Mission 22, July 24 -- St. Lo, France. Flies "Dry Run." Bombing in support of ground troops. Total overcast causes them to bring their bombs back.

Mission 23, July 25 -- St. Lo, France. Flies "Dry Run." Low-level bombing in support of ground troops.

Mission 24, July 28 -- Rilly La Montagne, France. Flies "Dry Run." No bombs were dropped due to bad weather.

Mission 25, July 29 -- Bremen, Germany. Flies "Dry Run." Bombed oil plant. Cloud cover and smoke screen at target. Heavy flak.

Mission 26, July 31 -- Ludwigshaven, Germany. Flies "Dry Run." Very heavy flak over target, Dry Run loses one engine. One plane from the 704th is lost.

Mission 27, August 1 -- Paris, France. Flies "Ginger." Attacked an airfield near Paris. Needed to make three runs on the target! Heavy flak.

August 2 -- Peronne, France. Flies "Ginger." Forced to abort due to run away prop. No mission credit.

Mission 28, August 3 -- Douai, France. Flies "Dry Run." Bombed an oil refinery. "Nice one, no flak."

At this time my dad's crew gets a leave to go to a "flak house" in Southport, England. On August 4th "their" plane, the Dry Run, is flown on the mission to Rostock, Germany and is shot down.

Mission 29, August 13 -- Brionne area, France. Flies "Kill Joy." Bombed road and rail targets along the "corridor" in support of ground forces attempting to close German escape routes from "the pocket."

Mission 30, August 14 -- Dijon, France. Flies #498, "Desperate Desmond." Bombed an airfield. Plane "got shot up a bit."

Mission 31, August 15 -- Plantlunne, Germany. Flies "Kill Joy." Bombed an airfield. Dad's last combat mission. "Finis--No flak, no nothin!"

MORE TO COME....

Dad and crew with Dragon Lady.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION...Come back soon.

Home | Previous page