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cannons, while several Luftwaffe fighter units
were based nearby.
Merseburg became known as “Mercilessburg”
to the bomber crews. Second Lieutenant Tom
Landry, who would become head coach of the
Dallas Cowboys, flew most of his missions in
the oil campaign, he remembered that the sky
over the city and the plant was filled by “an angry
black cloud of exploding flak.”
The B-17s and B-24s primarily dropped
250-pound bombs, these were not strong enough
to destroy the reinforced concrete blast walls
protecting the storage tanks, compressors and
other machinery. These lighter bombs also made
German firefighting easier because the fires
were less intense and long-lasting as compared
to the destructive effect of the RAF 4,000-pound
“cookies,” that were responsible for most of the
damage.
The summer of 1944 saw poor weather, which
prevented the bombers returning to a target
quickly. The Germans were able to get plants
back into production at lowered rates within four
to six weeks. Toward the end of the campaign,
air force planners using increased photo
reconnaissance were able to time attacks to
coincide with production resumption.
The first attack of the Oil Campaign was against
the huge plant at Politz on June 20, 1944. The
Fourth Fighter Group provided Target Withdrawal
Support. Fifty ZG 76 Me 410s intercepted the
bombers, some carrying massive 50mm anti-
tank cannons, escorted by Bf 109s. The Luftwaffe
admitted the loss of 12 Me 410s to the Debden
Eagles and other groups.
The mission saw the loss of Jim Goodson,
who led his 336th squadron in his brand-new
P-51D. Spotting airplanes on the airfield at
Neubrandenburg on the way home, Goodson
led the squadron in a low-level attack. As he
picked out a Do 217 on the field, his Mustang
took a hit in the vulnerable radiator. With engine
temperature soaring, Goodson crash-landed on
the airfield and was quickly captured. Since the
Mustang looked undamaged from the air, other
squadron members strafed it as Goodson and
his captors threw themselves on the ground.
At the time of his loss, Goodson was VIII fighter
Command’s leading ace, with 14 aerial victories
and 15.5 ground kills, he would remain top ace of
the Fourth.
The Eighth’s first “Operation Frantic” shuttle
mission was flown June 21. Among the others,
First Bomb Division contributed 163 B-17s, their
escort to the target was performed by 72 P-38s
of the 364th and 55th groups, and 38 P-47s
of the 353rd group. The Fourth, flying three
16-plane squadrons, reinforced by 16 P-51s from
the 352nd’s 486th squadron, were led by Don
Blakeslee. They rendezvoused with the bombers
before they hit the target and flew with them to
Poltava in Ukraine, a flight of 1,600 miles.
Shortly after the Eagles picked up the
bombers over Lezno, Poland, 30 Bf 109s attacked
the bombers over Siedlice. Captain Frank Jones
and 1st Lt Joseph Lang each got one, making both
aces. The 335th squadron’s 1st Lt Frank Sibbett
was shot down and killed. Blakeslee navigated
the flight - as he was later proud to recall - with
four maps and a wrist watch, bringing the group
to Poltava where they landed at 1450 hours,
his exact ETA, he considered leading the flight
across Europe his greatest achievement of his
wartime career. Ralph Hofer, who wandered
off on his own again, was unable to rejoin the
group and got lost. He landed unexpectedly at
Kiev, where he was closely interrogated by the
Russians before they let him fly over to Poltava
the next day.
Unknown to the Americans, the force had
been shadowed by a Ju 88 after the formation
broke away from the main force and headed
east. That night, the Luftwaffe staged one of their
last large-scale bombing missions. The Poltava
airfield was hit, destroying many B-17s - half of
those on the field.
With the majority of the Jagdwaffe in
Normandy, missions over Germany did not find
larger air opposition until July 18. The 352nd was
escorting bombers to targets in Peenemünde
and Zinnowitz when they encountered a mixed
force of about 40 Me 410s and Ju 88s, with
a top cover of 20 Bf 109s that were stalking the
bombers. Outnumbered, the 486th and 487th
squadrons attacked, quickly dispersing them
while the Bf 109 cover was engaged by the 328th
squadron.
George Preddy, whose run of victories had
taken off in late June when he exchanged his
P-51B “Cripes A’Mighty II” for one of the newer
Captain Pierce McKennon was one of the longest-serving pilots in the 4th FG, arriving in 1943 and flying
operations to the end of the war. (USAF official)
The 55th Fighter Group gave up their P-38s for P-51s in the summer of 1944.
(USAF official)
HISTORY
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