Group, Unit and Historical Extracts for Mission 222

"416th Bombardment Group (L) - Group History 1945"
Transcribed from USAF Archives

The fifth was the first two-mission day in March. In the morning, marshalling yards at Marburg were attacked by 37 aircraft, dropping over 55 tons of 500-pound demolition bombs on PPF. There was no flak, and no observations of the results. Major Dunn, Lts Brewer and Basnett, B&N, led the first box; Lt Buskirk, Lts Hanna and Muir, B&N, led the second.

"Attack Bombers, We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group"
Ralph Conte
Pages 221 - 222

Mission #222 - 5 March - AM - Marburg Marshalling Yard. Major Dunn with Lts. Brewer and Basnett, BNs with Lt. Buskirk and Lts. Hanna and Muir, BNs led the two boxes. Captain Evans and Lt. McCartney BN and Lts. Brown with Kerns, BN plus Lts. Mish and Shaft, BN led flights. Using PFF pathfinder technique, bomb loads of 55 tons, 500 pounders, were dropped. No flak or fighters were encountered.

"Operational History 668th Bomb Squadron (416th Bomb Group (L)) WWII"
Wayne Williams, et.al.

Two missions today kept everyone at a hot pace. In the morning was Gp Mission # 222, with Evans & McCartney, Mish & Shaft, and five other crews from our squadron. Forty-one aircraft took to the air, loaded with 500 lb. GP’s. All of this bombing was done to prevent enemy supplies reaching the German Troops for the defense of the Ruhr Valley.

The Marshalling Yards at Marburg, Germany was bombed thru the clouds, using PFF. The bombs were dropped with results "undetermined", and the formation returned safely after 3:30 of flight. Immediately, the planes were loaded and re-fueled for the next mission. As if by magic, the briefed crews were at the planes as the last one was done.

[The last mission entry in the 668th Bomb Sq. history was on March 14, 1945, thus there are no more entries from this Squadron History for subsequent Combat Mission pages.]

"History of 670th Bombardment Squadron (L)"
Transcription from USAF Archives

The Marburg Marshalling Yard was the target in the morning the following day. The take off was accomplished in extremely poor weather, which continued to the target where they found 10/10-cloud cover. Bombing was done behind the pathfinder ship and results were undetermined. In the afternoon the Bergen Marshalling Yards were hit with 12 670th crews taking part with undetermined results because of 10/10 cloud cover. This also was a pathfinder mission.

"671st Bomb Squadron (L) Unit History"
Gordon Russell and Jim Kerns

The 416th went out twice on March 5th to hit at Marshalling Yards serving the Western Armies with its various needs. In the morning the Invaders struck through clouds by use of Pathfinders the Marburg Marshalling Yard, 16 miles north of Giessen. All 38 ships dropped 500 GPs on the target, although results were unobserved. The crews saw only a few puffs of flak.

In the afternoon the formation went to the Bingen Marshalling Yard, 35 miles southwest of Frankfurt. Again results were unobserved as the ships dropped through 10/10 clouds on the Pathfinder.

This time 40 Invaders dropped their 500 pounders on the highly prized M/Y.

"USAAF Chronology of WWII, month by month"

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 565 B-26s, A-20s and A-26s attack 6 marshalling yards, a communications center, an ordnance depot, a city area and targets of opportunity with the aim of obstructing reinforcements and supplies to German forces being pushed back across the Rhine River; fighters escort the bombers, drop leaflets in the Cologne-Bonn area, and fly armed reconnaissance over the Ruhr and Hamm-Duisburg area.