October 14, 1943
Second Schweinfurt Mission "Black Thursday"
"All Right. Schweinfurt, It is then."
Mission #115: Schweinfurt, Germany "Black Thursday"
PREPARATION- "All right. Schweinfurt it is, then." Frederick Anderson, Commanding General VIII Bomber Command
With these words, Major General Frederick Anderson ordered VIII Bomber Command to attack Schweinfurt, Germany the next day on October 14, 1943. The initial attack on August 17, 1943 damaged the concentrated ball bearing manufacturing industry in Schweinfurt. Germany obtained additional ball bearings to supplement the temporary drop in production and repaired the losses inflicted on the August 17 mission. Since then, the Germans made all major repairs and then strengthened their defenses in the Schweinfurt area, pouring more antiaircraft guns, aircraft, and men into the region.
THE MISSION- The VIII Bomber Command planned to dispatch the 1st and 3rd Air Division's 291 B-17s along with the 2nd Air Division's 60 B-24s escorted by the four operational P-47 fighter groups, a P-38 group, and some Royal Air Force units providing withdrawal cover. The B-17s would lead while the faster B-24 task force followed on a different course to rendezvous before the target. Fighter groups would escort the bombers as far as possible, then rendezvous with the force as it withdrew from France coming home.
The VIII Bomber Command planned to enter Germany from the northwest then return to England via a long detour to the southwest out of German fighter range. The VIII BC expected little accurate flak enroute but cautioned against heavy flak concentrations near the target. Planners expected heavy fighter opposition along the route. The extreme distance and flying time required B-17s to use either wing tip or specially fitted bomb bay fuel tanks to carry enough fuel. Weather forecasters predicted heavy clouds and fog over England but a weather reconnaissance aircraft reported clearing weather over Schweinfurt.
A thick blanket of fog over England reduced visibility to near nothing and hampered formation assembly. The 2nd Air Division could not complete their formation since two of the four groups could not find the rendezvous point in the bad weather. The atrocious weather conditions improved with altitude. Many groups continued their climb alone, then formed up with other units once above the English clouds and fog. Bright sunlight greeted crews as they broke through the cloud layer. Unfortunately, formation problems dogged the Eighth Air Force as the 305th Bomb Group failed to assemble with the rest of the leading 40th Combat Wing under Colonel Budd J. Peaslee. Since Peaslee had only two groups in the leading wing, he told Lieutenant Colonel Theodore R. Milton to take the lead with his 1st Combat Bomb Wing. The escorting fighter groups fared little better as one group could not take off and the other three groups rendezvoused with their charges at various times and places, not as briefed. The luckless 2nd Air Division aborted the mission along with its fighter escort, leaving just the 353rd and 56th Fighter Groups to escort 16 bomb groups heading to Schweinfurt. Even though the P-47s carried external fuel tanks, their range prohibited continuous escort.
That morning, there were more enemy fighters in the air than on the first Schweinfurt mission. With wave after wave of Luftwaffe fighter attacks, American bombers were falling out of the sky in all directions. By the time they reached Schweinfurt only about two thirds of the original force strength was left to actually bomb the target. On the return trip, the fury of air combat was entered anew, as many of the German fighters returned to the fight refueled and rearmed. Frantic crews administered first aid, fought fires and struggled to keep the riddled Forts flying. It was estimated that more than 300 German fighter planes flew more than 800 sorties against the American bombers that day.
Soon after the drone of the returning bombers was heard by anxious ground crews and base commanders, it was apparent that a disaster had occurred as bomber after bomber failed to return to its airfield.
