TARGET: BALL BEARING WORKS
SCHWEINFURT, GERMANY
21 JULY, 1944

Several targets in southern Germany that had been less successfully bombed on 19 July were designated for attacks. Schweinfurt, Ebeisbach and Kempten were among them, to which were added Regensburg, Allach and Schwabisch-Hall. The operation was an almost exact repetition of the raids on 19 July. The 457th Group drew the ball bearing works at Schweinfurt. Repairs had been made to the buildings and production was at a level higher than desired by the Eighth Air Force.

Two twelve-ship high boxes were furnished to the 94th A and B Combat Wings, with Major Peresich and Lt. Erbe leading the A box, and Captain Clarence E. Schuchmann and Lt. Doherty leading the B box. After completing assembly into their respective wings and taking the second and third position in the Division formation, the planes headed across the North Sea to the Scheldt Islands. The route of the Munich missions was followed until after the Mannheim-Karlsruhe flak gap was passed, when a turn was made northeast to the IP Schweinfurt was free of clouds and the A Wing, upon reaching the let down to 25,000 feet, and flew a manual bomb run. The bombardier had considerable difficulty in picking up the aiming point, a building in the VK.F. No. 2 Works. The bombs were released and fell about 1300 feet to the west in a built up part of the city.

The B Wing, in avoiding prefrontal clouds, overshot the IP and began its run on a heading twenty degrees to the east. This, together with the ground haze and smoke, prevented picking up the target immediately. The overshooting of the IP had brought the formation on its bomb run directly across the 16 flak guns defending the ball bearing factory at Ebelsbach. The fire from these guns and those of the 120 guns at Schweinfurt that were within range was accurate.

Lt. Norris H. Gerber, No. 1 in the high squadron, was hit, lost No. 3 engine and salvoed bombs. Four other planes, thinking it was “bombs away” also dropped. The target was still several miles away. Lt. Gerber fell out of formation, dived, then leveled off and was not seen again. Two of the crew did not survive.

The B box passed over Schweinfurt without locating the target in time to bomb.
On the return trip, the small town of Beerfelden, fifty miles from Schweinfurt, was chosen as a target of opportunity. Six planes released their bombs there.

The crew of Lt Norris H. Gerber was lost on this date.