Operationally, December can be classified as a normal winter month. As in November, unfavorable weather again clipped our wings, allowing us to operate on only 12 occasions. It was particularly disheartening to have been grounded at the time of Rundstedt’s counter-offensive.
Plagued by warm and cold fronts during the early part of the month, the Yuletide was ushered in on December 19th, by a dense and persistent fog, which added to our feeling of impotency. This condition extended on thru December 27th. Visibility was restricted to 1,000 yards during the first six days of this period, deteriorating to 200 yards on December 24th and remaining thus until December 28th.
On December 24th, with take-off conditions that not so long ago would have been considered impossible, we took-off on our biggest assignment to date. Never before had we been asked to schedule such a large force. 151 aircraft dispatched of which 149 aircraft attacked dropping 313 tons of bombs with excellent results. This was one of the few occasions on which we bombed visually. No aircraft were lost.
In addition to our regular bombing missions, we also flew a Screening Force for the first time. Although this force had been employed by other Combat Wings before, it was comparatively new to us.
This force is composed of 12 aircraft loaded with chaff, which preceded the leading unit of our Division into the target area, dropping their chaff intending to jam the enemy’s radar devices on anti-aircraft guns.
To date we have used it twice. It proved a very effective measure on Merseburg on December 12th and was again used with good results on Cologne on December 18th. On the Merseburg mission our lead Group received no major battle damage from flak although there were three hundred and fifty-four (354) guns in the target area.
During the month, 18 missions were planned, 12 of which were completed and had 13 stand-downs. Weather forced us to bomb by instruments on 9 missions. Bombing was accomplished on a majority of these missions by GH methods. The opportunity to bomb visually arose on only 3 missions during the month.
We scheduled 1,268 aircraft of which 93.3% attacked, dropping a total of 3,061.6 tons of bombs; 355.8 tons of incendiaries and 2,705.8 tons of demolition bombs. 11.7 tons of leaflets were also dropped.
In the past we have been borrowing GH aircraft and operators from the 41st Combat Wing for GH missions. They have again extended a helping hand in checking out some of our own operators and helping us set up our own school. We have a good start on this school and some of our aircraft will soon be modified for GH bombing, so it should not be long before we are independent in this line of aerial warfare.
There were three promotions in our organization this month. Congratulations go to Major William E. Sticklen, the Wing Bombardier, Major Warren E. Dewlen, the Wing Communications Officer, and M/Sgt. Frank A. Livoti, our tireless Chief Operations Clerk.
Christmas was made a little more joyful by the return of General Gross and Captain McDaniel from a 30-day rest period in the States. They each brought a touch of home with them; General Gross with some San Fernando Kickapoo-joy-juice, and McD with Springfield Anti-freeze.
Since there were no operations on Christmas Day, breakfast was served from 0900 to 1000 hours. Dinner was served at 1500 hours and not a soldier away from home could have asked for anything better. It was a real Christmas Dinner, turkey with all the trimmings.
At 1800 hours Christmas night the tannoy announced that all Officers of the 1st Combat Wing would appear as if by magic in the General’s Quarters, and as if by magic we appeared. After some San Fernando Kickapoo-joy-juice we allotted, Miss Prentice, the General’s Secretary, and Combat Wing pin-up girl, distributed presents from the General to his staff. Then some more Kickapoo-joy-juice.
New Year’s Eve was marked by the enlisted men’s party in the Aero Club. It was attended by 48 men and their guests. The local swing furnished music for dancing. Refreshments both liquid and solid were served. General Gross, Colonel Smith, Captain Moreau and Lt. Smith, made their appearance during the course of the evening. General Gross and Colonel Smith cut the cake of the old, and new, year.
Engineering, take the stand. The “Ace” we dub, not with the sword, but with a crew of priceless superchargers, engine failures, blown heads, feathered props, and gas gauges. His untiring efforts, constant vigilance, and regular visits to the Groups of this Wing repaid themselves by bearing ripe fruit in abundance. 1st Combat Wing had the lowest percent of abortives in the 1st Bomb Division. Of a total number of aircraft dispatched during the year, only 3.4% of them returned early. We are justly proud of this achievement.
> January 1945