TARGET: OIL REFINERIES
HAMBURG, GERMANY
18 JUNE, 1944

The oil refineries in the dock area of Hamburg were the targets today. Earlier bombing efforts of the Eighth had been directed at synthetic oil refineries. Crude oil refineries had not been attacked until a few days prior to this mission. The effort. Was now to attack the crude oil refineries in western Germany. Thirteen hundred bombers participated in this mission.

The 457th furnished two 18 ship boxes, one as the high box in the 94th A Combat Wing, and the other as the high box in the B Combat Wing. Both targets were in the Hamburg area. Captain Wilbur D. Snow was Air Commander with Lt. Edward B. Dozier as pilot of the A box, and Major Fred A. Spencer as Commander with Lt. Richard T. Bennett as pilot of the B box.

The undercast prevented visual bombing and strike photos showed bombing results were poor. No enemy aircraft opposition was encountered. Antiaircraft fire was intense but fairly inaccurate; three aircraft suffered flak damage.
Briefing information had reported 250 antiaircraft guns in the Hamburg area.