
Casalmaggiore railway bridge and the 3 1 9 t h BG attacked the C r e m o n a
road and railway bridge both in the morning and afternoon. T h e latter
group's first mission scored no hits, as the target was obscured by smoke.
T h e afternoon mission was the 319th's 300th, and when the B-26 crews
found the target area clear of smoke, they successfully hit the bridge and
its approaches. Flight C o m m a n d e r Col Holzapple saw a span dropping,
but ordered a return the next day to make sure the target was destroyed.
T h e 319th's policy was now to revisit a target repeatedly until the
bridge was totally destroyed. This tactic w o u l d make repairs almost
impossible, and reduce losses by not allowing the enemy enough time to
relocate effective flak defences to defend a damaged target.
M o r e Major Mallory missions were flown by the w i n g on 13 July, with
the 3 1 9 t h BG targeting a permanent pontoon bridge at Viedano. T h e
Marauders destroyed an 1100-ft section of the bridge during another
successful mission. T h e operation came to a close w h e n all three groups
returned to Piacenza on the 14th. C l o u d interfered with some of the
missions, and probable hits were again achieved, but the target w o u l d
require more bombs to ensure its destruction.
Kwiatkowski)
Hertenstein)
DRAGOON
Operation Dragoon was the code
name for the Allied invasion of
southern France, which commenced
on 15 August. Phase I of the operation (Operation Uppercui) began on
1 August, and the Marauder groups
were assigned the task of destroying
bridges that could be used by the
Germans to send reinforcements to
the invasion area. T h e y were also
Hertenstein)
Johannessen)
aeroplane then took a hit in its right engine, knocking it out. Losing
altitude as it headed home, the bomber was bracketed by light flak all the
w a y to the frontline, but it still made it safely back to Cecina. Patsy's
co-pilot, 2Lt J a c k J Haher, has vivid memories of this sortie;
'I was on m y first mission - supposedly one of 6 5 ! W e were in the low
flight. Over the target, the lead ship was hit right away and was on fire
directly above us! I was the co-pilot to 1 Lt Richard Driscoll. I poked him,
pointing out the burning aeroplane as we peeled off. W e were then hit in
the right engine by flak. I feathered it whilst we were engaged by 4 0 m m
cannon fire. Driscoll talked with the controllers at the British airfield at
Cecina, which had only a grass runway.
' W h i l e Driscoll was handling the radio, telling the controllers about
our distressing condition, I was on the intercom instructing the crew to
salvo almost everything - guns, a m m u n i t i o n , flack jackets etc. I told them
to jettison everything they could, except our main radio, so as to m a k e the
aeroplane as light as possible.
'As we approached the field, it became clear that we were going to
overshoot. Driscoll ordered the gear and flaps up to go around again.
D u r i n g m y first five minutes of flying in the B-26 back in training, m y
instructor told me that y o u get the bomber down the first time " O R
ELSE!" Despite m a k i n g two d o w n w i n d approaches on Cecina, around
we successfully went both times, thereby disproving the theorem!
' O n landing, I vividly remember praising the crew on their jettisoning
work, and asking for m y 100-mission cap. In response, I was told,
"Lieutenant, you said everything overboard, and that included your cap!"
T h e y were kidding, thank goodness.'
Although B - 2 6 B - 5 0 4 2 - 9 5 9 4 6 was later repaired and returned to
frontline service, 4 4 4 t h BS B - 2 6 B - 3 0 4 1 - 3 1 9 7 1 B/N 94, flown by l L t
Albert D Stearns, was written off at the end of the 23 August mission
when it crash-landed at D e c i m o m a n n u with battle damage.
T h e groups returned to supporting the invasion forces in southern
France on 24 August w h e n the Montpellier railway bridge was bombed.
441st BS/320th BG B - 2 6 B - 4 5 4 2 - 9 5 7 6 8 B/N 16 Becky, flown by 2Lt
Harry Jenkins, fell out of formation due to engine failure after attacking
the target. T w o Marauders escorted the aeroplane down until it was just
4 0 0 ft above the sea, at which point five crewmembers j u m p e d from the
bomber. T h e last man's parachute failed to open before he hit the water,
however. Aircraft dropped rafts, and RAF air-sea rescue W a r w i c k s that
were in the vicinity were notified, but no trace of the crew was ever found.
O n the 26th, during a raid against the coastal defence battery on He
Ratonneau, in Marseilles harbour, B - 2 6 B - 5 0 4 2 - 9 5 9 0 4 B/N 8 7 , flown
by l L t Albert Stearns, hit B - 2 6 B - 5 0 4 2 - 9 5 9 5 8 B/N 91 over the target.
T h e first aeroplane spun in out of control, and only one parachute
emerged prior to it crashing off the French coast. T h e other machine,
flown by 2Lt James Sullivan, returned to base with heavy damage.
By this time the Allies had advanced so far into France that the m e d i u m
bombers could no longer reach any targets, so they reverted to attacking
Italian transport links instead. W i t h virtually no fighter opposition, and
quite often little or no flak, the missions had become almost routine.
Concentrating their efforts primarily against rail targets, the groups
sustained only occasional losses.
A w a i s t gunner f r o m t h e 319th BG
test fires his 0.50-cal manually
operated machine gun. A single
c r e w m a n operated both guns on
either side of t h e lower rear
fuselage, each of w h i c h w a s
provided w i t h 240 rounds of belted
a m m u n i t i o n . Later models s a w the
introduction of blast deflectors on
t h e outside of the fuselage to help
protect t h e gunner from t h e
slipstream (Louise
Hertenstein)
< %
CORSICA
As the Allies pushed further into
Italy, the 4 2 n d B W found itself
needing to move closer to its targets
so to be able to offer better support
to troops on the ground as they
slowly advanced through the m o u n tains in the country's northern
regions. T h e recently liberated
French island of Corsica was
selected as the ideal location for the
1 * 1
Looking f o r w a r d in t h e M a r a u d e r
t o w a r d s t h e bulkhead behind t h e
radio r o o m , four 1000-lb b o m b s can
be seen firmly held in place w i t h i n
t h e b o m b - b a y by their shackles. The
normal b o m b l o a d for a B-26 w a s
4000 lb. Alternatively, t w o 2000-lb
b o m b s could be carried, or a higher
number of smaller w e a p o n s such as
parafrags or incendiary b o m b s
(Louise
Hertenstein)
This aeroplane w a s
Reisdorf)
B-26B-15 41-31590 B / N 79
REPULSIVE
RABBIT of t h e 440th B S /
RABBIT
Hertenstein)
Right
B-26C-15 41-34932 B / N 38
JOSEPHINE
II of t h e 438th B S / 3 1 9 t h
JOSEPHINE
Hertenstein)
Above
B-26C-45 42-107550 B / N 08
O'RILEY'S
DAUGHTER
of t h e 437th
B S / 3 1 9 t h BG w a s one of t h e m a n y
M a r a u d e r s initially f l o w n by t h e
group in natural m e t a l finish t o
be hastily painted in field-applied
camouflage after M a r c h 1944.
42-107550 c o m p l e t e d 110 missions
w i t h t h e 319th BG prior t o being
transferred t o t h e 320th BG. By
w a r ' s e n d , t h e bomber's mission
tally stood at 165. This photograph
w a s t a k e n after t h e B-26 had joined
t h e 320th BG, t h e names of its old
crew and t h e 437th BS e m b l e m t h a t
adorned its nose having been hastily
painted out (via Franz
Reisdorf)
(II) of t h e 439th B S /
Hertenstein)
Macklin)
Marauders of t h e 37th B S / 1 7 t h BG
turn in close formation onto t h e
target Initial Point over Italy in late
1944. Both of t h e flights visible in
this photograph are led by G-model
Marauders, w i t h t h e aircraft nearest
to the camera being B-26G-5
43-34564 B / N 3 1 . This aircraft shows
evidence of a previous battle
number on its fin. The different
flight characteristics of t h e F- and
G-models w e r e barely noticeable
to an experienced B-26 pilot, despite
the latter having a slower top speed
and a shorter take-off run
(Bruce
Kwiatkowski)
(Author)
it w a s c o m m o n practice for
groundcrews t o n a m e t h e engine
for w h i c h t h e y w e r e responsible.
