Target: Tutow - 9 April 1944 - Mission #62

The target, the airfield and air park at Tutow, was a continuation of the assault on the German Air Force, concentrating again major production of FW-190s. Per the intelligence annex to Field Order No. 255, "The whole complex comprising [this day's] targets was estimated to be producing over 200 aircraft per month. Last effort against this complex was October 1943 ... now back in production. FW-190 production on the whole, still relatively intact... Our target is an integral part of this complex. Main assembly hangars being on south field with north field being used as an operational G.A.F. base." The 392nd's briefer added that the "Main assembly hangars measure 445' x 175' each and are wood framed, with open trusses and covered with wood decking. Highly susceptible to fire."

The bomb load was (12) 500-pound General Purpose bombs per plane.

Briefings for 33 aircrews were held between 0310-0430 hours with 31 starting take off at at 0720 hours. Up front, the 579th Squadron was leading with Major Keilman as Command Pilot. Weather in the Group assembly area was extremely poor and difficulty was experienced in forming the mission aircraft. Major Keilman managed to assemble approximately two sections consisting of 19 aircraft and proceeded on course but it was impossible to maintain formation integrity because of enroute weather conditions. About 60 miles north of the Frisian Islands at position 5416N-0449E, Major Keilman had no choice but to give the recall word because of weather problems encountered. His two sections returned to Wendling, landing around 1130 hours.

In the meanwhile, Captain Barnes of the 576th with Lieutenant Jackson as lead Bombardier had been briefed to lead the third section of 12 ships flying high right squadron off the 44th Bomb Group out of Shipdham. Captain Barnes managed to form up with some ships of the 44th but was unable to locate the main formation. Not receiving the recall order, he proceeded on course. Ships from other Groups that could not locate their formations tacked on, so Captain Barnes' formation eventually had 26 aircraft.

Enemy aircraft were first encountered at about 1109 hours at about 5438N-1040E. The initial attack lasted about 10 minutes. Coming from the sun at 2 o'clock, 30 FW-190s and Me-109s fired self-destructive ammunition (probably 20mm) in line abreast of 3 or 4 aircraft, stacked up. After this wave of enemy aircraft flew through the formation they made several attacks in one or two ship thrusts at the more vulnerable bombers. Several B-24s of other Groups which had joined the 392nd's formation seemed to be the objects of these attacks, with an estimated ten lost. There was no US fighter support at the eastern extreme of the route, where the attacks occurred.

The remaining bombers under Captain Barnes pressed on to the target. The 392nd's 12 planes bombed Tutow Airfield with crews reporting that the MPI, a hangar, was covered with smoke and so were other buildings on the field; that the incendiaries hit the MPI in a good pattern, but that the General Purpose bombs carried by ships from other Groups overshot the MPI but landed on the field.

Three aircraft were lost. In the 578th, 1/Lt Morefield's crew in #485 collided with a 389th Bomb Group ship while forming up over Dereham. Eight crew members were killed in this collision; pilot Morefield and navigator 2/Lt K. S. Kaufman both parachuted to safety, with Kaufman suffering broken legs.

In the 577th, 2nd Lieutenant R. H. Griggs' crew in #097 disappeared while under heavy enemy aircraft attack. Nothing more was known of the fate of this crew.

Aircraft #593, piloted by 1/Lt C.L. Neff, crashed at Beccles, Suffolk, upon return to England. At 1215 hours, while flying near Rechlin Airfield in Germany it was the victim of intense and accurate flak. Two engines were hit and the oxygen system shot out. During the incident, left waist gunner S/Sgt C.D. Walter received a minor flak wound to the forefinger of his right.

Group gunners claimed 2 enemy aircraft. When the Liberators returned around 1530 hours, six were found to have battle damage, 2 due to AA fire and 4 to fighters.

It was confirmed that Captain Lishka's crew of the 578th had completed their tour on the previous day's mission to Brunswick.

MISSING AIR CREW REPORT SECTION

9 APRIL 1944 - TARGET: TUTOW

MISSING AIRCREW REPORT: #03944 AIRCRAFT: #42-52097 "LONESOME POLECAT" "0" 19th Mission

AIRCREW: GRIGGS    *    SQUADRON: 577th

CREW POSITIONS AND STATUS:

P   2/LT Griggs, Robert H.    KIA
CP  2/LT Wilde, Allison H.    KIA
N   2/LT Cohen, Jack M.       KIA
B   2/LT Rowe, George F.      KIA
R/O S/S Kresser, Fred M.      KIA
EnG T/S Sackeli, Angelo (NMI) KIA
BG  PVT Hanson, Floyd B.      KIA
WG  S/S Tomak, James E.       KIA
WG  SGT Moore, John H.        KIA
TG  S/S Lindsay, Edward L.    KIA

MISSION LOSS CIRCUMSTANCES: Any accounts from the returning aircrews on the fate of this aircrew are illegible in this MACR, However, a Target Route Chart appears to depict the downing of this aircraft over the eastern Baltic Sea area near or just north of the small island near the town of Peenemunde. There were no German reports connected with this file thus nothing is known further about the loss of this plane and crew except they had encountered heavy enemy fighter attacks just south of Lualand Island.

INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS OF CREWMEN FATES: None exist. The probability is strong that this crew was lost over water and went down without further identity being discovered due to the fact that all members are recorded on the WALL OF THE MISSING at Cambridge Cemetery, England.

