TARGET: AIRCRAFT ESSEMBLY FACTORY
SCHKEUDITZ, GERMANY
16 AUGUST, 1944

Striking at two of the enemy’s most important industries, oil refineries and aircraft plants, twenty-three wings of heavies penetrated central Germany. One entire wing of three twelve- aircraft boxes each was put aloft by the 457th.

The target of the Group was the aircraft assembly factory at Schkeuditz, near Leipzig, reported to be the main assembly plant of Ju-88 fighters, which apparently had taken the place of Me-410s and Me-liOs as the main twin-engined fighter. The Group comprised the 94th B Wing and flew tenth in the Division line. Major Watson and Captain Dozier led the Group.

Crossing the Dutch Coast and the Zuider Zee, the route took the Wing to the Dummer Lake region, where it turned southeast past Hannover to Gotha, then turned eastward and swung gradually to port until it reached the IP, Torgau, east- northeast of Leipzig.
Half way down the bomb run, the Group encountered flak for about twenty minutes. Before emerging, twenty-six aircraft had suffered battle damage and three crew members had been wounded.

In spite of the flak, however, the Group, which followed the 40 1st on the target, pressed forward to drop its bombs on the plant from 25,000 feet. The bomb run was made in CAVU weather except for some haze.

The bomb pattern of both the lead and low boxes covered their MPIs, but the fragmentation clusters of the high box hit considerably short. Leaving the all too extensive flak area of Leipzig, the wings turned northwestward and pursued a course similar to the penetration, once again crossing the Zuider Zee on the way home.

Despite the flak and length of the mission, the Group returned to base without loss of aircraft.