Journal of S/Sgt. Francis E. Smith, 450th Bomb Gr. 720th Bomb Sqdn.

Mission 1 May 26, 1944 7½ hrs

Pilot: Lt. Stebbing

Target: Marshalling yards, Nice, France

Position: tail turret

Remarks: Was very good mission. Had P-38 escort. Some flak way out on our right but didn’t come near us.

Mission 2 May 27, 1944 8½ hrs

Pilot: Lt. Augistinburg

Target: Freight yds, Marseilles, France

Position: Nose turret

Remarks: Had P-51 escorte, probably 75 in number. Quite a bit of accurate flak. One piece came through dome of upper turret and dented gunners helmet.

Mission 3-4 May 30, 1944 7 hrs 45 min

Pilot: Lt. Stebbins

Target: Aircraft parts factory

Weiner Neustead, Austria

Position: Tail turret

Remarks: This was a very rough mission. Got my first shot at enemy fighters. Six ME 109’s attacked us from the tail, but fire from tail guns and waist gun drove them off. About 10 fighters were on us for almost one half hour. Flak was very heavy. Saw two B-24’s go down, one in flames. This was a double mission.

Mission 5-6 May 31, 1944 7 hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Olney

Target: Oil refinery, Ploesti, Romania

Position: Tail turret

Remarks: Another rough mission had P-38 escorte: flak was very heavy. Fighters attacked us as we left the target, but didn’t hit our element. Saw two B-24’s go down: also one ME 109. Saw several men bail out. This was a double.

Mission 7 June 5, 1944 5½ hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Marshalling yards, Castle Maggorie, Italy

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: flak was very accurate. We got four holes in our ship. Ship out on our right had about five feet shot off of wing tip, but returned O.K. Saw three enemy fighters, but they didn’t attack us.

Mission 8-9 June 6, 1944 6 hr. 45 m.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Oil refineries, Ploesti, Romania

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: flak was very heavy, but not too accurate. Had P-38 & P-51 escorte. Target was covered with smoke screen. Used pathfinder bombing. On the way back we got news on the radio that the invasion had started in France.

Mission 10-11 June 9, 1944 8 hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Munich, Germany

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Had very good escorte of P-51’s & P-38’s. Had some flak. Got about four small holes in our plane. This was the mission that Lloyd & his crew went down on. I saw their ship drop out of formation at about 9:50 a.m., just 15 minutes before we reached the target: ship was still under control and looked OK saw two men bail out, then the plane flew into some high clouds out of sight.

Mission 12-13 June 13, 1944 8 hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Aircraft works, Munich, Germany

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: had good escorte. Saw some enemy fighters, but they didn’t attack us. The flak was the heaviest I’ve ever seen. 390 big A.A. guns. We got two large holes and several smaller ones. This was a double mission.

Mission 14 June 14, 1944 5½ hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Robinson & C.P. Lt. Booth

Target: Oil refinery, Osejick, Yugoslavia

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: This mission was a milk run no fighters, no flak, no target left.

Mission 15 June 15, 1944 8 hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Submarine works, Tulon, France

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Went all the way over the target but it was overcast so we returned with our bombs. Some flak, no fighters. P-51 escorte.

Mission 16-17 June 26, 1944 7½ hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Radue

Target: Hinkle A.C. plant. Vienna, Austria

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Heavy flak. Had P-51 & P-38 escorte. Made perfect hit on target saw fighters dog fighting but wasn’t attacked. This was a double mission.

Mission 18 June 27, 1944 5½ hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Aircraft plant, Brod, Yugoslavia

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Had good escorte. Flak was pretty accurate, but we didn’t get any hits.

Mission 19 June 30, 1944 5½ hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Airdrome, Lagreb, Yugoslavia

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Carried frag bombs. Was easy mission. Had bad weather over target. Returned with bombs. Flak was light, no fighters.

Mission 20-21 July 3, 1944 7 hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Oil storage, Giurgiu, Romania

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Very accurate flak. We received several hits. Saw three B-24s go down. One exploded. Most of men bailed out. This was a double.

(July 4^th started to Romania, but made an early return)

Mission 22 July 5, 1944 8 hrs.

Target: Submarine pens, Tulon, France

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Had good escorte. Flak was very accurate over target. We received several small hits.

Mission 23 July 8, 1944 6 hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Marshalling yards, Lagreb, Yugl

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Had no escorte. Was a diversionary raid. Quite a bit of flak. One piece knocked out co-pilots windshield, scratching his face. I picked up a piece of flak inside of plane that came in near waist gunner’s feet.

Mission 24-25 July 9, 1944 7 hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Oil refinery, Ploesti, Romania

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: On take off one engine went haywire so we landed, got another ship and completed mission. Flak was intense and very accurate. We lost no ships, but some were shot up pretty bad. Saw some enemy fighters, but P-38’s took care of them.

Mission 26 July 14, 1944 7 hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Marshalling yards, Budapest, Hungary

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Had good fighter escorte. Flak was very intense & accurate. We received about 25 holes in our ship, but none serious.

Mission 27 July 15, 1944 7 hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Booth

Target: Oil refinery, Ploesti, Romania

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Usual heavy flak. Lead ship got a direct hit and exploded. Saw some enemy fighters, but wasn’t attacked.

Mission 28 July 22, 1944 7 hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Oil refinery, Ploesti, Romania

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Same old story. Heavy flak, scared stiff & missed target.

