TARGET: BRIDGE
MAXIMILIANSAU, GERMANY
13 JANUARY, 1945

The Eighth Air Force stood down for two days because of the weather. Snow blanketed the British Isles and western Europe. The ground troops had practically broken the German Ardennes offensive; however, for the knockout blow, the bombers Were needed. Bridges across the Rhine, marshalling yards and rail Junctions, vital to the Germans, were attacked today by the Eighth.

The 457th sent thirty-six planes to Maximiliansau to knock out a bridge, located on the main route from Metz to Munich. Major Snow was Air Commander.

Flight to the target was flown approximately as briefed. It was necessaty for the Group to do numerous double drifts and “S” turns in order to remain behind the preceding group. The IP was reached fifteen minutes early because of winds. The Group made a good bomb run and scored a direct hit on the target.

Flak was moderate and accurate. The plane piloted by Lt. Irwin C. Popham exploded in mid air over the target. One witness noticed a yellowish color on the right wing just prior to the explosion. The explosion was seen as “one big sheet of flame”, and “one big ball of fire”.
The lead aircraft was hit and knocked out of formation. Seventeen craft suffered varying degrees of damage. Because of weather conditions, the Group landed at an English base near the coast, at Woodbridge, which had developed a highly sophisticated method of burning off fog.

(Later on, when the official release was made announcing the completion of 200 combat missions flown by the 457th, this mission was cited as an example of the excellent bomb results achieved by the Group.)