U S Army Air Force/8th Air Force/2nd Air Division/14th Bomb Wing/492nd Bomb Group (Heavy)
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Back to Mission 31 Mission 32 Monday, 19 June 44 Coubronne Forward to Mission 33
Mission 32
Hitler's V-1 rockets were terrorizing London and needed immediate attention. Of the 35 Crossbow bases identified for attack, the 492nd drew one near Coubronne (sometimes spelled Corbronne). It was decided to hit the target twice on the same day. Hopefully, when the Germans would come out to begin repairing the damage from the first attack, they wouldn't be expecting a second one. Perhaps, it was hoped, they could be caught out in the open with their equipment. If not, well then at least there would be more damage for them to repair.
On the morning mission the Group dispatched 11 planes under the command of Major Heaton, the 857th Squadron Commander, who flew in one of the Pathfinders provided. Due to engine problems, four of the planes were forced to abort.
Fighter Protection
It's hard to say what the fighter protection was for the 492nd on this mission. But there was plenty of protection buzzing over France. Since there were no Luftwaffe attacks, one can easily say the protection was excellent.
Enemy Resistance
Since the 8th Air force did lose some planes, there had to be some enemy activity. To our knowledge the 492nd didn't encounter anything worth reporting.
Bombsight
Like most NoBall missions, the Group drops on the Pathfinder's mark and that's it. Rarely do they have a visual to judge the the results by. This run was no exception.
Epilogue
Although the 858th Command Staff got their orders to Cheddington, it's possible that their crews still flew this day as the 858th. Of the 11 planes sent up for this mission, 8 of them belonged to the 857th and the other 3 came from the 858th. Those 858th crews were reassigned to different squadrons.
The V-1 rockets literally introduced a new level of warfare. Raids on the Crossbow targets did not stop the rockets, but did limit the number thrown over the channel. Never during the war was Hitler able to launch any from his bases in northern France. So one could say these raids paid off.
Mission Data
Mission: 32
Date: 19 Jun 44
City: Coubronne, France
Target: Crossbow
Aircraft
DIS:
11
Abort:
4
ATT:
7
RTB:
7
Lost:
0
PFF:
1
Bomb Load
Tons: 17
Type: GPs
Result: n/a
Enemy Action
Flak: n/a
GAF: None
Counter Action
Kills: 0
492nd Casualties
KIA:
0
WIA:
0
POW:
0
INT:
0
More Info
This mission's impact
on the overall war
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Page last modified Thursday, May 11, 2017.