The pair of 1850 hp Pratt & W h i t n e y
R-2800-39 Double W a s p air-cooled
radials drove four-bladed 13 ft 6 in
diameter Curtiss Electric propellers,
w h i c h are seen here in t h e X
position. This w a s a safety measure
to help prevent d a m a g e in t h e event
of gear failure whilst on t h e ground
[Alf Egil
Johannessen)
ETO OFFENSIVE
Kwiatkowski)
Wreck,
Chadoir,
107563
flown
and
B/N
by 2Lt Alvin
B-26C-45s
42
Teton
W
42-
Special,
Ramblin'
Wreck to become a P o W .
By contrast, on the same d a y the 3 2 0 t h BG suffered no losses when it
bombed the Langenargen railway bridge. Lead navigator 1 Lt Bernard C
Delosier aboard B - 2 6 C - 4 5 4 2 - 1 0 7 7 5 2 B/N 88 Miss Arkansas was
awarded the D F C for guiding the formation past defences and destroying
the target. Twenty-four hours later, 3 2 0 t h BG lead bombardier Capt
Charles M Traynor J r was also awarded the D F C for bombing accuracy
against the Singen bridge. D u r i n g the same mission, a formation from the
4 4 4 t h BS dropped its bombs on neutral Switzerland. An inquiry into the
matter subsequently deemed that the crews had made an honest mistake.
O n 2 6 December the 3 2 0 t h BG again missed the Rastatt Bridge, and
the next d a y it went back to the Kaiserslautern barracks. C l o u d thwarted
crews, so they dropped on the nearby Oos barracks instead. T h e 17th BG
flew three more missions to the Kaiserslautern barracks on 2 9 and
3 0 December a n d 1 J a n u a r y 1 9 4 5 . O n the last of these operations
(undertaken with the 3 2 0 t h B G ) , flak claimed lead B-26B-40 4 2 - 4 3 3 0 8
B/N 6 8 NEW YORK CENTRAIII, flown by l L t Joseph T Shoeps, with
95th BS C O M a j H u g h H Teitsworth also on board.
T h e 2 n d saw the 3 2 0 t h BG hit g u n positions at Nunschwiller and a
supply depot at Oos, whilst the 17th BG targeted Thaleischweiler
barracks. T h e weather then grounded the B-26s until 16 January, when
the 3 2 0 t h BG bombed the Rastatt bridge again. Leading the attack was
B - 2 6 C - 4 5 4 2 - 1 0 7 7 7 8 B/N 7 0 The Termite of the 4 4 3 r d BS, which was
flying its 3 0 0 t h mission. T h a t same day the 17th BG hit the C a m p e de
Bitche barracks in northern France. T h e 34th BS lost its C O , Capt James
A King Jr, during the mission w h e n B - 2 6 C - 4 5 4 2 - 1 0 7 7 2 5 B/N 1 1 , flown
by C a p t D D Bartels, was hit by flak and crashed. Flak also claimed
B - 2 6 G - 5 4 3 - 3 4 2 5 1 B/N 0 4 , flown by l L t H F Reed of the 34th BS.
O n 19 J a n u a r y the 17th BG also targeted the Rastatt bridge, but its
crews failed to find it. B - 2 6 B - 5 0 4 2 - 9 5 8 9 2 B/N 6 8 crashed on its return
to Longvic. T h e 3 2 0 t h BG went after the Achern railway marshalling
yards that same day, but it too struggled to find its target due to thick
cloud. T h e formation attacked the alternate target at Lahr instead.
Sgt Hayslip escaped from
Reisdorf)
II of t h e 9 5 t h B S /
was
York
Kwiatkowski)
B-26C-45 42-107724 B / N 83
Janette
of t h e 432nd B S / 1 7 t h BG w a s
regularly f l o w n by 1 Lt John G
Fabian's crew. T h e aeroplane w a s
destroyed w h e n it crashed shortly
after take-off during t h e group's
second abortive mission t o t h e
Rastatt Bridge on 22 January 1945.
The port engine w a s ripped off its
m o u n t s during t h e belly landing,
and further d a m a g e w a s caused by
t h e rescue crews w o r k i n g t o free t h e
pilot and co-pilot. The aeroplane's
n a m e w a s w r i t t e n on both sides of
its nose in red {Bruce
Kwiatkowski)
SHORAN
O n 10 March, 320th BG Deputy
Group C O Lt Col Larry Hayward,
flying in the only Short Range Air
Navigation ( S H O R A N ) equipped
M a r a u d e r then available - B - 2 6 G - 1 0 4 3 - 3 4 4 6 3 B/N 4 5 of the 17th BG
- led his group on its first Blind Approach Technique (BAT) bombing
mission against the Hauenstein supply depot, which was covered by
cloud. Three days later the 17th BG used the technique for the first time
to bomb Bad Kreuznach, which was again obscured by solid cloud.
T h e driving force behind S H O R A N was R C A Industry Service
Laboratory scientist Stuart Seeley, w h o , in 1937, had been given the task
of eliminating 'ghosts' from television screens. These duplicate images are
the result of reflected transmitter signals from buildings or other objects
arriving at the receiver a fraction of a second later than the direct signal,
thereby causing overlapping images on a T V screen.
During his experiments, Seeley deduced that the distance between
the main image and the ghost on the screen could provide a means for measuring the extra distance travelled by the secondary image. If the position
of the transmitter was known precisely, the distance measurement could
indicate the source of the reflection. This phenomenon could, therefore,
form the basis of an accurate system for measuring distances. Thus,
S H O R A N was born.
T o p , above and b e l o w
B-26B-40 42-43302 B / N 25
Row'n
Home w a s n a m e d and f l o w n by 1 Lt
'Big J o h n ' R o w a n of t h e 442nd B S /
320th BG. The aeroplane crashed
on take-off at t h e start of its 136th
mission on 13 February 1945,
seriously injuring its pilots, 1 Lt
Sylvester W LaChasse and M a j
Paul S Jordan (via Franz
Reisdorf)
t h e fact t h a t t h e aeroplane w a s
fitted w i t h S H O R A N (Short Range
Air Navigation) e q u i p m e n t , w h i c h
w a s c o d e n a m e d BAT (Blind
of this sortie, the latter became the first M a r a u d e r crewman to fly 100
Approach Technique). A l t h o u g h
named Clearfieldafter
M a r a u d e r remains u n k n o w n , it m a y
w e l l be t h e 37th BS's B-26G-10
43-34463 B / N 45, w h i c h w a s t h e
42nd BW's first S H O R A N - e q u i p p e d
Marauder. On 10 M a r c h 1945, this
aircraft led t h e 320th BG on its first
BAT b o m b i n g mission against t h e
Hauenstein supply d e p o t , w h i c h
railway marshalling yards. T h e next day, the 3 2 0 t h flew its last mission
w a s covered by cloud
(Bruce
Skipper,
Kwiatkowski)
nose
Kwiatkowski)
DUCK of t h e 34th B S / 1 7 t h BG w a s
shot d o w n by M e 262s f r o m J V 44
Old Faithful, was attacked by two jets, one of which fired R 4 M rockets at
the bombers. An M e 2 6 2 could carry up to 2 4 of these unguided weapons,
and they were ripple fired from a range of 1000 yards or less. W h e n
salvoed en masse, the rockets formed a large field of fire that could not fail
to hit a bomber formation. A n d a single rocket could down a bomber.
over S c h w a b m u n c h e n on 24 April
1945. T h e only survivor f r o m I L t
Fred J H a r m s ' c r e w t h a t day w a s
w a i s t gunner S S g t E d w a r d F Truver,
w h o w a s b l o w n out of t h e aircraft
by t h e explosion caused by t h e R 4 M
rocket t h a t struck t h e bomber.
In this instance, the B-26 decoy flight was comprised of just three
W D Lasly, w h o s e n a m e appeared
beneath t h e pilot's w i n d o w . As w e l l
Kwiatkowski)
the
French air
useless by
Very few
aeroplane,
YOYO
Kwiatkowski)
APPENDICES
B-26 CAMOUFLAGE AND MARKINGS
When the three B-26 groups first entered combat with the Twelfth Air
the 432nd BS. The group also applied the squadron colour to the nose wheel
door bulge on many of its Marauders later in the war.
