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Praetorium Honoris

Friday, April 24, 2020

Some Gave All...

Douglas A-20J-10-DO, 43-10129, of the 416th Bomb Group destroyed by flak over Beauvoir, France on 12 May 1944.

No doubt you've heard the phrase, "No, I'm not a hero. The heroes are the ones who didn't make it back. They're the real heroes."

I've heard it from a number of veterans, probably you have too.

I came across this story in Sand and Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France by Peter Caddick-Adams, page 141 as a matter of fact. I didn't get much further. It left me feeling rather thoughtful the rest of the day. So I thought I'd share it with you.


The British were getting antsy, wondering just when the Yanks were going to pitch in against the Nazis. Even Churchill, half-American himself, had mentioned somewhat querulously, that the Americans had yet to drop a bomb on Germany.
In May of 1942, US General Hap Arnold promised Prime Minister Winston Churchill that American troops would be fighting with the British by July 4th. Fulfilling that promise fell to US Generals Carl Spaatz, Ira Eaker and Dwight Eisenhower. Yet only two US outfits were in England – the 97th Bombardment Group and the 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light) – and neither was equipped with aircraft. The 15th‘s familiarity with Douglas A-20 Havocs and the presence of the same aircraft in British service, the DB-7 Boston III, secured them a place in Eighth Air Force history. Seven months earlier, members of the 15th had been dropping flour sack bombs on “enemy” troops as part the 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers. Now, a month of training in British bombing methods was the plan to get the Eighth Air Force in the war with its first official combat mission. (Source)
So on the 4th of July, 1942, Independence Day, six American aircrews would fly aircraft belonging to No. 226 Squadron of the Royal Air Force. 226 Squadron's own crews would man the other six aircraft going on the raid. Across the Channel to the Netherlands to hit four Luftwaffe airfields, three aircraft would hit each target. The targets were Fliegerhorst Katwijk¹, Fliegerhorst De Kooy, Fliegerhorst Haamstede, and Fliegerhorst Bergen Alkmaar. Hopefully speed, surprise, and hitting the fields simultaneously near dawn would bring all of the men home.

It was not to be.

(Source)
Alerted by a German vessel near the coast, the German flak crews were ready when the twelve aircraft reached their targets.