NEXT OF KIN DATA IN WWII: Data given is as follows: Griggs (Mother, Mrs. Gresham Griggs, Bridgeport, Connecticut); Wilde (Brother, Frank H., Berwick, Pennsylvania and another Brother of Carl A., of Nescopeck, Pennsylvania); Cohen (Wife, Rosalie A.., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania); Rowe (Father, Francis J., St. Petersburg, Florida); Kresser (Wife, Irene G., Mukowonego, Wisconsin); Sackeli (Father, James, Syracuse, New York); Tomak (Mother, Mary, Battle Creek, Michigan); Lindsay(Wife, Edna, Sharon Springs, Kansas); Moore (Wife, Elizabeth, Maughtuck, Connecticut); and Hanson (Wife, Leona J., Freeport, Illinois).

CASUALTIES NOT LISTED IN MACR

2/LT Grisell, Rolland (NMI) (CP) 578th  KIA
2/LT Kuttner, Ferdinand F. (B)   578th  KIA
T/S  Gerrard, Robert W. (EnG)    578th  KIA
T/S  Betterley, E.C. (R/O)       578th  KIA
S/S  Coday, Donald S. (G)        578th  KIA
S/S  Breithaupt, Herman (G)      578th  KIA
S/S  Adago, Dominick R. (G)      578th  KIA
S/S  Blekkenk,John H. (G)        578th  KIA

During assembly over England, B-24 #41-29485 with 578th pilot 2/Lt Hubert F. Morefield and B-24 #42-99982, pilot 1/Lt Glen W. Reese from the 389th Bomb Group at Hethel, collided.

According to the Report of Aircraft Accident for Reese, "The collision between [the two planes] occurred during the process of Division Assembly prior to an operational mission. Aircraft #982 was hit by aircraft #485 at approximately mid-fuselage from an angle of about 90 degrees on the co-pilot side. Aircraft #982 was flying in the #2 position of the high right element of a 12 ship squadron at an approximate altitude of 7,000 feet. Both waist gunners of aircraft #982 were able to execute successful parachute jumps, but they did not, however, see the other aircraft involved in the collision and therefore cannot help in a statement of the cause. The nine other crew members [in #982] were killed in the ensuing crash. The assembly was done under instrument conditions through a thick overcast. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were reported as follows: Visibility 2500 yards; surface wind South 6 mph; 7/10 low cloud at 5000 feet, 2/10 middle cloud at 12000 feet. It is believed that neither pilot nor any member of crew was able to see the other aircraft because of weather conditions until it was too late to avoid the collision."

Since it was only about two miles from the crash site, RAF Foulsham was the first responder. On 10 Apr 1944, Flying Officer Cyril Alfred Gautier, the Duty Flying Control Officer, submitted this report: At 0850, "After taking over duty I walked out on to the balcony of the Control Tower to watch a formation of Liberators flying in a northerly direction over the airfield. One Liberator was flying through cloud and another flying almost at right angle to it - - the two Liberators collided.

"Both planes immediately disintegrated and amongst the falling wreckage I saw four parachutes and one body without parachute descending rapidly to earth. I immediately despatched two Crash Tenders, Ambulances and Medical Officer to spot where aircraft wreckage came to earth. Also Flying Control van to meet aircrew descending by parachute.

"[At 0918] Our M.T. driver reported one member of aircrew at bomb dump with broken leg and two others uninjured. Medical officer and ambulance immediately sent to bomb dump.

"[At 0930] Chief Marden from Twyford reported 7 dead bodies found between Bintree and Twyford.

"[At 0933] Bintree reported one member of aircrew at Ash Farm near Twyford injured. Ambulance immediately sent out and the Medical officer from Little Snoring sent out.

"[At 0955] Bintree reported above to be Lt. Morefield who was quite O.K. except for a minor cut over one eye and awaiting ambulance to take him to Foulsham."

Wreckage of the 389th Liberator crashed near Guist and the wreckage of the 392nd Liberator came down between Bintree and Twyford.

392nd Navigator, 2/Lt Kenneth S. Kaufman was found "badly injured, both legs fractured." (1/Lt Morefield later said that Kaufman was in the hospital with both of his legs amputated. He had evidently been caught in a propeller as he exited the plane.)

In a letter to S/Sgt Breithaupt's mother dated May 14, 1944, 1/Lt Morefield wrote, "I can't give all the details but perhaps what I can say will help... Easter Sunday we were on a routine flight over England when instrument weather was encountered and during our climb through the clouds we collided with another aircraft. Our altitude was very low, in the collision we lost our left wing and tail-section and time was too short to escape before crashing. Two of us did escape because we were thrown from the plane but Lt. Kaufman had a leg amputated in the collision. I escaped with only minor injuries but the eight other boys were not able to get out."

BURIAL RECORDS: 2/Lt Kuttner is interred in Long Island National Cemetery, Section H Site 8834; S/Sgt Adago is in the same cemetery in Section H Site 9855. 2/Lt Grisell is interred in Lincoln Memorial Park, Portland, Oregon; T/Sgt Betterley in Oakwood Cemetery, Red Wing, Minnesota; S/Sgt Coday in Saint Francis Xavier Cemetery, Weymouth, Massachusetts; S/Sgt Herman A. Breithaupt in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, Michigan; T/Sgt Gerrard in St. John's Cemetery, Queens, New York; and S/Sgt Blekkenk in Riverside Cemetery, Rochester, New York.

NEXT OF KIN DATA IN WWII: Grisell (Mother, Opal E., Forest Grove, Oregon); Kuttner (Brother, Frank C., New York, New York); Blekkenk (Parents, Mr. and Mrs. John A. Blekkenk, Sr., Rochester, New York); Breithaupt (Mother, Ida, Dearborn, Michigan); Adago (wife, Anna, Ozone Park, New York); Coday (Father, Herve E., Hanford, California); Betterley (Father, Ernest), Red Wing, Minnesota); Gerrard, (Father, H.J., New York, New York). Minnesota); Gerrard, (Father, H.J., New York, New York).

CREW LOADING LIST - MISSION #9