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Posted by Tom Kwiatkowski Sr. - 309C
on 11/8/2009, 1:47 pm
74.44.81.74
FIGHTERS: Possibly 14 Me 262s in target area, at 1145 hours at 28,000 feet, heading 85 degrees.
FLAK: At target, intense, accurate and heavy.
OBSERVATIONS: 1 B-24 joined our formation at 1010 hours. Top of tail was yellow with a black square in center. Lower part of tail was painted with horizontal black and yellow stripes. A red 5 was on the aircraft between waist windows and tail, a face set in a black frame was on the right side nose of the ship. AC would not identify itself, blinked with aldis lamp, "PA". Answer "LO" then "OK". We kept sending "QPA", then received "QFA 384". No numbers on ship and no one seen in turrets. AC left formation after rally from the target.
Note: It was not unusual for the Germans to use captured American aircraft to do this. It enabled them to radio back the exact altitude, airspeed and position to the ground gunnery units to improve their accuracy.
WEATHER: Over target 10/10 solid undercast.
End of quotation. Sounded like a screw-up to me. What a waste! And we will probably have to go back again.
We did get our double mission credit, however, giving me 41 mission credits and 30 sorties. Five to go!
Since the unsuccessful mission to Vienna, the weather had been bad and no missions have been flown ever since. However, we have been alerted for one today, 11/11/44. The briefing proceeded normally, until the Weather Officer took over and told us that the weather was somewhat marginal with local weather being just above minimums, but sufficient to launch a mission. He advised that the problem was out over the Adriatic Sea, where there was dense cloud cover and thunderstorms at 10,000 feet. It was projected, however, that we should be above that altitude when we arrived at that point, and there should be no problem. The freezing level in the clouds was from 8,000 to 10,000 feet.
Unfortunately, I could find no record of this mission on Group records and, therefore, have no Battle Orders or any documents to refer to. I did, however, find mention of it in the 745th Bomb Squadron records which made reference to the fact that Lt. Cerniway's crew was listed as Missing In Action (MIA) when they failed to return with the rest of the formation which had been recalled because of bad weather over the Adriatic Sea. In addition, there was 2:30 hours of flying time recorded in my flight record of that day. The rest of the story comes from my memory, which I might add is very clear, as this is one of the most shocking flights I can remember.
TO BE CONTINUED
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SOURCE: MEMORIES OF WAR AND PEACE BY ROBERT J. "BOB" GILLMAN. USED WITH PERMISSION.
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