May
14, 1943, 7th
victory Archives and notes on my searches concerning this date & victory
May
14, 1943, 7th
victory
Searches concerning this victory :
The mission of the USAAF
COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCESFRIDAY, 14 MAY 1943
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force)
Number 56 :
A maximum force is put in the air as part of a combined offensive against the Wehrmacht.
154 B-17's, 21 B-24's and 12 B-26's are dispatched against 4 targets.
The principal attack is against submarine yards and naval installations at Kiel, Germany; 136 B-17's and 21 B-24's are dispatched with 126 B-17's and 17 B-24's hitting the target at 1200-1203 hours local. We claim 62-24-27 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 5 B-24's and 3 B-17's with 1 B-24 damaged beyond repair and 9 B-24's and 27 B-17's damaged. Casualties are 3 KIA, 17 WIA and 81 MIA.
42 B-17's are dispatched against the former Ford and General Motors plants at Antwerp, Belgium; 38 hit the target at 1320 hours local; we claim 5-1-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 1 and 15 others and damaged; casualties are 3 WIA and 10 MIA ;
in the third raid, 39 B-17's are dispatched against Courtrai Airfield, France; 34 hit the target; we claim 0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 2 B-17's and 10 others are damaged; casualties are 20 MIA.
In the 4th raid, 12 B-26's are dispatched against the Velsen power station at Ijmuiden, The Netherlands; 11 hit the target at 1100 hours; 1 B-26 is damaged beyond repair when it crashes upon returning to base and 9 others are damaged; casualties are 1 KIA and 7 MIA.
This is first time more than 200 US bombers are dispatched. The attack at Ijmuiden is made at low level by the 322d Bombardment Group (Medium), the first US medium bomber group to become operational in the UK.
The Antwerp mission is escorted by 118 P-47's; they claim 4-6-11 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 3 P-47's and 1 is damaged; casualties are 3 MIA.
6 B-17 declared lost on May 14, 1943 :
Source : 303rd Bombardment Group (H) Eighth Air Force Station 107 - Molesworth, England
http://www.303rdbga.com/macr.html + Book "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story"Source : 351 BG http://freespace.virgin.net/ken.harbour/index.htm
serial number
plane type
squadron
Code
date lost
reason
mission lost on
pilot
42-5243
303 BG
359 BSBN-P
May 14, 1943
fighter
Kiel
Crash Location
North SeaCapt Ross C. Bales P
Lt Walter E. Dooley CP
S/Sgt Raymond K. Winters E
Sgt Jack D. Snell TG
S/Sgt Raymond H. Kilgore R
10 KIA
MACR 15593
serial number
plane name
squadron
code
date lost
reason
mission lost on
pilot
42-29859
Boeing B-17F-BO "The Annihilator"
351 BG
510 BSTU*H
May 14, 1943
fighter
Courtrai mission #1
Crash Location :
CourtraiCap. William R. Forsythe (POW), Lt. R. C. Stewart (POW), Lt. James T. McDonald (POW), Lt. Robert V. Ostheimer POW, Sgt. Frances M. Daly (POW), T/Sgt. Wilton A. Wixom (POW), S/Sgt. Leroy D. Donaldson (KIA), S/Sgt. Albert L. Jensen (KIA), Sgt. Thomas P. Culkin (POW), S/Sgt. Ralph C. Tarr (POW).
42-29862
Boeing B-17F-75-BO
351 BG 508 BS
YB*H
May 14, 1943
fighter
Courtrai
mission #1Crash Location :
CourtraiLt. Clifford J. McCoy (POW), Lt. Charles J Nickels (POW), Lt. Carlisle L. Nottingham (POW), Lt. Jerry C. Scollar (POW), T/Sgt. Peter R. Brasic (POW), T/Sgt. Cecil F. Bazar (POW), S/Sgt. Cleman N. Smith (POW), S/Sgt. Robert H. Hilton (KIA), S/Sgt. George C. Osborne (POW), S/Sgt. William G. Lafferty (POW) MACR 15557
Source : Book "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story"
serial number
plane name
squadron
code
date lost
reason
mission lost on
pilot
41-24481
Boeing B-17F-10-BO "Hell's Angels"
91 BG
322 BSLG-M
May 14, 1943
?
