Group, Unit and Historical Extracts for Mission 255

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

The Gemunden marshalling yards were successfully attacked on the following day, the 26th. The target was a great distance from our base, but, because of the rapid advances made by General Patton's troops, it was just a few miles ahead of the bomb line in his sector. The yards were the junction point of four separate rail lines. Two superiors and three excellents were scored. The choke points, tracks, cars, and surrounding workshops were destroyed or severely damaged. Lt. Brown, Lts. Kerns and Brewer, B&N, and Lt. Buskirk, with Lt. Hanna, B-N, led the two boxes.

"Attack Bombers, We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group"
Ralph Conte
Pages 241 - 242

Mission #255 - 26 March - Gemunden Marshalling Yard. This target was quite a distance from our base, but because of the rapid advances made by General Patton's troops, it was just a few miles ahead of the bomb line in his sector. The yards were the junction point of four separate rail lines. Again, two superiors and three excellents were the ratings of the bombing teams. The choke points, tracks, cars, and surrounding work shops were destroyed or severely damaged. New Box leading teams headed up this mission, they being Lt. Claude Brown and Lt. Jim Kerns with Lt. Brewer, BNs and Lts. J. A. Buskirk and R.C. Hanna BN.- Lt. Fero and F/O Langsam led a flight.

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

The following day, the 26th of March, the Gemunden Marshalling Yards in Germany were hit. This target was a great distance from the base, just a few miles ahead of General Patton’s rapidly advancing troops. Excellent results were achieved. No enemy opposition was encountered.

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

The 416th put a new box-leading pair into operations on March 26th 1945 as Lt. Claude J. Brown and Lt. James E. Kerns took the formation and Lt. John A. Buskirk and Lt. Robert C. Hanna the second box…against the Gemunden Marshalling Yard on a line leading into Frankfurt. The 671st combinations scored superior ratings and took the formation in and out without loss or damage. This attack followed up the blows against three other M/Ys the previous afternoon. Other 9th Bomb Division Groups hit two other yards.

Smoke prevented Lt. Kerns from picking up the DMPI. Instead he picked a SMPI adjacent to a group of buildings and plastered the tracks and buildings with superior results. The two flights following him scored excellent results on other objects in the yard. Lt. Hanna, managing to see the DMPI through the smoke, dropped with superior results. The bombs hitting buildings, tracks and roads.

"USAAF Chronology of WWII, month by month"

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, around 300 A-20s, A-26s and B-26s hit marshalling yards at Wurzburg, Gemunden, and Flieden, the town of Ruckers, and 2 targets of opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, fly armed reconnaissance, hit special targets and support various ground forces along the front; fighter support is accorded the US 2d, 3d, 7th, and 9th Armored Divisions in the Hachenburg, Montabaur, and Limburg areas, the XII Corps along the Main River from Frankfurt/Main to Aschaffenburg, and Ninth Army elements in the bridgehead area around Gahlen. Units moving from Belgium to Germany: HQ IX Tactical Air Command from Verviers to Bruhl; HQ 48th Fighter Group and the 492d, 493d and 494th Fighter Squadrons from St Trond to Kelz with P-47s. The 72d Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group), moves from Sarreguemines, France to Kaiserlautern, Germany with L-5s.