TARGET: SYNTHETIC OIL PLANT
COLOGNE, GERMANY
27 SEPTEMBER, 1944

Typical fall overcast over the target prevented the thirty Six plane formation from visual bombing of a manufacturing and synthetic oil plant in the Cologne area. Despite the fact that PFF had to be used, the results were observed as fair.

The Group comprised the 94th C Combat Wing with Major Syptak as Air Commander and Lt. Edmund G. Coomes as pilot. A thick layer of clouds up to 12,000 feet covered the field at time of takeoff, and the same conditions existed along the route in, to the target itself. As the ships approached the target, a barrage of flak of moderate intensity and almost perfect accuracy, inflicted major damage to three planes and minor damage to five.

Through breaks in the clouds just before the bomb release line, the lead bombardier observed that the formation was on course, heading toward the two bridges on the bend of the Rhine River. Bombs were released at 24,000 feet. The majority of the hits were in an area 9,000 feet northeast of the assigned MPI around the approaches to the Cologne-Muiheim bridge. After bombs away, the formation swung to the right and followed the Rhine River toward Coblenz. Just north of Coblenz, the planes were tracked for about eight minutes by meager, inaccurate flak.

The planes landed at Glatton in rain and a solid overcast.

(Compiler ‘s Note: The highest loss for a single group in any Eighth Air Force operation occurred on 27 September, when 25 B-24s of the 445th Bomb Group, operating with the 2nd Air Division, were lost in aerial combat with the Luftwaffe over Kassel.)

Lt. Edwin B. Benson, 457th/749th bombardier: Mission 9. Cologne, R.R. yards. Time 6.00. Low. FLAK. Pilot McCall