The 319th BG painted the forward cowl rings and the occasional
Force, their aircraft wore no markings other than the national insignia and
propeller boss in squadron colours too - blue for the 437th BS, red for the
the radio call number on the fin. The latter was an abbreviated form of the
438th BS, yellow for the 439th BS and white for the 440th BS. The 320th BG
bomber's serial number. For example, 41-17765 carried the number '117765'
applied red to the propeller bosses of all of its aircraft, and often to the
on its tail, and the aircraft was referred to simply as 765'. Many of the
cowl rings as well. The group's Marauders were almost always adorned
Marauders did, however, sport nose art prior to them reaching the MTO.
with the appropriate squadron insignia on the forward fuselage too. The
319th BG's 437th BS was the only other squadron to apply its insignia in
this way.
Some of the squadron insignia also evolved over time as well, with the
applied the last three digits of the serial to the leading edge of the wing
441st BS's emblem seeing three distinct design changes. The 443rd BS used
above and below the rubber de-icing boots. Early 320th aircraft B-26B-4
a version of its 'running duck' on many of its aeroplanes, whilst the 444th
BS initially had many of its B-26s adorned with the units 'rabbit' emblem.
a lead ship. Some early B-26s also sported the yellow surround applied to
of its bombers.
the early style national insignia that was used during Operation Torch.
As more B-26s became available, and all three groups operated in close
Nose art and names were painted onto B-26s from the start. It was the
groundcrews that had the most association with an aeroplane, so it was
usually the Marauder's crew chief that would bestow a name. It was rare
to distinguish each of the group aircraft. The first of these was introduced
in July 1943, and it took the form of a ten-inch wide band applied to the
crews usually flew whichever aircraft was serviceable. There were many
tail (their exact size and location could vary) in group colours - red for the
17th BG, blue for the 319th BG and yellow for the 320th BG. These bands
favourite B-26 for the majority of his missions, and he would occasionally
were often edged with white to help them stand out against the olive
drab camouflage.
In October 1943 the 42nd BW introduced 48-inch 'battle numbers' to
The camouflage worn by early B-26s in the MTO was the standard Olive
Drab with Medium Gray undersides. Later B-models would have additional
the fins of their aircraft, and these identified an individual B-26's squadron
assignment and, later, its group assignment. The battle numbers replaced
on B-26B-40 models, with scalloping to the wings, tail and fin. Camouflage
the radio call letters, but many older Marauders were seen with both
markings applied. The battle numbers were initially painted white, with
next squadron, 50 to 74 for the third squadron and, finally, 75 to 99 for the
last squadron.
Again, the exact size and location of the battle numbers varied, and the
experiment on the night of 15 May, when it dropped flares over the airfield
three groups positioned the numbers in their own individual ways. The 17th
to see how easily its B-26s could be spotted on the ground. The natural
BG placed them high on the fin wholly over the radio call number, whilst the
metal aircraft were all too visible, so from then on all the group's bombers
the radio call number. The 320th BG also placed its numbers below the
photographic evidence to prove that the other two B-26 groups followed
camouflage were later transferred to the 17th and 320th BGs when the
319th converted to Mitchells in November 1944.
Due to the increased risk of attacks on airfields in France, the USAAF
ordered the re-introduction of camouflage to the uppersurfaces in the
autumn of 1944. This was done in the field by all Marauder units, and many
individual squadron colours to the propeller bosses of its aircraft too - blue
for the 34th BS, red for the 37th BS, yellow for the 95th BS and white for
COLOUR PLATES
i
B-26B-2-MA 41-17858 COUGHIN' COFFIN of the
34th BS/17th BG, Djedeida, Tunisia, October 1943
This aircraft j o i n e d t h e 17th BG on 18 N o v e m b e r
1942, a n d w a s n a m e d a n d regularly f l o w n by Capt
W i l l i a m R Pritchard. He received a DFC f o r
r e t u r n i n g t h e badly d a m a g e d b o m b e r f r o m a
m i s s i o n t o La Hencha o n 1 M a r c h 1943. 41-17858
w a s t h e s e c o n d 17th BG B-26 t o reach t h e 50m i s s i o n mark, t h e first h a v i n g been t h e 37th BS's
HELL CAT. 1 Lt Fred M e h e r f l e w this aircraft o n its
final m i s s i o n , a n d Pritchard w a s o n b o a r d as an
observer. It is d e p i c t e d here as it a p p e a r e d just
prior t o r e t u r n i n g t o the US o n 29 October 1943,
h a v i n g been repaired after s u s t a i n i n g battle
d a m a g e o n its last m i s s i o n . By t h e n t h e b o m b e r
had been c r e d i t e d w i t h d o w n i n g eight f i g h t e r s
a n d s i n k i n g t h r e e ships. T h e 34th BS T h u n d e r b i r d
e m b l e m a d o r n s t h e s t a r b o a r d side of t h e nose,
a n d t h e B-26 s p o r t s p r o p e l l e r bosses p a i n t e d in t h e
s q u a d r o n c o l o u r . Capt Pritchard f l e w COUGHIN"
COFFIN h o m e w i t h a h i g h - m i s s i o n c r e w .
2
B-26B-40-MA 42-43311 B/N 09 SPOT CASH! of
the 34th BS/17th BG, Villacidro, Sardinia,
January 1944
42-43311 c o m m e n c e d o p e r a t i o n s w i t h t h e 17th BG
in S e p t e m b e r 1943, a n d t h e b o m b e r w e n t on t o fly
m o r e t h a n 140 m i s s i o n s until it w a s shot d o w n on
26 A p r i l 1945 by M e 262s. Its n i c k n a m e refers to
m o n e y paid i m m e d i a t e l y u p o n d e l i v e r y of g o o d s
or services, t h e m e a n i n g b e i n g rather m o r e 'racier'
w h e n used in c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h a scantily clad
n u d e ! The r a d i o m a n / w a i s t g u n n e r o n t h e aircraft's
final m i s s i o n w a s SSgt A n d r e w T Poplos, w h o w a s
killed. His b r o t h e r Gust Poplos described w h a t
h a p p e n e d . ' O n his 31st m i s s i o n , A n d r e w ' s
a e r o p l a n e SPOT CASH! w a s shot d o w n over
N e u b e r g an der D o n a u , near G i e t l h a u s e n . That
day, t h e 17th BG w a s o n its w a y t o b o m b Lechfeld
airfield, but heavy c l o u d cover m e a n t t h a t m o s t
of t h e b o m b s w e r e s a l v o e d . A t 1150 hrs, t h e
f o r m a t i o n had just t u r n e d northeast t o return t o
Dijon w h e n t h e y w e r e attacked by M e 262s f r o m
JV 44, led by G e n e r a l l e u t n a n t A d o l f G a l l a n d . The
17th BG lost f o u r a e r o p l a n e s , i n c l u d i n g t w o f r o m
t h e 34th BS. A t 1150 hrs Galland had d o w n e d a
B-26 f o r his 103rd v i c t o r y , a n d o n his second pass
five m i n u t e s later, he f i r e d at SPOT CASH!. W i t h
his first burst, he t o r e t h e side of t h e tail off up t o
t h e w a i s t w i n d o w s . C r i p p l e d by the jet's attack, t h e
b o m b e r nosed up a n d t h e n fell off t o t h e left into a
s p i n , w i t h s m o k e c o m i n g f r o m b o t h e n g i n e s . In his
u p p e r t u r r e t g u n p o s i t i o n , Francis " S i d " S i d d o w a y
d i d not a n s w e r t h e c o - p i l o t ' s i n q u i r y of t h e c r e w ' s
s i t u a t i o n since his i n t e r c o m had f a i l e d . Instead, he
w e n t t o assist m y b r o t h e r , w h o had been w o u n d e d
in t h e chest, j u s t before t h e tail section broke
a w a y . Sid s t r u g g l e d t o free t h e w a i s t g u n m o u n t
so that he c o u l d exit t h e aircraft t h r o u g h t h e w a i s t
3
B-26C-20-MO 41-35007 B/N 13 Reddy Teddy of
the 34th BS/17th BG, Villacidro, Sardinia,
January 1944
Reddy Teddy served w i t h the 17th BG f r o m A u g u s t
1943 t h r o u g h t o 24 J a n u a r y 1944, w h e n it w a s
retired after being declared w a r w e a r y . The
a e r o p l a n e ' s c r e w chief, TSgt R a y m o n d I Linder,
had t h e nose art a n d n a m e f a i t h f u l l y reproduced
on both sides of the b o m b e r ' s nose. Beneath the
pilot's w i n d o w o n the port side w a s the name
'Robby's Roost', Mississippi,
and 'Colby's
Corner',
California appeared beneath the co-pilot's w i n d o w
on t h e s t a r b o a r d side. The legend 'Perk's Perch',
NY, w a s carried o n b o t h sides of the nose just
beneath the naked lady. Like SPOT CASH! before
it, Reddy Teddy sports the full m a r k i n g system
t h e n in use by the 17th BG.