At Fliegerhorst De Kooy -
Two of the US-crewed aircraft attacked Fliegerhorst De Kooy and one, tail number A677, is listed as Missing in Action. This aircraft is shot down by anti-aircraft fire and crashes on Texel Island, Holland. The crew are: Pilot - 2Lt. Frederick A. Loehrl, O-432079, (KIA) commemorated on the Wall of Missing, Netherlands American Cemetery and awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart; Navigator - 2Lt. Marshall D. Draper O-724624, (POW) held at Stalag 7A Moosburg, Bavaria, officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 24-Jul-45. He was the first American airman form 8th Air Force to be captured; Gunner - James W. Wright, 19000376, (KIA) buried at Ardennes American Cemetery, Plot C, Row 36, Grave 7, awarded the Purple Heart; Dorsal Gunner - Sgt. Robert L. Whitham (KIA). His remains were recovered on 11-Jul-42 and he was buried in the general cemetery of Huisduinen, Den Helder, Holland. (Source)
From another account of the raid on De Kooy -
Turning into the attack, Captain Kegelman skimmed the ground as flak impacts forced his Boston to tilt then drop hard. The rear fuselage oil canned on the tarmac as the starboard propeller sheared its spindle and flew into space. Oblivious to the lacing crossfire of murderous 20mm rounds, Kegelman goosed the remaining engine to full throttle, shut down his bad engine, and pulled hard stick to gain altitude and control.
On one engine, Captain Kegelman cleared the aerodrome, silenced a flak tower to the south near Julianadorp with his nose guns, and salvoed his bombs into the sea on his way back to Swanton Morley – with a belly full of Dutch dirt.
Lt. Fred A. Loehrl was mere seconds behind Kegelman and flew full force into the zeroed flak barrage put up by the units around the field. Lt. Loehrl dropped his incendiary payload along two rows of camouflaged hangars housing Bf-110’s and at least one larger mine-laying Heinkel 111 bomber. Hit by punishing flak, Lt. Loehrl’s Boston caught fire then crashed just past the Balgzand canal into the shallow seawater. Miraculously, the bombardier, Lt. Marshall Draper, was thrown clear of the shattered nose section, and survived to become the first 8th Air Force POW. Lt. Fred A. Loehrl’s body was never found.(Source)
At Fliegerhorst Bergen Alkmaar -
One American-crewed A-20, tail number AL741 was listed as Missing in Action (MIA) on this target. This aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed near Bergen-aan-Zee, Holland. The crew of this aircraft were: Pilot - 2Lt William G. Lynn, O-432081, (KIA) buried at Netherlands American Cemetery, Plot B, Row 5, Grave 10, awarded the Purple Heart; Navigator - 2Lt Boyd S. Grant, buried in the Allied Plot of the general cemetery of Bergen, Holland; Gunner - SSgt William A. Murphy, (KIA) buried in the Allied Plot of the general cemetery of Bergen, Holland; Dorsal Gunner Cpl Charles P. Kramarewicz, 1109157, (KIA) buried at Netherlands American Cemetery, Plot I, Row 14, Grave 18, awarded the Purple Heart.(Source)
One of the RAF aircraft, piloted by P/O Charles M. Henning, after making its attack on the field, started it's trip home with a German fighter in hot pursuit. It was a Focke Wulf-190 piloted by Unteroffizier² Hans Rathenow -
While agile and fast for a bomber, the Boston was no match for a 190 in the open. With two MG 131’s in the nose and four 20mm cannon in the wing roots and outer wings, Rathenow’s Fw-190 had more than enough lethal firepower to dispatch the twin engine bomber. Fifteen miles off of Callantsoog, Rathenow caught up with Z2213 MQ-U and downed her in the cold sea. The RAF airmen were never found. They were P/O Charles M. Henning, Sgt. Percey J. Voysey and Sgt. Herbert T. Willig. (Source)
Twelve aircraft went out, only nine returned, one so badly damaged that it had to be written off. Three aircraft lost, three aircrews, eleven men.
Despite some success and the bravery of the RAF and USAAF aircrews, the loss of eleven men (three out of twelve aircraft – two US, one British) was considered unacceptable. General Eisenhower was dismayed by the news of the loss. Far too high a price had been paid in a costly gesture to sustain national prestige and bolster morale on the home front. General Eisenhower was mindful moving forward that American aircrews would not engage in needless combat to satisfy American pride or produce media events for propaganda use.(Source)
Captain Kegelman was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions that day. He later lost his life in the Pacific Theater as a major, commanding a B-25 unit. So he too eventually gave the last full measure.

Some gave all...
  • 2Lt Frederick A. Loehrl, USAAF
  • 2Lt. Marshall D. Draper, USAAF
  • Sgt James W. Wright, USAAF
  • Sgt Robert L. Whitham, USAAF
  • P/O Charles M. Henning, RAF
  • Sgt Percey J. Voysey, RAF
  • Sgt Herbert T. Willig, RAF
  • 2Lt William G. Lynn, USAAF
  • 2Lt Boyd S. Grant, USAAF
  • SSgt William A. Murphy, USAAF
  • Cpl Charles P. Kramarewicz, USAAF
  • Major Charles C. Kegelman, USAAF
The motto of No. 226 Squadron, RAF, provides a fitting tribute to those men.

Non sibi sed patriae

~ For country not for self ~




Sources:
  • American Air Museum Link
  • History Net Link
  • The National Interest Link

¹ Fliegerhorst = air base.
² A rank roughly equivalent to a corporal, a junior non-commissioned officer.

