MISSION # 42.

MISSION #42. Istre Les Patis Airdrome. August 17, 1943.
This is the Group’s first mission to France. We went in with two waves of B-17’s. We led the Squadron, flying with pilot Major O’Connor (C.O.) I passed my 600 total Observer hours- mark today.
The weather was good, but the smoke from the preceding Group’s bombs, plus the smoke from the smudge pots, on the ground, obliterated the target area. So, we didn’t go in on the briefed heading, but circled the target area with a 360 degree turn, and dropped our bombs in the general target area. The flak was moderate to heavy, but inaccurate as to our Squadron. But, we lost Fisher, Kinnan, Taylor, O’Shocky and the rest of their crew, when they were hit in their No.3 engine, and it caught fire. I watched the plane diving down on fire, and then break in two. The wing came off during a flat spin. Each piece was aflame! I then noticed seven -open chutes. I saw two fighters but they didn’t attack us.
At our de-briefing after the mission, I learned that Mac counted 46 flak holes in his plane. His Waist -Gunner, Shifferd, was the only one hit! He received a piece of shrapnel in his foot - taking part of his foot with it.
Mission Time: 0930 (our longest mission). We dropped 2880 pounds of frag bombs. T.B.W.T.D.= 199,120 pounds.
I saw a gala display of “fireworks” tonight, during the Germans’ bombing of Bizerte. There were tracers and ack-ack galore in the sky for about 30 minutes.