4
B-26C-25-MO 41-35177 B/N 17 UDEN UDEN'S OIL
BURNER of the 34th BS/17th BG, Villacidro,
Sardinia, May 1944
41-35177 w a s in service w i t h the 17th BG f r o m
14 J u l y 1943 t h r o u g h to 8 J u n e 1944, w h e n it w a s
retired as w a r w e a r y . The b o m b e r w a s f l o w n by
2Lts Robert R Bennett and co-pilot T i l m a n Beardon
on t h e i r first c o m b a t m i s s i o n , and t h e y had n a m e d
it after their instructor, 1 Lt J a m e s Uden and his
w i f e - U d e n had been killed in a t r a i n i n g accident.
Bennett, Beardon and their c r e w had j o i n e d the
34th BS o n 15 October 1943, and the officers w e r e
k n o w n as t h e T h r e e Bs', referring t o Bennett,
Beardon and b o m b a r d i e r / n a v i g a t o r 2Lt W i l l i a m J
Bell. The rest of the c r e w w e r e SSgts Robert D
W i l c o x , W i l l i a m B O ' D o n o v a n and W i l l i a m Russell.
T h e B-26's c r e w chief, TSgt A l b e r t H Hurt, w a s
a b o a r d his b e l o v e d '177' w h e n the left engine
w a s s h o t out d u r i n g an attack on the Rocca
Secca b r i d g e on 30 December 1943. Bennett later
received a DFC f o r g e t t i n g the b o m b e r back h o m e .
5
B-26C-45-MO 42-107729 B/N 17 STUD DUCKoi the
34th BS/17th BG, Longvic, France, April 1945
STUD DUCK served w i t h the 17th BG f r o m 8 J u n e
1944 until 24 A p r i l 1945, w h e n it w a s shot d o w n by
an M e 262 f r o m JV 44 over S c h w a b m u n c h e n . The
a e r o p l a n e ' s c r e w chief w a s o r i g i n a l l y TSgt A l b e r t
H Hurt, a n d its assigned pilot w a s Capt W D Lasly,
w h o s e n a m e appears beneath the cockpit on the
6
B-26B-2-MA 41-17903 HELL CAT of the 37th
BS/17th BG, Djedeida, Tunisia, July 1943
HELL CATwas assigned to t h e 17th BG f r o m 18
N o v e m b e r 1942 t h r o u g h to 15 J u l y 1943, a l t h o u g h
it may have f l o w n w i t h the 319th BG for a t i m e
d u r i n g this p e r i o d . The b o m b e r ' s o r i g i n a l pilot w a s
Capt David B Taggart, and it w a s t h e first of t h e
g r o u p ' s M a r a u d e r s t o c o m p l e t e 50 m i s s i o n s . HELL
CATwas selected to return t o the US w i t h Capt B
M Lloyd and his c r e w so t h a t it c o u l d participate in
a b o n d drive w i t h the 319th BG's Jabo/SKY
KING
the 2ND and t h e 320th BG's "LADY
HALITOSIS".
The b o m b e r w a s d u l y replaced by B-26C-20
41-35159 B/N 35 HELL CATII, w h i c h s p o r t e d
a l m o s t identical nose art. 41-17903 is depicted
here as it w o u l d have looked u p o n its return t o
the US, having by t h e n been credited w i t h t h e
destruction of nine f i g h t e r s , t h r e e ships a n d t w o
bridges. This early B-26 w i t h t h e smaller f l i g h t
surfaces also has the s h o r t - l i v e d red s u r r o u n d t o
the national insignia that w a s a u t h o r i s e d for use
between 29 J u n e and 14 A u g u s t 1943.
7
B-26C-20-MO 41-35018 B/N 32 Spooks of the 37th
BS/17th BG, Djedeida, Tunisia September 1943
Spooks w a s in service w i t h t h e 17th BG f r o m J u n e
1943 until 16 M a r c h 1944. On t h e latter date, w h i l s t
being f l o w n by 1 Lt Chester M A n g e l l , it w a s lost in
a mid-air collision w i t h B-26B-45 42-95782 B/N 26,
f l o w n by 2Lt C L Bosch. Spooks had near identical
a r t w o r k applied to both sides of its nose, a n d it is
seen here after c o m p l e t i n g ten m i s s i o n s - m i s s i o n
marks w e r e o n l y applied t o t h e port side.
8
B-26C-45-MO 42-107768 B/N 35 This is 'IT of the
37th BS/17th BG, Longvic, France, December 1944
42-107768 served f r o m J u l y 1944 until 24
December 1944, w h e n it w a s shot d o w n by Bf 109s
whilst attempting to b o m b the Messerschmitt
aircraft factory at Frederickshafen. Its pilot t h a t
fateful day w a s 1 Lt Fred M A b b o t t , and t h e
aeroplane's c r e w chief w a s TSgt Kelley. This Is 'IT
w a s the second 17th BG M a r a u d e r t o bear this
n a m e , h a v i n g replaced B-26C-20 41-35140 B/N 35.
9
B-26B-40-MA 42-43278 B/N 36 JERSEY BOUNCER
III of the 37th BS/17th BG, Villacidro, Sardinia,
August 1944
JERSEY BOUNCER / / / w a s in service w i t h t h e
17th BG f r o m 12 S e p t e m b e r 1943 t h r o u g h t o 17
December 1944, w h e n it w a s shot d o w n by flak
w h i l s t attacking defensive positions a l o n g the
'Siegfried Line' - its pilot on that day w a s 1 Lt
Donald V Leslie. On 2 J u l y , 42-43278 had b e c o m e
10
B-26C-45-MO 42-107572 B/N 44 Star-duster of the
37th BS/17th BG, Villacidro, Sardinia, March 1944
Star-duster w a s in service f r o m J a n u a r y 1944, a n d
it w a s p u r p o r t e d l y the first natural metal M a r a u d e r
t o be assigned t o t h e 17th BG - M a r t i n s t o p p e d
c a m o u f l a g i n g its B-26s w h e n it c o m m e n c e d
p r o d u c t i o n of t h e B-55 a n d C-45 m o d e l s . Crew
chief TSgt M a t l o c k n a m e d t h e b o m b e r
Star-duster,
and once it had been p r e p a r e d f o r c o m b a t , 37th BS
CO M a j George G i b b o n s f l e w it o n its first m i s s i o n .
Star-duster went o n t o c o m p l e t e 150 m i s s i o n s , a n d
it also s u r v i v e d t h e w a r . A s m a l l r e n d i t i o n of a
Vargas p i n - u p a d o r n e d t h e t o p of the a r t w o r k
o n t h e nose.
11
B-26B-40-MA 42-43308 B/N 68 NEW YORK
CENTRAL II of the 95th BS/17th BG, Villacidro,
Sardinia, July 1944
The first NEW YORK CENTRAL w a s o n e of the
17th BG's o r i g i n a l M a r a u d e r s (B-26B-2 41-17916),
s e r v i n g w i t h t h e 34th BS until it w a s d e s t r o y e d in
a c r a s h - l a n d i n g f o l l o w i n g a m i s s i o n t o El A o u i n a
o n 24 February 1943. T h e b o m b e r , like its
r e p l a c e m e n t , w a s paid f o r by the e m p l o y e e s of t h e
N e w York Central Railroad. NEW YORK CENTRAL
/ / e n t e r e d service o n 22 J a n u a r y 1944, and it had
f l o w n m o r e t h a n 100 m i s s i o n s by t h e t i m e it w a s
s h o t d o w n by flak o n 1 J a n u a r y 1945 w h i l s t being
p i l o t e d by 1 Lt J o s e p h T S h o e p s . The aeroplane is
d e p i c t e d here after c o m p l e t i n g 62 m i s s i o n s , w h e n
its assigned pilot w a s 1 Lt R W Childers. His
b o m b a r d i e r w a s 1 Lt J o h n D Venglar, w h o s e n a m e
appears t o t h e right of t h e Plexiglas nose.