28 comments:

  1. So ten KIA, at least one POW and how many wounded because politicians/brass felt the "need" to show the flag? Never knew the details of this "first" mission by USAAF other than that three planes were shot down. Every day the dice are rolled and you hope snake-eyes don't come up. RIP warriors.

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    1. Sending "messages" by putting men's lives on the line. LBJ was not the first to do that. Probably not the last either.

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    2. Sometimes political statement do have to be made, dangit. Proof of action, or proof of intent, so to speak.

      And, like the rescue attempt during Carter's administration, failure (which is always an option, because we are men and therefore fallible (not God) breeds betterment. Sometimes it doesn't.

      This... just sucked. But the question is, how did the US generals react when their fears that their men weren't ready yet were proven true?

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    3. The bombing campaign in Europe was complex, fraught with difficulty, and was littered with fits and starts which went no where. The bomber generals thought the war could be won by bombing alone. They were wrong. Combined arms is where it's at, always has been and I consider logistics to be a vital part of that equation. Some of the bomber generals believed that Hiroshima and Nagasaki proved they were right.

      Once again, they were wrong. The looked at the very last act of the war and said, "See, we were right." Nope, not even close. It was a team effort that won the war around the globe. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and none of that would have happened. Look at the infighting between the German forces, just look at the ridiculous infighting between the Japanese navy and army, crippling disadvantages.

      The good generals in WWII continued to learn throughout the conflict.

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    4. Nope, Nope, Nope. Hiroshima and Nagasaki worked because that was the culmination of the bombing campaign, not the beginning. The Japanese realized they were on the ropes with the regular bombing raids. Then we nuked them, an order of magnitude increase. They knew they could barely handle, much less repulse the regular bombing raids, now the nukes arrived. They still had fighters, but which bombers carried the rescheduled sunrises? That was what forced them to the table.

      Fast forward a few years. The "Bad Guys" knew we had Nukes and would use them to win "The War". All they had to do was destroy bombers (because that essentially all we had), deterrence was non-existent at that point. Hence, Korea and Vietnam.

      Reagan, God rest his soul, realized that it's America that is required, not the AF, not the Army, not the Navy, not the Marines that will win the next war. As some wise man said, "We stand together...or Hang separately."

      I get very tired of the "XXX won WWII" arguments. The Allies won WWII, and it was a close won race.

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    5. Yes, it took the whole country to win that war. Not sure what you're disagreeing with juvat. We seem to be on the same page.

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    6. @Nylon12: One of the worst examples I can think of is when McNamara announced we were going to strike a SAM complex being erected. We hit it on schedule after as many AAA batteries as possible were moved into the vicinity. This was detailed (possibly) on an episode of 'Wings' covering the F-105 and Rolling Thunder. After R. Strange M. (no, I'm serious, his middle name was 'Strange') announced we'd knock out the bridge and SAMS guarding it, a huge FLAK trap was set up by the NVA and Soviet advisors. We lost quite a few planes and almost as many crewmembers on that strike. FFS, my father would've been sorely tempted if he'd been offered the chance to execute McNamara, and my father-in-law, a Marine rifle-company (ass-in-the-grass) commander when he left RVN would cheerfully bring him and LBJ back to life so he could send them to the afterworld again, with a bit of a personal touch.

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    7. There aren't enough bad things I can say about Johnson and McNamara. I'm with your father-in-law on his idea.

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  2. A sad tale indeed. So many of the earliest battles, in the air, on the ground, and at sea were to be costly lessons that showed how we were unprepared for the war we were now in. While it was inevitable that someone would be the first to fall, those early losses were the foundation upon which we built a military that fought, and won, a global war on multiple fronts.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, the price they paid saved us in the long run.