Kiel
Crash Location : North Sea near Amrum Island
( 30km >Husum )Broley, 10KIA. MACR 15498
42-3115
Boeing B-17F-25-DL
95 BG
335 BS?
May 14, 1943
fighter
Anvers
Crash Location :
Kats Noord Beveland Island (Hol)McKinley, 10KIA. MACR 4908
42-30003
Boeing B-17F-80-BO "War Eagle"
92 BG
407 BSPY-S
May 14, 1943
fighter
Kiel
Crash Location
?
Rendsburg
?
(45km S-SE > Husum)
Last observed circling down under control toward Amrum Island
(30km NW > Husum)
w/one engine out, one stabilizer shot off1 Lt. Lowell L. Walker P POW
Lt. John C. "Jack" Eder CP POW
Lester L. Kleuver N POW
Ernest F. Bean ? POW
Donald E. Hutton E POW
Everett K. Teaford R? KIA
M/Sgt. James E. Lane BT? KIA
S/Sgt. Donald E. Buckland W? KIA
S/Sgt. Malcolm Culpepper T KIA
MACR 16055The report of the mission #56 gives lost 6 B-17. The tables of losses above give 6 B-17. These tables are complete. 2 B-17 were lost on Courtrai and the other one on the Holland. This explains short list which is reduced to the 3 B-17 lost during the mission on Kiel.
B-24 declared lost on May 14, 1943 (current result of my works) :
Source : MACR
serial number
plane name
squadron
code
reason
mission lost on
pilot
41-23807
B24D-5-CO
44 BG
67 BS?
?
?
MACR 2748
41-23819
B24D-5-CO
44 BG
68 BS?
?
?
MACR 15509
41-24278
B24D-25-CO
44 BG
67 BS?
?
?
MACR 16558
42-40126
B24D-30-CO
44 BG
67 BS?
?
?
MACR 2441
Source : Kelly Kristensen
serial number
plane type / name
squadron
code
reason
mission lost on
41-24295
44 BG
506 BS? J ?
flak and fighters
Kiel
Crash location
probably near or on the german coastCpt Swanson, P POW
2nd Lt. Douglas B. Myers, CP POW
2nd Lt. Richard L. Schiefelbusch, N POW
2nd Lt. Sydney W. Bank, B POW
Sgt Joseph B. Duncan, LWG KIA
Sgt George E. Christensen, RWG KIA
Sgt Stanley W. Gliemboski, TG KIA
TSgt William J. Mears, TTG KIA
TSgt Frederick T. Wolf, R KIA
No MACR
Elements to direct searches :
From site : Unusual 303rd BG Experiences
Message of : Glenn V. Hudson (359) Navigator 427th sqdnOne of my roughest missions - Kiel, Germany, May 14, '43. In a dogfight including B-24s, B-17s and German fighters, I will never forget all the planes that were falling - theirs, and ours. A JU-88 was going down so close that I could see the rear gunners face. He looked as scared as I was.
Description of this victory by Heinz Knoke and different information :
Crash Location : near HUSUM
Heinz Knoke Informations
Personal comments
Source I flew for the f... page 98
Date May 14, 1943
Type of claimed plane B-17 Flight Fortress
Place of the interception Beginning of attack over Holstein 30.000 feet
Crash Location Near Husum
Square ST-7
Presumed Mission USAAF Bombing Kiel
Presumed route USAAF On way home after bombing Kiel
Schedule Fortress crash near Husum at 12.17
Weather report
Knoke's Unit 5./JG11
Description of the fight "I attempt another frontal attack. My first salvo registers right in the control cabin of a Fortress. It rears up, like a great animal that has been mortally wounded, and drops away in steep spirals to the right. At approximately 10000 feet . It crashes near Husum at 12.17."
Detail 1 "...a wing breaks off."
A sure victory.
Detail 2 Knoke mention that Sergeants Fürhmann, Fest and Biermann shot down three other Fortress by bombing . The fifth victory of 5./JG11 was claimed by Sergeant Wenneckers.
Detail 3 Knoke didn't mention parachutes.
Luftwaffe' Official Victories on May 14, 1943.
Source : Jagdgeschwader 1 und 11 Tail 1 1939 - 1943 Jochen Prien, Peter Rodeike.