12
B-26B-10-MA 41-18187 B/N 81 "THE WOLVES"
of the 432nd BS/17th BG, Djedeida, Tunisia,
October 1943
"THE WOLVES" s a w service f r o m A p r i l 1943 until
it w a s shot d o w n over V i e a n o , in Italy, w h i l s t b e i n g
f l o w n by Capt M o r r i s McCarver o n 30 N o v e m b e r
1943. It is d e p i c t e d here after it had c o m p l e t e d 35
m i s s i o n s . The aeroplane w a s a d o r n e d w i t h t h e
n i c k n a m e s "MOJO",
"REBEL"and
"LIGHTNING",
w h i c h referred t o its pilot, c o - p i l o t a n d
b o m b a r d i e r . By the t i m e t h e b o m b e r w a s lost,
it had c o m p l e t e d 40 m i s s i o n s . 41-18187 w a s
replaced by B-26B-45 42-95765 B/N 8 1 , w h i c h
w a s a d o r n e d w i t h a s i m i l a r n a m e a n d nose art.
13
B-26B-30-MA 41-31962 B/N 86 Old Iron Sides
of the 432nd BS/17th BG, Poretta, Corsica,
October 1944
Old Iron Sides w a s t h e first B-26B-30-MA received
by t h e 432nd BS in A p r i l 1943, a n d it s u r v i v e d
t o t h e e n d of w a r , f l y i n g a total of 175 m i s s i o n s .
This m o d e l i n t r o d u c e d b o l t - o n a r m o u r p l a t i n g
to protect the pilot, hence 41-31962's n i c k n a m e .
14
B-26B-10-MA 41-18285 B/N 02 LadyKatyot the
437th BS/319th BG, Decimomannu, Sardinia,
April 1944
Lady Katy is d e p i c t e d here as it looked after
c o m p l e t i n g 87 m i s s i o n s , a n d w h i l s t assigned t o
pilot Fit Off A r t h u r W Cruse. A veteran of a l m o s t
a year in f r o n t l i n e service, by t h e s p r i n g of 1944
it had been credited w i t h t h e d e s t r u c t i o n of seven
f i g h t e r s a n d o n e naval vessel. The n a m e a d o r n e d
b o t h sides of t h e nose, a n d this B-26 has t h e full
c o m p l e m e n t of m a r k i n g s used by t h e 319th BG.
15
B-26C-11-MO 41-34868 B/N 04 ZERO-4 of the
437th BS/319th BG, Decimomannu, Sardinia,
June 1944
437th BS CO M a j J o h n A O r b f l e w ZERO-4 on
its first m i s s i o n in t h e a u t u m n of 1943, a n d t h e n
participated in t h e b o m b e r ' s 100th m i s s i o n o n 6
J u n e 1944 as its co-pilot. The B-26 had c o m p l e t e d
148 m i s s i o n s by t h e t i m e it w a s f l o w n back t o t h e
US by Capt Richard C Bushee in N o v e m b e r 1944.
16
B-26C-45-MO 42-107550 B/N 08 ORILEY'S
DAUGHTER of the 437th BS/319th BG,
Decimomannu, Sardinia, May 1944
42-107550 w a s d e l i v e r e d in natural metal f i n i s h ,
but had c a m o u f l a g e a p p l i e d w h i l s t in service
w i t h t h e 319th BG. This s c h e m e differed f r o m t h e
' o f f i c i a l ' v e r s i o n t h a t t h e U S A A F o r d e r e d its units
t o a p p l y in t h e ETO d u e t o t h e increased risk of
attacks o n airfields in France d u r i n g late 1944.
Field m o d i f i c a t i o n centres in t h e UK carried o u t t h e
r e s p r a y i n g f o r t h e aircraft assigned t o t h e N i n t h A i r
Force, a l t h o u g h m a n y of t h e b r a n d n e w B-26Gs
t h e n a r r i v i n g in-theatre had already been painted
w i t h a s t a n d a r d i s e d v e r s i o n of the s c h e m e prior
t o delivery. 42nd BW aircraft such as O'RILEY'S
DAUGHTER had this darker shade of olive d r a b
a p p l i e d in the f i e l d . 42-107550 w a s also u n u s u a l
in t h a t it had neutral g r e y u n d e r s i d e s . The b o m b e r
f l e w 110 m i s s i o n s w i t h t h e 319th BG a n d w a s t h e n
t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e 320th BG, w i t h w h o m it served
o u t t h e w a r . By t h e n it had f l o w n 165 m i s s i o n s .
17
B-26C-11-MO 41-34914 B/N 18 WILLIE Jr. of the
437th BS/319th BG, Decimomannu, Sardinia,
May 1944
WILLIE Jr. f l e w 61 m i s s i o n s before being retired
f r o m f r o n t l i n e o p e r a t i o n s a n d sent back t o t h e
US on 23 A p r i l 1944. Its c r e w chief, M S g t W i l l i a m
18
B-26C-15-MO 41-34938 B/N 35 BIG ASS BIRD of
the 438th BS/319th BG, Decimomannu, Sardinia,
June 1944
41-34938 w a s one of the first B-26s delivered to the
319th BG w i t h the larger f l i g h t surfaces, hence its
n i c k n a m e . The M a r a u d e r reached the century mark
w h e n it led the g r o u p against G e r m a n t r o o p
c o n c e n t r a t i o n s in the A l b a n o and Ariccia areas
on 1 J u n e 1944, and w e n t on t o fly a total of
145 m i s s i o n s - the highest n u m b e r for a b o m b e r
s e r v i n g w i t h the 319th BG.
19
B-26B-MA 41-17751 "SNAFU" of the 439th
BS/319th BG, Horsham St Faith, Suffolk,
November 1942
"SNAFU" (Situation N o r m a l All Fucked Up) w a s
one of a n u m b e r of 319th BG M a r a u d e r s that failed
t o c o m p l e t e the f e r r y f l i g h t to N o r t h Africa. It
crashed into a hill near H u n t i n g t o n , in Yorkshire,
in bad w e a t h e r s o o n after the g r o u p had set off for
A l g e r i a on 12 N o v e m b e r 1942. Pilot Capt Donald G
S m i t h (a ' D o o l i t t l e Raider') and his c r e w perished.
SNAFU is d e v o i d of all m a k i n g s , save for the nose
art and radio call n u m b e r on the f i n . S m i t h ' s name
appears beneath the pilot's w i n d o w .
20
B-26B-15-MA 41-31609 Jabo/SKY KING the 2ND
of the 439th BS/319th BG, Djedeida, Tunisia,
July 1943
D u r i n g J u l y 1943, each of the three B-26 g r o u p s
in t h e M T O w e r e o r d e r e d t o select a veteran
M a r a u d e r a n d c r e w t o return to the US for a
special a s s i g n m e n t . The 319th BG selected B-26C15 41-34924 Lovely Louise / / o f the 439th BS and
a c r e w led by Capt W i l l i a m F E r w i n . U n f o r t u n a t e l y ,
t h i s aircraft sustained extensive flak d a m a g e
d u r i n g a m i s s i o n t o Messina on 14 J u l y , so it w a s
d e c i d e d t o send Jabo/SKY KING the 2ND instead.
W h e n t h e c r e w s reported t o Gen ' H a p ' A r n o l d at
the P e n t a g o n , the m e n w e r e t o l d that t h e y w e r e
t o visit t r a i n i n g fields to instill c o n f i d e n c e in the
B-26. A t t h a t t i m e the USAAF w a s h a v i n g t r o u b l e
p e r s u a d i n g m e n to fly the M a r a u d e r due to its
t a r n i s h e d r e p u t a t i o n . The three c r e w s d i v i d e d up
t h e bases t o visit, w i t h Jabo/SKY KING the 2ND
t o u r i n g airfields w i t h i n the Southeast T r a i n i n g
"TIME'S AWASTIN"
never s a w c o m b a t , as it w a s
lost en route t o t h e M T O . 1 Lt G r o v e r C H o d g e Jr
a n d his c r e w b e c a m e lost in t h e w i n t e r w e a t h e r ,
ran o u t of fuel and f o r c e - l a n d e d in Labrador o n
10 October 1942. The B-26 a n d t h e r e m a i n s of
s o m e of its c r e w w e r e f o u n d t h e f o l l o w i n g M a r c h .