Mission 29-30 July 26, 1944 7 ½ hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Aircraft works, St. Poltem, Austria (Vieanna area)

Position: Waist

Remarks: Target was overcast so we bombed alternate target. Not much flak. Saw some P-51’s & ME 109’s dogfighting. Saw three planes go down. lots of vapor trails.

Mission 31 Aug. 3, 1944 7 hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Railroad bridge, Brenner Pass, Italy

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Was pretty easy mission. Saw a lot of flak but it didn’t come near us. Had P-38 escorte, didn’t see any enemy fighters.

Mission 32 Aug. 6, 1944 8 hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Submarine pens, Tulon, France

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: This was a really rough mission. Flak was very accurate. We got 160 207 flak holes in our plane. Right waist gunner was wounded in back by flak, not too serious. Co-Pilots rudder controls were shot out, A-5 and trim tabs were also out. Had to land at Corsica on the way home. Stayed there one day to get ship repaired. Returned home next evening.

Mission 33 Aug. 13, 1944 7 ½ hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Coastal gun emplacements on small island just off the coast of France

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Was very easy mission. No fighters, no flak. Good hits on target.

Mission 34 Aug. 15, 1944 8 hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Costal defenses; Southern France

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: This was D day for the invasion of southern France. We took off at 2:30 A.M. and arrived over the target at dawn. We dropped our bombs on the beaches at 7:20 a.m. to clear the way for the invasion troops which were to land at 7:30 AM. It was really a sight to see the battleships shelling the shore and the landing craft moving in. Planes of every description were over the area. We met no opposition whatsoever.

Mission 35-36 Aug. 22, 1944 7 ½ hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Underground oil storage plants near Vienna Austria

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Rough mission saw 1 B-24 Blow up. Flak was very heavy, intense and accurate. Saw some dogfights, but met no fighter opposition. Had good escorte

Mission 37 Aug. 24, 1944

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Marshalling yards, Vinkovic, Yugo.

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: This was a divisionary raid to draw fighters so other groups could hit important target farther up. We had no escorte, but saw no fighters & no flak over target. Saw a little flak on the way back.

Mission 38 Aug. 24, 1944

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Marshalling yards, Miskole, Hungary

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Was very easy mission. Saw some flak over target, but made sharp bank to right & missed most of it. Had P-38 escorte. Saw no fighters.

Mission 39 Sept. 1, 1944 4 hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Target: Railroad bridge, Kralijevo, Yugo.

Position: Waist

Remarks: Was very easy mission no fighters, no flak. Made two runs on target. Our engineer finished 50 today.

Mission 40 Sept. 2, 1944 4 ½ hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Position: Tail turret

Target: Marshalling yards, Kralijevo, Yugo.

Remarks: Was another easy mission. Made three runs on the target. No fighters, no flak. Navigator finished 50 today.

Mission 41 Sept. 4, 1944 6 hrs.

Pilot: Capt. Booth

Position: Tail turret

Target: Trento, Italy, Marshalling yds.

Remarks: I really sweat this one out. Flak was very heavy and accurate ship on our right got a direct hit in the bombays. I saw two men bail out ship went down in flames. We had one engine shot out.

Mission 42-43 Sept. 12, 1944 7 ½ hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Martus

Target: AC engine plant, Munich, Germany

Position: Tail turret

Remarks: Saw a lot of flak but, it wasn’t too accurate. Got a few holes. Saw a dogfight on the way to target one fighter went down. We ran out of Gas and landed on an emergency strip near Ancona, Italy on the way home. Had to stay all night & returned the next day.

Mission 44 Sept. 15, 1944 5 hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Cope

Target: Marshalling yards in Greece

Position: Tail turret

Remarks: flew over target, but was clouded over so we returned with our bombs. Saw few bursts of flak but no fighters.

Mission 45 Sept. 17, 1944 6 hrs. 45 min.

Pilot: Lt. Cope

Target: Marshalling yds. Budapest, Hungary

Position: Tail turret

Remarks: Saw a lot of flak but it was very inaccurate had good escorte of P-38’s

Mission 46 Sept. 18, 1944 6 hrs. 45 min.

Pilot: Lt. Cope

Target: R.R. Bridge, Budapest

Position: Tail turret

Remarks: Saw lots of flak. Was more accurate than day before but lost no ships. Had P-51 escorte.

Mission 47 Sept. 21, 1944 5 hrs.

Pilot: Lt. Selleck

Target: R.R. Bridge, Novistad, Yugoslavia

Waist gun

Remarks: Saw quite a bit of flak, but no hits. had P-51 escorte. Was pretty easy mission.

Mission 48 Sept. 23, 1944 6 hrs. 45 m

Pilot: Lt. Lewis

Target: Ora R.R. Bridge, Ora, Italy (Brenner Pass)

Position: Waist gun

Remarks: Went over target, but it was overcast so we returned with our bombs. No flak, no fighters but saw some flak on way back from target.

Mission 49 Oct. 4, 1944 7 ¼ hr

Pilot: Lt. Cope

Target: R.R. Bridge, Brenner Pass, Italy

Position: Tail turret

Remarks: Saw a lot of flak, some of it was pretty close. Some ships got several hits. One man in our squadron was wounded.

Mission 50 Oct. 11, 1944 6 hrs

Pilot: Lt. Cope

Target: Vienna, Austria

Position: Tail turret

Remarks: Run into bad weather and had to return: flew at 25000 ft. It was 35 degrees below zero got single credit. Saw no flak

“Finito”