Captain Harry R. Ankeny's Combat Diary
Page 5
MISSION # 2 (cont'd.)
Was really worried. We headed back picking up altitude until
23,000 ft. Again we went over the Ruhr valley and flak gave
us a lot of trouble. Got thru OK and landed at 4:30 P.M.--
really a long mission. Lt. Lichter, roommate, was hit by
flak and bailed out over the Dutch Islands. Our squadron 2
ME109's group total was 7 destroyed. Two boys didn't get
back. Al Lichter has a good chance of escaping I believe.
Sure was good to get home.
25th Febr. '44
Had to abort over the channel on my way to Regensberg,
Germany. Dropped a droppable tank in the channel. Lt. Beemer
was shot down by bomber fire and Lt. Kehrer was downed by a
FWl90 which Lt. R. D. Brown later shot down.
MISSION 3 29th Febr. '44
This mission was a bomber escort to Brunswick and
return. The continent was overcast nearly all the way
and we encountered no enemy opposition with the exception
of slight flak going in and coming out--a very uneventful
mission.
MISSION # 4 3rd March '44
We were briefed for the first Berlin mission ever to
be tried by the 8th Air Force. Everything went well--of course
we were a bit nervous before taking off because Berlin lay
clear back in Germany - over 500 miles from our base. When
we got in a little north of Hamburg a terrific explosion
occurred to the left of us. Some B24's had collided in mid
air. The explosion was a red ball of flame nearly a 1000 ft.
in diam. dying down to dark black smoke. The group immediate-
ly headed in that direction suspecting the bombers were having
trouble with enemy aircraft. Soon after we arrived word came
over the radio that the whole mission had been scrubbed. The
overcast was extremely high reaching up to 27,000 ft. and we
were barely clearing it. The bombers were carrying such a
load they couldn't get above it. I flew on Lt. William's wing
Copyright © 1996, Harry R. Ankeny