At the 0530 briefing the forty crews (including two PFF crews) learned that the target was to be the port city of Wihelmshaven on Germany's north coast.  Two B-17s from each of the First and Third Divisions were lost, none of the 447th.  The Luftwaffe did not present much opposition.  The bombers claimed only one probable.  The fighters downed 8 German fighters with a loss of 9 of their own.

Briefing was at 0530 hours.  The mission was a maximum effort and the target was Frankfurt.  The planes were loaded with 500lb GP and incendiary bombs.  Take off started at 0815 hours.  During assembly, three A/C aborted and one other left after formation due to mechanical problems.  Of the 748 heavy bombers dispatched, 633 were effective.  Twenty of these planes were downed.  The escort downed 8 German fighters at the cost of one P-38.  The 447th planes started landing at 1500 hours.

Briefing was at 0600 hours and the target was an Air Depot in Romilly-sur-Seine, France.  The group was assigned to fly in the high position of the Fourth Combat Wing.  The planes were loaded with GP bombs, and the assigned bombing altitude was 21,900 feet.  Take off started at 0825 hours.  After assembly the Group headed for Wing assembly but never completed the assembly.  The decision was made to abort the missions.  One crew joined another group and bombed Villacoublay.  Landing started at 1245 hours.

No.16    02/06/44   EVREUX-FAUVILLE

Briefing was at 0500 hours.  The target was again the Air Depot at Romily-sur Seine. The 447th assigned to bomb from 19,000 feet with 500lb GP bombs.  Take off was at 0722 hours.  On approaching the target we found is obscured so the decision was made to hit the airfield at Evreux-Fauville.  Results of bombong was judged to be "good".  The heavies lost four B-17s but accounted for 3 German fighters.  One of the losses was Lt. A.S. Reed, 708th Squadron.  The Group started landing at 1335 hours.

No.17    02/08/44   WEISBADEN

Briefing was at 0530 hours.  The prime target was the marshalling yards at Frankfurt.  500lb GP bombs made up the load.  Take off started at 0800 hours.  Lt. Rozmus aborted the mission due to oxygen system failure and Lt. Eastman had to abort due to tank overflow resulting from over filled tanks.  The remaining 17 A/C departed the English coast at Felixstowe and attained a bombing altitude of 26,500 feet by the time we reached the Belgium coast at the mouth of the Rhine.  In the target area the decision was made to bomb the Weisbaden area.  Only 88 B-17s of the 236 ships dispatched bombed the primary.  On return our landing started at 1520 hours.

No.18    02/10/44   BRUNSWICK

Briefing was at 0430 hours.  Our target area was an aircraft plant in Brunswick.  The planes were loaded with GP and incendiary bombs.  Take off started at 0710 hours.  The Group flew the high position in the 4th Combat Wing.  The Luftwaffe was out in force downing 29 U.S. ships, but we accounted for 42 of their fighters.  Two of our crews went down, Jellison's (711th) and Finfinger's (710th).  Our 18 planes started landing at 1459 hours.

No.19    02/13/44   NOBALL NO.S 110, 78

Briefing was at 1100 hours.  The target wss to strike 5 V-1 (ours were Noball #78 and #110) sites. Our planes were loaded with 96 tons of GP bombs.  The assigned bombing altitude was 12,000 feet.  Take off started at 1330 hours.  The 447th formed up with the 94th and 385th Groups of the 4th Bomb Wing.  The 447th lost Lt. Kaffun's crew (710th) and Lt. McDonald's crew (709th).  The Group started landing at 1630 hours.

No.20    02/20/44   TUTOW

Briefing was at 0500 hours.  The target was an airfield near the Baltic coast and the town of Rostock.  The 36 planes carried GP and incendiary bombs, take off was from 0725 to 0743 hours.  Bombing altitude was 12,000 feet.  We passed near but avoided Helgoland the island flak tower just off the German coast in the North Sea.  Shortly after crossing the Danish peninsula, we turned toward the target, releasing our bombs on ETA, because we could not see the target and did not have a PFF ship in the formation.  Landing started at 1715 hours.

No.21    02/21/44   DIEPHOLZ

Briefing was at 0630 hours.  The target was an airfield, Diepholz, 35 nautical miles southwest of Bremen.  Take off started at 0850 with the last ship airborne at 0908 hours.  The attacking force was made up of 21 B-17 groups and 8 B-24 groups.  The bombing altitude was 22,000 feet.  We hit our primary target with excellent results, but most of the groups hit targets of opportunity.  All of our planes returned home with no losses, landing started at 1610 hours.

No.22    02/24/44   ROSTOCK

Wake-up was at 0300 hours.  The target was Rostock on the Warnow River, 5 miles from the Baltic Sea.  The planes carries GP bombs.  Take off started at 0715 hours with the last ship airborne at 0733 hours.  The formations climbed to 18,000 feet and released a total of 1061 tons of bombs.  The return was uneventful with all planes starting their landing at 1642 hours.

No.23    02/25/44   REGENSBURG

Briefing was at 0630 hours.  The target was an aircraft plant deep into southern Germany at Regensberg.  Take off started at 0845 hours with the last plane being airborne at 0902 hours.  The A/C carried fragmentary clusters.  As the bombing altitude of 17,500 feet was reached, Luftwaffe opposition was encountered.  Flak was heavy at the target.  Captains Palfrey/Chardi's crew were hit and went down.

Lt, Aaberg, on his third mission, ran into problems and ordered his crew to bail out over England.  But he was unable to get out of the plane before it crashed.  The bombers dropped 1702.5 tons of bombs.  The Eighth dropped more tons of bombs this week than they dropped during the first year.

No.24    02/28/44   NOBALL NO. 74 BOIS DE LA JUSTICE

Briefing was at 1100 hours.  The target was Noball No. 74 (Bois de la Justice) in the Pas de Calais.  General Purpose bombs were the weapons for the day.  Take off started at 1330 hours and the Group achieved the planned bombing altitude of 12,000 feet as the 447th reached the French coast.  Two crew's from the 447th were lost, Lt. C.W. Harris' crew from the 709th and Lt. R.E. Fouts' crew from the 711th.  Both went down due to fighter attack.  The First Division had 85 planes effective out of 134 ships dispatched.  The Second Division dispatched 81 planes with only 49 effective.  The first plane landed back at Rattlesden at 1630 hours.

No.25    02/29/44   BRUNSWICK

Briefing was at 0430 hours.  The target was an aircraft plant at Brunswick, Germany.  The planes were loaded with GP bombs and take off started at 0715 hours.  During assembly three aircraft that were spares or had mechanical problems returned to base.  Bombing altitude was at 22,000 feet.  The mission was uneventful.  The Groups planes started landing at 1400 hours.