Allied Bombing Records ETO WWII

[G-AWZT]

Does anyone know of a resource to research bombing records for a certain target on a particular day? I know it's a long shot but I'm curious to an event on July 19th, 1944. The railroad yard at Vinkovci Croatia was bombed that day, a near miss collapsed the house my grandmother was living in at the time burying her for several days before rescue. I was curious to the aircraft, unit of the mission.

[LineDoggie]

Quick Guess would be USAAF 15th Air Force which had responsibility for mission in Yugoslavia. 15th would have had B-17's and B-24's

http://www.15thaf.org/47th_BW/

http://www.usaaf.net/chron/44/jul44.htm

[G-AWZT]

Appreciate the links LD. I look into them.

Man the 15th was pretty active over Yugo in the last week and a half of July '44. Great link.


Actually found the mission: It was the 24 of August '44, B-24s from the 450th mission #127.

Thanks LD!

[LineDoggie]

Hmm, showing NO USAAF Tactical or Strategic Missions over Vinkovci on 19 july 1944

http://www.milhist.net/usaaf/mto44b.html

EDIT: did find 18 Oct 44 P-38's dive bomb Vinkovci from the 12th AF

[James]

It was probably a unit of the U.S. 15th Air Force based in Bari, Italy.

Oops! LD beat me to it.

[James]

Hmm, showing NO USAAF Tactical or Strategic Missions over Vinkovci on 19 july 1944

http://www.milhist.net/usaaf/mto44b.html

That link sows B-17s hitting Vinkovci on July 2.

[G-AWZT]

Hmm, showing NO USAAF Tactical or Strategic Missions over Vinkovci on 19 july 1944

http://www.milhist.net/usaaf/mto44b.html

EDIT: did find 18 Oct 44 P-38's dive bomb Vinkovci from the 12th AF

I had no idea there so many strikes against the RR yards. I had assumed just one raid, but it seems there are quite a number of strikes from July-Oct. I'm fairly certain the near miss incident came in mid-to late summer i.e. after July 18-August. I wrote down July 19th perhaps I made a mistake.

In one S2 report they talk about seeing a silver "B-17" like aircraft in a field, I'm assuming it's a USAAF bird that made a forced landing because of a mechanical issue rather than flak/fighters.

[commanding]

Quick Guess would be USAAF 15th Air Force which had responsibility for mission in Yugoslavia. 15th would have had B-17's and B-24's

http://www.15thaf.org/47th_BW/

http://www.usaaf.net/chron/44/jul44.htm

Linedoggie, you need to get you a job on the History channel, or Military Channel, being one of those military experts that knows a bit about everything. Seriously I bet you would be great at it.

[Tyon]

Linedoggie, you need to get you a job on the History channel, or Military Channel, being one of those military experts that knows a bit about everything. Seriously I bet you would be great at it.

But does he know about ancient aliens?

[T-5 Killer]

Awesome thread. I just found the mission in which my grandfathers B-17 was shot down.

Thanks LD for those awesome links!

WEDNESDAY, 27 DECEMBER 1944

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force):
520+ B-17s and B-24s bomb the Vosendorf oil refinery, Linz ordnance depot,
marshalling yards at Wiener- Neustadt, Villach, Klagenfurt, Bruck an der Mur,
and Graz, Austria; and Maribor, Yugoslavia and Feldbach, Austria railroad
junction; Brenner rail line; Venzone viaduct, and Vipiteno and Bressanone
railroad bridges in Italy. 44 P-38s bomb bridges at Latisana and Casarsa della
Delizia, Italy. 29 P-51s strafe railroad targets between Vienna and Linz,
Austria. Other fighters fly 250+ escort sorties.

I would love to find out what units were involved. Sadly he passed away in 2010 so I cannot ask him

[Redox]

Awesome thread. I just found the mission in which my grandfathers B-17 was shot down.

Thanks LD for those awesome links!

WEDNESDAY, 27 DECEMBER 1944



I would love to find out what units were involved. Sadly he passed away in 2010 so I cannot ask him

Great to hear that he survived that though. After reading your first line I thought different.