TARGET: BRIDGE
COLOGNE, GERMANY
14 JANUARY, 1945

With most of the Group still grounded at Woodbridge, the Group supplied twelve ships to comprise the lead box of the 94th B Combat Wing with Major James M. Havey as Air Commander. The target was the bridge across the Rhine at Cologne.

Assembly was accomplished with some degree of difficulty. Because of weather conditions, the route over the Continent was flown to the right of course in order to stay in Division formation. A visual run was made on the primary target, with each squadron performing its own sighting. There was no cloud coverage, and the MPI was identified without difficulty.

Operational Route Forecast

One squadron from another group, bombing ahead of the 457th, apparently unable to locate its own target, bombed the 457th objective. The MPI was identified from about 15 to 20 miles away, and bombs were released from 24,900 feet. Bombing results were reported as excellent.

Flak was intense and accurate with eleven craft suffering damage.

Sgt. Leo I. McCombs, 457th/750th radio-operator: Take off at 09.10 – landing at 16.30. Carrying 6 1000lbs bombs. On oxygen for 4 hours. Results were good, visual bomb run, heavy FLAK. 7.30 hour mission. Chinn turret gunner hit by FLAK