19. Koblenz, Germany - 12/10/44 - Got up at 3:00, briefed at 4:15 for a marshalling yard at Koblenz where we hoped to catch large quantities of goods heading for the western front. We led the group with a major going along as command pilot. LT Dennis flew on this mission with us as pin point navigator as missing the 17th and 18th ones. We reached the IP only to be informed by the weather ship that the target was completely covered by clouds. Starting on a PFF run LT Moller pushed the button to open the bomb bays in order to be ready. No sooner had he opened the doors when our smoke bombs were released and the entire formation salvoed its bombs, still about 10 miles from the actual target! Since we had our bombs we flew the formation over the yards to drop our load on the cars below. Temperature was -45 at 24000, saw no enemy planes, had P51 and 47 protection, and flak was light and behind us with only six bursts appearing during the mission.

20. Hamburg, Germany - 12/23/44 - Arose at 4:30, briefed at 5:30, and took off at 8:00. We were group lead to bomb a marshalling yard at Homburg. The Germans had regained a great deal of territory so it was our job to cut their supply lines. Fog had kept us on the ground for four days so all of us were quite eager to fly again in order to help the infantry regain the land lost in the German breakthrough [webmaster: This was the Battle of the Bulge]. The weather over England was 10/10 cloud coverage, but there were very few clouds over Germany so we got a good view of the ground even from 27,000 feet. Snow blanketed the ground below us and we all felt sorry for the poor guys down there in their foxholes freezing in the clear, cold air. Our bomb run was entirely visual even though we were flying our usual PFF plane with a major, CO of the 834th squadron, as command pilot. There were plenty of P51s as protection so we didn't run into any enemy fighters, but we did some flak. In fact, one piece came in the right waist, just below the armor plating under the window, where it could have gone through my leg had I been standing further back In the plane on the bomb run. I did hear the explosion (as if someone were beating on an overturned washtub with a stick), but thought nothing of it until the mickey came back in the waist just before we landed and discovered the hole. Another piece entered the leading edge of our left wing tip and made a small hole without doing any internal damage. Temperature was -49.

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