Despite o n l y being a f e w miles f r o m an Eskimo
village at H e b r o n , t h e c r e w w a s u n s u r e of its
location a n d a w a i t e d rescue. On 23 D e c e m b e r
t h r e e c r e w m e n w e n t f o r help a n d t h e y w e r e never
seen a g a i n . H o d g e ' s d i a r y w a s f o u n d w i t h his
b o d y , a n d it t o l d of h o w t h e c r e w had starved t o
death - the last e n t r y w a s dated 3 February 1943.
21
25
22
B-26C-11-MO 41-18303 B/N 60 MISTLETOE of the
439th BS/319th BG, Decimomannu, Sardinia,
July 1944
MISTLETOE is depicted here as it appeared
f o l l o w i n g its 100th m i s s i o n , f l o w n on 27 J u l y 1944.
The b o m b e r ' s c r e w chief, TSgt Frank H S m i g l a ,
a c c o m p a n i e d the c r e w on this o p e r a t i o n , w h i c h
saw the g r o u p b o m b the railway bridge at
Chivasso, in Italy. MISTLETOE w e n t on t o fly a
further 18 m i s s i o n s w i t h the 319th BG prior t o
its w i t h d r a w a l f r o m f r o n t l i n e o p e r a t i o n s .
23
B-26C-11-MO 41-18322 B/N 64 Hell's Belle II of
the 439th BS/319th BG, Decimomannu, Sardinia,
May 1944
Hell's Belle / / w a s a replacement aeroplane for
Hell's Belle, w h i c h had been one of the first 319th
BG M a r a u d e r s t o see c o m b a t in N o r t h Africa.
W r i t t e n off in a f o r c e - l a n d i n g in mid-1943, t h e
aircraft w a s replaced by 41-18322. The latter
b o m b e r w a s initially assigned to 1 Lt Jack H Logan
and his crew. U p o n the c o m p l e t i o n of their t o u r
on Christmas Day 1943, the B-26 w a s assigned
to 1 Lt Elliot Lysco and his crew. On 1 M a y 1944,
d u r i n g a m i s s i o n to the C a m p o di Marte r a i l w a y
m a r s h a l l i n g yards in Florence, 41-18322 became
the first USAAF b o m b e r to c o m p l e t e 100 m i s s i o n s .
A further 32 f o l l o w e d prior t o its retirement.
24
B-26B-2-MA 41-17862 "TIME'S AWASTIN" of the
440th BS/319th BG, Labrador, October 1942
26
B-26C-11-MO 41-34892 B/N 83 MODERN DESIGN
of the 440th BS/319th BG, Serragia, Corsica,
September 1944
MODERN DESIGN w a s a n o t h e r of t h e 319th BG's
B-26 c e n t u r i o n s , t h e aircraft c o m p l e t i n g 104
m i s s i o n s prior t o it being t r a n s f e r r e d to the 34th
BS/17th BG in October 1944. T h e b o m b e r ' s career
had nearly been curtailed on 9 February 1944,
h o w e v e r , w h e n it w a s i n v o l v e d in a m i d - a i r
collision during a training flight. Nineteen-year-old
pilot 2Lt Roscoe N e m e r m a n a g e d t o land t h e
b o m b e r despite it h a v i n g suffered c o n s i d e r a b l e
d a m a g e t o its t a i l p l a n e . The other M a r a u d e r
i n v o l v e d in t h e incident (B-26B-15 41-31599 of
t h e 438th BS, f l o w n by 2Lt Charles W Erickson)
c r a s h e d , and t h e o n l y s u r v i v o r of t h e t h r e e - m a n
c r e w w a s dazed co-pilot 2Lt M a u r i c e E S a u n d e r s .
27
B-26B-MA 41-17765 "LADY HALITOSIS" of the
441st BS/320th BG, Massicault, Tunisia, July 1943
"LADYHALITOSIS"
w a s o n e of the 320th BG's
o r i g i n a l M a r a u d e r s , a n d after h a v i n g f l o w n 43
m i s s i o n s it w a s selected t o return t o t h e US (see
profile 20 for details). A selected c r e w led by pilot
1 Lt W i l l i a m Van M a r t e r f l e w the a e r o p l a n e h o m e
on 15 J u l y 1943. By that t i m e it had been credited
w i t h t h e d e s t r u c t i o n of six f i g h t e r s a n d t h r e e ships.
The a r t w o r k appeared on b o t h sides of t h e
b o m b e r ' s nose, and t h e s t a r b o a r d side also
28
B-26C-20-MO 41-35070 FRANCES JOAN B/N 04
of the 441st BS/320th BG, El Bathan, Tunisia,
October 1943
41-35070 is d e p i c t e d here after c o m p l e t i n g 15
m i s s i o n s , a n d it s p o r t s t h e second v e r s i o n of t h e
441st BS i n s i g n i a . This aircraft w a s hit by flak a n d
crashed near V i t e r b o , in Italy, o n 21 J a n u a r y 1944.
S o m e 64 years later, t h e b o m b e r ' s pilot, 1 Lt Louis
Vails, w a s p o s t h u m o u s l y a w a r d e d t h e DFC, w h i c h
w a s presented t o his f a m i l y o n 28 M a r c h 2008. The
citation a c c o m p a n y i n g t h e a w a r d read, in part, '1 Lt
Vails led his c r e w as the d e p u t y leader of his f l i g h t ,
a n d d e p u t y leader of a 17-aeroplane f o r m a t i o n ,
against t h e heavily d e f e n d e d r a i l w a y b r i d g e
southeast of O r v i e t o , in Italy. His aircraft w a s
struck by heavy anti-aircraft fire early on t h e b o m b
r u n , c a u s i n g it t o catch f i r e , a n d heavy s m o k e
entered t h e a e r o p l a n e t h r o u g h t h e o p e n b o m b - b a y
d o o r s . W i t h t h e aircraft fatally c r i p p l e d , the c r e w
w a s instructed t o bale o u t , despite i m m i n e n t
d a n g e r of t h e b o m b s e x p l o d i n g . 1 Lt Vails realised
t h e i m p o r t a n c e of t h e m i s s i o n , and d e p e n d e n c e
of t h e f o r m a t i o n on his aircraft f o r a successful
attack. D i s p l a y i n g great c o u r a g e and s u p e r i o r
f l y i n g ability, he held t h e aircraft in f o r m a t i o n a n d
c o n t i n u e d t h e b o m b r u n . J u s t after 1 Lt Vails' c r e w
released their b o m b s , t h e aircraft received a
s e c o n d d e v a s t a t i n g direct flak strike o n the left
e n g i n e , f o r c i n g t h e B-26 into a steep bank t o w a r d
the g r o u n d . M a i n t a i n i n g t h e c o n t r o l s l o n g e n o u g h
t o a l l o w t w o c r e w m e m b e r s t o parachute t o safety,
1 Lt Vails, his co-pilot, n a v i g a t o r , b o m b a r d i e r a n d
t o p - t u r r e t g u n n e r all p e r i s h e d , but not before t h e y
inflicted heavy d a m a g e t o a key r a i l w a y b r i d g e . '
29
B-26B-50-MA 42-96016 B/N 04 Doris K./lidalizeya
of the 441st BS/320th BG, Decimomannu,
Sardinia, May 1944
42-96016 w a s t h e regular m o u n t of Capt S i d n e y
' S n u f f y ' S m i t h , CO of t h e 441st BS f r o m 27 J u l y
1944 t h r o u g h t o 12 M a r c h 1945. The a e r o p l a n e
w a s n a m e d after S m i t h ' s w i f e , Doris, a n d w a s also
a d o r n e d w i t h her picture. Doris K./lidalizeya
flew
w e l l over 100 m i s s i o n s , a n d s u r v i v e d t h e w a r . T h e
M a r a u d e r has t h e f a c t o r y - p a i n t e d m e d i u m green
scallops a p p l i e d t o its tail section - a c o m m o n
feature f o u n d o n m a n y B-26B-50/55 m o d e l s . These
w e r e in a d d i t i o n t o t h e areas of m e d i u m green o n
t h e nose a n d fuselage sides that w a s also c o m m o n
t o earlier m o d e l s of t h e M a r a u d e r .
