TARGET: MARSHALLING YARDS
BERLIN, GERMANY
3 FEBRUARY, 1945

The Eighth Air Force dispatched 2000 Heavies to the heart of the Third Reich, to attack communications, transportation, military and governmental targets. Now that the Andennes Offensive was crushed, it was the High Command’s intent to carry the war directly into the heart of the Nazi war machine.

Col. Lewis E. Lyle, Commanding Officer of the 379th Bomb Group was the Air Commander of the mission. The 457th comprised the 94th A Combat Wing with Col. Rogner as Air Commander. The marshalling yards at Berlin was its assigned target. Aiming point was a bridge over the River Spree, near the Friedrichstrasse Railway Station.

Wing assembly was accomplished without difficulty. Division assembly line was flown as briefed, with the Group in seventh position in Division formation. The route to the IP was flown north of course in order to stay in Division formation. Prior to the last turn before the IP, the groups in Division formation were bunched up, and it was necessary for the 94th A Group to deviate to the left of course in order to gain more interval and avoid bunching at the IP. The Group was nine minutes late at the IP, because winds were not as briefed.

The turn was made at the approximate IP, and the Group headed down a long bomb run. The target area was clear, CAVU conditions existing, and bombing was done visually with squadrons in trail. The MPI was identified about twenty miles from the target. Bombs were dropped from 25,000 feet. Bomb results were observed to be very good, with some direct hits. Flak was moderate but accurate, with nine aircraft sustaining damage.

The aircraft piloted by Lt. Craig P. Greason crash landed near Ypres, Belgium, with no injury to the crew. Col. Lyle stated:
“There was a bomber stream three to five hundred miles long. Turning off the target and heading back to England, there were bombers heading for Berlin, practically all the way back to England. It was a very successful mission.”
(Compiler Note: The Aiming Point was Peter the Great Statue.)

(Editor’s comment: We were briefed to aim at a bridge over the River Spree, near the Friedrichsirasse railway station. Not far away, on Unter den Linden, is a statue of Frederick the Great, on horseback. The only Peter the Great I know about was Russian.) (Ed Note: For an account of the mission by Spleth’s/ Welch’s crew, see DEAD EWGINE KIDS.)

Sgt. Leo I. McCombs, 457th/750th radio-operator: Take off at 07.20 – landing at 15.30. On oxygen for 5,5 hours and 10 150lbs bombs. Results were excellent, visual bomb run, heavy FLAK. 8.30 hour mission. 1000 bombers in the air!