TARGET: BURIED OIL DUMP
MONTEBARTIER, FRANCE
25 JUNE, 1944

The target was a buried oil dump in southern France, situated in the village of Montebartier on the banks of the Midi Canal, the connecting waterway between the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea. The 457th furnished all 36 craft for the 94th C Combat Wing. Major Leroy Watson was Air Commander with Lt. Dozier as pilot of the lead C box. Lt. Joseph Reilly was Commander of the low C box, with Lt. Harris S. Mathis as pilot. Lt. Max D. Peterson was Commander of the high C box with Captain Donald E. Lady as pilot.

Again the route to the target took the Group over the invasion coast. The weather was CAVU over the target and bombing results were good. Bombing was from 15,000 feet. Flak was moderate to heavy and accurate, with four craft suffering damage.

Lt. Scott B. Ormsby’s plane was hit by a flak burst starting a fire in one engine. Four of his crew bailed out. However, he dropped his bombs in the Channel and returned to the Base. Lieutenants Edwin R. Stevens, SherriH R. Williams and Charles C. Canfield, all flying in the lead box, were hit in their engines and gas tanks and aborted the mission. Capt. Richard E. Hoelzer, flying in the low box, was hit and knocked out of the box, but returned to the Base.

(Compiler Note: For Li. Vincent A. Lemon account of bailing out over France, see Chapter 19.)