Warbird Information Exchange

Hope this isn't a repost. Sent to me by Ed Rogers.. Good article on JPAC doing a B-26 crash site in Germany..

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/world ... ch.html?hp


Bill

The story says that there were 39 B.26 Marauders destroyed in that area that day. Also mentions an "ambusg." Anybody have more information on this battle? Good book possibility?

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Kevin McCartney

it was most likly 39 planes of all types lost that day, not 39 Marauders. You have to remember who wrote the story. Most in the media could not describe thier butts correctly, even if they had photos, witnesses and notes.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
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According to the excellent book by Eric Hammel titled "AIR WAR EUROPA", the Ninth Air Force lost at least 35 medium bombers in that area of Western Germany on December 23, 1944, most of them B-26 airplanes. There were also a few A-26 and A-20 types lost.

From Hammel's book:

On 23 December 1944,
"Thirty five bombers are lost, the highest one day bomber loss sustained by the Ninth Air Force in the entire war. Of the aircraft lost, 16 391st BG (M) B-26s are downed by GAF fighters during a bombing run against a rail viaduct at Ahrweiler."

Ahrweiler is the target that the subject of the news article was attacking when it was shot down. Sixteen airplanes from one bomb group were lost, but the same group was able to field 21 more B-26s for an afternoon mission against the same target.

Media people are notoriously stupid when it comes to aviation matters, but the newspaper reporter was not that far off with the numbers; the reporter probably got those numbers from the people doing the dig.




TonyM.

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"Welcome back Mr. Lasky."

Here are the numbers of combat losses for the 8th and 9th AF that occurred on 23 December 1944:

35 Medium bombers lost
4 Medium bombers lost
7 8th AF fighters lost
1 P-38 lost
19 9th AF fighters lost
1 B-17 lost
8 C-47s lost

According to Hammel's book "AIR WAR EUROPA," the AAF lost at least 75 airplanes in combat in Western Germany and Belgium on 23 December 1944. That number represents combat losses and does not included accidents and other non-combat losses for that day. The 15th AF did not fly any missions on that day because of very poor weather.

TonyM.

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