30
B-26B-45-MA 42-95753 B/N 08 MY-GAL of the
441st BS/320th BG, Alto, Corsica, September 1944
31
B-26B-10-MA 41-18305 B/N 14 Miss Manchester of
the 441st BS/320th BG, Decimomannu, Sardinia,
December 1943
Depicted here after 38 m i s s i o n s , Miss
Manchester
s p o r t s t h e early style w h i t e battle n u m b e r that
w o u l d have later been c h a n g e d t o y e l l o w d u r i n g
J a n u a r y 1944. On 21 J a n u a r y Miss
Manchester
w a s b r o u g h t d o w n by flak over Orvieto. Its pilot,
1 Lt Robert B Currie, w a s a w a r d e d the DFC for
h o l d i n g t h e b u r n i n g aeroplane level long e n o u g h
f o r his c r e w t o bale out - five parachutes w e r e
seen before the b o m b e r e x p l o d e d . Miss
Manchester was replaced by B-26B-50 42-95884
B/N 14 Miss Manchester, w h i c h f l e w 100+ missions
a n d s u r v i v e d the w a r .
32
B-26G-5-MA 43-34284 B/N 32 Green Eyed Glodine
of the 442nd BS/320th BG, Longvic, France,
January 1945
Green Eyed Glodine w a s n a m e d by its regular
pilot, 1 Lt Robert A Perrine, in h o n o u r of his w i f e ,
G l o d i n e . F/G-model M a r a u d e r s w e r e a big
i m p r o v e m e n t over earlier versions of the b o m b e r ,
w i t h t h e i r p r i m a r y design change being a 3.5degree increase t o the w i n g incidence. Despite
a slight decrease in speed, this change gave a
shorter take-off run and better h a n d l i n g that w o u l d
have saved the lives of m a n y p r e v i o u s c r e w s . The
s h o r t e r take-off run initially t o o k pilots by surprise
w h e n t h e 320th BG launched its m u l t i - s h i p takeoffs f r o m D e c i m o m a n n u , as G-models got airborne
m u c h quicker t h a n their p r e v i o u s B-26B/Cs.
33
B-26C-20-MO 41-34999 B/N 33 "SHIF'LESS" of the
442nd BS/320th BG, Decimomannu, Sardinia,
February 1944
"SHIF'LESS"
is depicted here after reaching the
7 5 - m i s s i o n m a r k in early 1944, by w h i c h t i m e its
c r e w s had c l a i m e d t h e destruction of three e n e m y
f i g h t e r s . The aeroplane sports a v e r s i o n of the
' r u n n i n g duck' insignia that the 442nd BS applied
t o m a n y of its b o m b e r s . On 18 December 1943, 1 Lt
Richard A Dodelin f l e w 41-34999 to the A n t h e o r
r a i l w a y v i a d u c t , and d u r i n g the course of its b o m b
r u n , an 88 m m flak shell e x p l o d e d nearby and
m o r t a l l y w o u n d e d t o p t u r r e t g u n n e r SSgt Wesley
D D o l a n . Engineer/waist g u n n e r SSgt J o s e p h
Garbenches w a s later a w a r d e d the DFC for aiding
34
B-26B-4-MA 41-18023 B/N 55 Boomerang of
the 443rd BS/320th BG, El Bathan, Tunisia,
September 1943
Boomerang w a s the aeroplane f r o m w h i c h t h e
320th BG derived its n i c k n a m e . The B-26's
markings are unusual for the 320th BG, as its serial
n u m b e r has been re-applied over the early w h i t e
battle n u m b e r , and there is no y e l l o w tail b a n d .
Boomerang also sports the radio call letter ' C ,
this m a r k i n g s y s t e m being the first m e t h o d of
individual aeroplane identification to be used by
B-26 s q u a d r o n s . Boomerang
is depicted here after
c o m p l e t i n g 53 m i s s i o n s , and h a v i n g d o w n e d t w o
e n e m y fighters. S o m e of t h e m i s s i o n m a r k i n g s
have a small red ' V painted on t h e m , but t o date
the significance of this e m b e l l i s h m e n t r e m a i n s
u n k n o w n . Each m e m b e r of the c r e w had t h e i r
nickname painted on the fuselage of the aircraft in
their respective positions. The legend TEAGIN the
VIPER'appears
beneath the pilot's w i n d o w for
pilot 1 Lt L W Feagin, and the n a m e beneath t h e
tail g u n n e r ' s position reads 'NOAK'S NOOK', in
h o n o u r of tail g u n n e r Sgt M e r r i l l ' S h o r t y ' Noakes.
Other crew names applied t o the aeroplane w e r e
'SPIKE'S SPOT for co-pilot 2Lt Cloyd T Pearce,
'PACE'S PATIO'for
b o m b a r d i e r 2Lt Lemuel M a x
Pace, 'BERNIE'S BEANERY'for
r a d i o - g u n n e r Sgt N
Bernstein and 'GAMBLE'S GADGET for t u r r e t
g u n n e r Sgt W a r r e n E G a m b l e .
35
B-26B-10-MA 41-18288 B/N 62 Scramboogie of
the 443rd BS/320th BG, Decimomannu, Sardinia,
January 1944
Scramboogie
is seen here after c o m p l e t i n g 40
missions. A l t h o u g h the nickname of t h e b o m b e r
w a s not w r i t t e n on its nose, the M a r a u d e r w a s
a d o r n e d w i t h a reclining pin-up and the 443rd BS
insignia. P h o t o g r a p h s s h o w that a least t w o
versions of this badge w e r e applied t o m a n y of
the s q u a d r o n ' s longer-lived aeroplanes.
37
B-26B-3-MA 41-17959 Miss Fortune of the 444th
BS/320th BG, Montiescquieu, Algeria, June 1943
Miss Fortune, f l o w n by Capt T h e o d o r e M D o r m a n ,
led t h e 320th BG's first b o m b i n g m i s s i o n against a
land-based target - Carloforte h a r b o u r , o n Sardinia
- on 22 A p r i l 1943. It is d e p i c t e d here after
c o m p l e t i n g 18 m i s s i o n s , a n d D o r m a n ' s n a m e
appears b e l o w the pilot's w i n d o w . A l m o s t
identical a r t w o r k w a s a p p l i e d t o t h e s t a r b o a r d
side of t h e b o m b e r ' s nose.
38
B-26C-45-MO 42-107752 B/N 88 MISS. Arkansas of
the 444th BS/320th BG, Decimomannu, Sardinia,
August 1944
One of t h e m o r e f a m o u s M a r a u d e r s t o serve w i t h
the 320th BG, this aircraft's n o t o r i e t y a l m o s t
certainly s t e m m e d f r o m its elaborate a r t w o r k ,
w h i c h w a s a p p l i e d t o both sides of t h e b o m b e r ' s
nose. There are are s l i g h t differences b e t w e e n t h e
t w o v e r s i o n s , a n d t h e n a m e a p p e a r e d on t h e
s t a r b o a r d side o n l y . The nose art i n c o r p o r a t e d t h e
distinctive s h a r k s m o u t h that a d o r n e d t h e m a j o r i t y
of t h e aeroplanes assigned t o t h e 444th BS f r o m
mid-1944 o n w a r d s . The s h a r k s m o u t h effectively
replaced the earlier rabbit a r t w o r k as a s q u a d r o n
identification m a r k i n g .
39
B-26C-45-MO 42-107825 B/N 98 OF Folks of
the 444th BS/320th BG, Longvic, France,
December 1944
01' Folks w a s a n o t h e r ex-319th BG M a r a u d e r
t h a t had had olive d r a b paint a p p l i e d t o its
uppersurfaces by its f o r m e r o w n e r . 42-107825 had
been Sweet Lew's Baby (B/N 55) w h e n s e r v i n g
w i t h the 439th BS. For a t i m e , OT Folks retained
t h e latter unit's y e l l o w c o w l i n g rings, despite
h a v i n g being reassigned t o the 320th BG. The
f i e l d - a p p l i e d c a m o u f l a g e has an a l m o s t straight
m i d - f u s e l a g e d e m a r c a t i o n , a n d a v o i d s both the
data block and the radio call n u m b e r on t h e f i n .
The latter r e m a i n s in its o r i g i n a l black - it w o u l d
have been y e l l o w if t h e c a m o u f l a g e had been
factory-applied.
36
Back Cover
INDEX
References to illustrations are shown in bold.