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  3. AAA (boo! Hiss!) can be terribly effective and destructive on low altitude attacks especially when the crews are alerted and competent and the planes relatively slow at low altitudes. Going to air shows I have thought that as graceful and fast as the old warbirds appear, they would probably be relatively easy targets at low altitudes. I guess that's why the big bombers went higher, only to be less accurate and having to deal with enemy fighters. And weren't fair number of even fast ground attack fighters lost to AAA, especially when going after well protected targets like airfields?

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    1. One P-47 was hit in the engine by, supposedly, a Tiger I's main gun.

      Low and fast is difficult unless you have top cover. Or control of the skies. Or the element of surprise. None which the missions that day had.

      In the Pacific, they solved low and fast with minimal top cover by going as low as possible and using delayed fuses, incendiary bombs dropped loose and unbundled or by dropping small bombs affixed to parachutes from parachute flares. Skim the waves, pull up to skim the trees, and surprise the enemy. Missions that lost the element of surprise paid highly.

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    2. Tom - Yes, boo hiss if they're the enemy's. Yay, if they're ours (provided that they're not shooting at friendlies!)

      AAA can put up an area barrage between the target and the incoming attackers. Doesn't have to be accurate, just has to be at the right altitude. Tough job if you have to fly through that stuff. But you have to if you want to hit the target.

      The gunner may not be aiming at anyone in particular, but if the round he fired is near enough to your aircraft, I guess that's why they call it a Golden BB.

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    3. Beans - Low and fast is ALWAYS difficult if enemy AAA is ready. Don't have to aim, put enough ordnance in the air and planes are going to go down, other pilots will flinch and miss the target, some (though not that many) will chicken out and not even try. Top cover will protect you from enemy fighters, not from enemy guns. Any force that loses the element of surprise is ALWAYS going to pay a price.

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    4. Beans, once your get below 3000', your chances of survival, regardless of top speed of your aircraft, are minimized. A gomer with a rifle is your worst enemy. I had a squadron mate at Holloman who spent a few years in the kind care of the North Vietnamese, who crossed a ridgeline inverted (better to minimize your exposure) looked up to see a guy drop a yellow flag and start waving a red one. As he progressed over the ridge, on the back side, was a battalion of infantry, laying on their backs with rifles pointed in the air. Triggers depressed. He made it about a thousand feet before he ejected. Didn't have much time to E&E before he was captured.

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    5. Never much cared for being between tracers, the dark ones are even scarier than the bright ones but "troops in contact" trump that fear. regards, Alemaster

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  4. A cautionary tale of 'don't let your friends goad you into stupid action.'

    The early years of the Air War in Europe and the Med were horrifying. So many lost because we had to do something, ill prepared, ill trained, ill led. But inaction was just as dangerous as too-soon action.

    Sobering. A perfectly dreary topic for a dreary drizzly day.

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    1. We have to "do something," has gotten many people killed in the course of events.

      Still does. Sometimes you have to appease your ally, even if he's wrong, for the greater good. Yes, it nearly always sucks.

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    2. This whole 'we have to do something' is a problem amongst the current political/media class. A legal commentator in the UK once proposed that we should have a 'Something must be done Act' which would simply say 'Something is happening and something must be done'. It was very tongue in cheek on his behalf. As an older and much wiser senior boss of mine said whilst I was I was in the police 'Ignoring a problem is never an option. Doing nothing always is.' I'll explain it if anyone has problems with that concept.
      Retired

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    3. The Something Must Be Done Act. Dear Lord don't let the American Congress hear about this, it'll be the law of the land within hours.

      There are times when nothing can be done, you learn and move on.

      That old boss of yours WAS a very wise man!

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  5. (Don McCollor)...and sometimes the hardest decision is to sit and do nothing...

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    1. (Don McCollor)...or to stay on the ground if the flying weather looks "iffy"...

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    2. Well, that depends. Back in the day, weather reports weren't as accurate as they are now. Which isn't saying much as they're not all that accurate now.

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    3. One must always weigh the benefits of the mission against the risks. Peacetime that's relatively easy. Wartime, I suspect (I don't "know") might be harder.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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