TARGET: DAIMLER BENZ AIRCRAFT ENGINE FACTORY
STUTTGART, GERMANY
14 AUGUST, 1944

Twenty-six combat wings of Eighth Air Force heavy bombers were dispatched against aero-engine factories, airfields and an oil plant in southwest Germany, bridges and airfields in eastern France, and two marshalling yards in the Bordeaux region. In all areas except one, there was clear weather and visual sighting. The exception was the Stuttgart area, and that was the site of the 457th’s target, the Daimler-Benz aircraft engine factory at Sindelfingen, southwest of Stuttgart.

Three boxes of twelve aircraft each formed the 94th C Combat Wing. Lt. Col. Wilson as Air Commander, with Captain Russell M. Selwyn as pilot, led the formation. Flying third in both Wing and Division line, the Group made landfall in Holland and flew a southerly course across Belgium to St. Mihiel, France, then turned eastward. The course went as far east as Ulm, Germany, where it curved northward to approach the target from the east.

At the IP, the boxes took interval for a visual run. Clouds intervened to prevent the lead and high boxes from bombing. The low box was able to pick up the primary target and bombed from 24,200 feet.

The lead and high boxes flew on eastward to the secondary target, with the low box remaining in position. The secondary was the airfield at Haguenau, France, north of Strasbourg. Both boxes made visual runs, bombing from 24,900 feet and 25,600 feet respectively.

The Wing reached home having encountered only meager flak and no enemy aircraft, and having suffered no battle damage.