Plates are shown with page and caption
locators in brackets.
Albury, 1 Lt James L 72,73
Allen, Cpl Robert E 79
Anzio 37-48, 66
Badoglio, Marshal Pietre 21, 25
Bailey, Sgt 7
Bayramian, 1 Lt Aram Otto 14
Beardon, 1 Lt Tilman 32, 90
Bedford, 2Lt Franklin P 12,12
British Eighth Army 25, 65, 66, 67, 80
Bullard, 2Lt Tim 17
Cassino 40-41,43,66
Church, 1 Lt Wayne 14
Cole, 2Lt Truman C 4,79
Cooper, 1 Lt Aubrey 33, 33
Corsica 26, 75-80
Decimomannu airfield 29, 29-30, 46,47
DeSantis, TSgt Pat 17
Diamond, Maj Charles H 10, 20
Dicke, Sgt Joe 17
Doolittle, Brig Gen James H 9,20-21;
'Doolittle Raid' 6
Dorman, Capt Theodore M 12,13
Doxee, 1 Lt Marsh 14
Driscoll, 1 Lt Richard N 73,74
Eaker, Lt Gen Ira C 40, 43
Edwards, 1 Lt John C 27,35
Fessenden, Robert 37
Fletcher, Lt Col Eugene B 33, 34, 35
Florence 42, 42-43, 48
Fowler, 2Lt Richard B 79
France: operations in 81-88; raids on 30,31,
32; southern, invasion of 70-75
French Air Force, Free 38, 45, 67
Galland, Genlt Adolf 86, 87, 88, 90
Galm, Sgt Frank S 7
Garbenches, SSgt Joseph 31,94-95
Germany, raids on 81-84,85-88
Gibbons, Maj George 39, 39
Gilbert, Col Donald L 68, 70
Goldman, 2Lt Sidney 79
Gorlin, Dr David 0 38
'Gothic Line' 65, 66, 73, 75
Green, 1 Lt Joseph A 34
Greenlee, Luther W 16
'Gustav Line' 37, 40, 44, 66
Haher, 2Lt Jack J 74,82
Hardy, Sgt James W 79
Harrington, Sgt Carter 79
Hayward, Lt Col Lawrence J 26,32, 84, 85, 88
Hodge Jr, 1Lt Graver C 7 , 7 , 9 3
Hoffman, SSgt Wesley B 68,69
Holmes, 1 Lt Harry A 14
Holtorp, TSgt Earl 35
Holzapple, Col Joseph R 29, 29, 45, 69, 70, 77
Hoy, 1Lt Carl E 13,27,28
Italy: invasion of 25-36; raids on 20-24, 25-36,
65-80 see also Anzio
Jannsen, 2Lt Paul L 7
Johnson, Waverly 37
Jordan, Maj Paul S 83, 84
Kaminski, 1 Lt Charles W P 4,79, 80
LaChasse, 1 Lt Sylvester W 83,84
Lampman, 2Lt Leo A 79
Logan,Jack 37
Logsdon, 1 Lt James N 4, 79
Luftwaffe, J V 44: 86, 87, 87-88, 88, 90
Malcolm, 2Lt John 46-47
Malsbury, Barclay P 16
Marco, Robert A 16
Martin B-26 Marauder 6-7; armament 8,12,
13, 22, 65, 65, 66, 70, 74, 75, 76, 78
Martin B-26B-2 7, 8, 9 , 1 0 , 1 1 - 1 2 , 1 3 , 1 4 , 1 5 ,
16,18, 20, 24, 26; 41-17724 17,17, 36(60,
95); 41-17747 12,12; 41-17751 8,19(55,
92); 41-17765 16,16, 27(57, 93-94); 4117829 10; 41-17858 11,11,19,1(49,90);
41-17862 7, 7,24(56, 93); 41-17882 23;
41-17903 20, 6(50, 91); 41-17916 11,83
Martin B-26B-3: 41-17959 12,13, 37(61, 95);
41-17964 12,14,20
Martin B-26B-4 14, 18, 20, 24, 25, 27, 89; 4118023 34(60,95)
Martin B-26B-10 16,17,19, 20, 23, 24, 27, 28,
29, 30-31, 35, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 65, 80; 4118187 31, 31,12(52, 91); 41-18253 33,33;
41-18285 14(53, 92); 41-18288 33,35(60,
95); 41-18305 4,36,36,31(59, 94)
Martin B-26B-15 17,18, 24, 30-31, 34, 36; 41 31582 33,33; 41-31590 25(57, 93), 76; 4131609 20(55,92-93)
Martin B-26B-20 26, 35
Martin B-26B-30 74; 41-31962 13(53, 92); 4131969 46, 70; 41-31985 29
Martin B-26B-40 31, 34-35, 65, 71, 81; 4243272 32; 42-43278 9(51, 91), 68, 68, 81;
42-43291 28; 42-43302 83, 84; 42-43308
11(52, 91), 82, 83; 42-43311 2(49, 90), 88
Martin B-26B-45 35,37,38,41,42,44,45,47,
70,71-72,73,74,76,85,87,88; 42-95753
30(58, 94), 78, 81; 42-95759 34; 42-95765 31
Martin B-26B-50 3 8 , 4 1 - 4 2 , 4 8 , 6 5 , 6 7 , 7 0 , 7 2 ,
73-74, 75, 76, 81-82; 42-95884 36; 4295955 46; 42-95983 46; 42-95987 87, 88;
42-95994 42; 42-96016 4, 29(58, 94), 75;
42-96022 67, 68
Martin B-26C-5 21,34,79
Martin B-26C-10 16,18, 30-31, 32, 34, 39; 4134870 17; 41-34883 70, 86; 41-34895 78
Martin B-26C-11: 41-18303 22(56, 93); 4118322 37, 43, 48, 48, 23(56, 93); 41-18326
35, 35, 21(55, 93); 41-34868 15(53, 92), 67;
41-34892 40, 26(57, 93); 41-34914
17(54, 92)
Martin B-26C-15 24, 28, 33, 38, 41; 41 -34918
21; 41-34932 76; 41-34938 18(54,92),
66, 66
Martin B-26C-20 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, 34, 78, 83,
87; 41-34999 31, 33(59, 94-95); 41-35007
3(49, 90); 41-35018 7(51, 91); 41-35070
36, 28(58, 94)
Martin B-26C-25 21, 37; 41-35177 32,
4(50, 90)
Martin B-26C-45 41, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, 78, 80,
82, 83, 85, 87, 88; 42-107532 4, 79; 42107550 16(54, 92), 75, 77; 42-107561 46,
78; 42-107565 46, 78; 42-107566 68,69;
42-107572 39, 39,10(52, 91); 42-107617
80; 42-107724 83, 83; 42-107729 5(50,9091), 87, 87; 42-107735 72-73, 73; 42107752 38(61, 95), 82; 42-107768 8(51,
91), 82; 42-107795 4, 33; 42-107800 78;
42-107825 39(61,95)
Martin B-26G 82, 94
Martin B-26G-1 82,95
Martin B-26G-5 73, 75, 80, 81, 82, 85, 87;
43-34254 70; 43-34261 4, 79-80;
43-34284 32(59, 94); 43-34396 4, 79;
43-34564 79
Martin B-26G-10 84,85
McClusky, Sgt Robert 72-73, 73
McVay, 1Lt John N 16,16
Meadows, Sgt Jack 17
Related Titles
ISBN
SERIES
No.
TITLE
Combat Aircraft
Combat Aircraft
11
Combat Aircraft
18
Combat Aircraft
21
Combat Aircraft
32
Combat Aircraft
33
Combat Aircraft
34
Combat Aircraft
36
Combat Aircraft
38
Combat Aircraft
39
Combat Aircraft
40
Combat Aircraft
54
84
TO ORDER ANY OF THESE TITLES, OR FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OSPREY PUBLISHING, CONTACT:
N o r t h America: uscustomerservice@ospreypublishing.com
UK & Rest o f W o r l d : customerservice@ospreypublishing.com
WWW. OSPREYPUBLISHING. COM
c:():J
I OSPREY COMBAT
AIRCRAFT
73 1
c():J
OSPREY COMBAT
AIRCRAFT SERIES
OSPREY
PUBLISHING
US $22.95 I $25.95 CAN
IS B N 978-1-84603-307-0
522