Click on the mission number to go to the description in the Journal
| No. | Date | Target | Pilot/Crew | Result/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/5/43 | marshalling yards at Ghent (Belgium) | Partridge | no losses; on Capt. Dave Sloan's right wing | |
| 9/8/43 | airdrome at Lille-Nord (France) | Druhl | hit target, no losses; in Sloan's box again | |
| 9/9/43 | gun emplacements at Boulogne (France) | N.D. Smith | to cover Allied amphibious practice; on Maj. Brier's left wing | |
| 9/11/43 | airfield at Beaumont Le Roger (France) | Chuck Enderton | got "lost" on the way home; leading high box under Willcox | |
| 9/23/43 | Beauvais Tille airdrome (France) | Chuck Boyer | Air Medal mission; one of a 72-plane group | |
| 9/27/43 | airdrome at Conches (France) | Enderton | saw fighter, B-26 go down; followed 386th; Willcox led his box | |
| 10/8/43 | airdrome near Lille (France) | turned back; controversy about whether mission counted | ||
| 10/9/43 | airdrome at Woensdrecht (Holland) | Enderton | almost lost on the way home as fuel was running low; in second box of 18 | |
| 10/24/43 | airdrome Montdidiere (France) | Enderton, McAdams as bombardier | uneventful; followed 322nd | |
| 11/5/43 | mystery target near Marquis (France) | Willcox, McAdams as bombardier | Boyer hit, recommended for DFC; leading a box of 18 behind Col. Thatcher's lead box | |
| No. | Date | Target | Pilot/Crew | Result/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/10/43 | airdrome at Chievres (France) | Brier (leader of group) | good bombing, no incident; lead group missed because of clouds | |
| 11/11/43 | X target near Martinvast (France) | Heninger | first experience leading group of 18 | |
| 11/19/43 | airdrome at St. Andre (France) | Bob Felt | lead the group but turned back due to missing rendezvous with fighters | |
| 11/23/43 | (France) (Moench has only mission this date with target of St. Omer/Longuenesse AD) |
Mims | saw 2 B-26's go down; had to divert on the way home due to weather; Willcox leading the group | |
| 12/4/43 | airdrome at Chievres (France) | Enderton | unable to bomb due to cloud cover; Maj. Pratt leading the group | |
| 12/5/43 | X target near Crécy Forest (France) | couldn't find target, didn't bomb | ||
| 12/13/43 | airdrome at Amsterdam Schipol (Holland) | Enderton | intense flak, including a hit in the nose; lost a plane in the box; 400 Marauders on the mission; Maj. Gould leading the group | |
| 12/20/43 | X target near Vaqueriette (France) | cloud cover, didn't bomb; had to divert on return and landed at West Malling | ||
| 12/22/43 | X target near Yvrench (France) (Moench: Yvrench/Bois de Waripel NB) |
Wilcox | bad weather; got separated from major formation | |
| 12/24/43 | Yvrench (France) (Moench: Yvrench/Bois de Waripel NB) |
missed with the main bomb pattern but a few hit the target | ||
| No. | Date | Target | Pilot/Crew | Result/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/30/43 | no ball near Crécy Forest (France) (Moench: Yvrench/Bois de Waripel NB) |
Enderton, McAdam | missed both primary and secondary targets; leading 2nd box of 18 out of 72 | |
| 12/31/43 | no ball near Ardres (France) (Moench: Losterbarne/Ardres NB) |
Felt | bombed, but missed target; flak over English coast on return | |
| 1/4/44 | near Fruges (France) (Moench: Fruges Bois de Coupelle) |
Boyer | leading B-flight; missed coastal entry point; 3 passes over target before dropping bombs | |
| 1/7/44 | near Cherbourg (France) (Moench: La Glacerie NB) |
Enderton | leading high box of 18; didn't bomb due to cloud cover | |
| 1/21/44* | Pas de Calais (France) (Moench: Lostebarne Ardres NB) |
Enderton, McAdam | DFC mission; leading low squadron first box of 18 led by Major Willcox; saw German fighter at close range | |
| ?/?/44** | Pas de Calais (France) | no incidents of interest | ||
| 2/5/44*** | St. Omer/Frévant (France) (Moench: Le Grismont NB) |
Enderton, Ehalt (gunner) | deputy box leaders under Bryan; lost Bryan and Mims | |
| 2/6/44 | Dieppe Forest (France) (Moench: Escalles Sur Buchy NB) |
bombed with 322nd | ||
| 2/15/44 | Beaumont le Roger (France) | first mission with 391st; turned back; Col. Williams leading; Billy in deputy box leader | ||
| 2/22/44 | Conches (France) | Col. Williams, Mac and Chuck | leading; didn't count | |
| 2/24/44 | Gilje Rijen (Holland) | Col. Williams, Mac, Chuck | beautiful day, successful mission | |
*date estimated from table in Moench, p.128, not given in Journal.
**cannot estimate date from information given in journal; missions listed in Moench, p.128, are given for January 23, 24, and 29, also Feb. 3
***Click here for more information than the Journal coverage about this traumatic mission
| No. | Date | Target | Pilot/Crew | Result/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/25/44 | Cambrai (France) | Kahley | leading high box in formation of 36; group leader took wrong course | |
| 2/25/44 | near Fruges (France) | Col. Williams | followed the 322nd instead of the 387th; leading 18; didn't bomb due to cloud cover | |
| 2/28/44 | Rosiéres (France) | LeFramboise | barrage of flak | |
| 2/29/44 | Pas de Calais France) | Maj. Miller, 572nd C.O. | ||
| 3/4/44 | Malines (Belgium) | recalled due to bad weather | ||
| 3/5/44 | Lambres (France) | Sterngold | couldn't bomb due to poor visibility even after three passes | |
| 3/6/44 | Hirson (France) |
Morris | beautiful day; flew with 323rd | |
| 3/7/44 | Criel railroad yard near Paris (France) | Chuck | lead 2nd box; couldn't bomb due to cloud cover; saw Eiffel Tower | |
| 4/23/44 | Hesdin (France) | Berkencamp | lead 2nd box; first mission with 397th; beautiful day | |
| 4/28/44 | Mantes railroad yard (France) (Moench: Mantes Gasicourt MY) |
Kretschmer | flew with 599th; couldn't bomb primary or secondary targets due to cloud cover | |
| No. | Date | Target | Pilot/Crew | Result/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/2/44 | near Le Cateau (France) | Enderton | beautiful day; successful mission | |
| 5/10/44 | Criel (France) | Hughes | followed 387th; saw Paris again | |
| 5/11/44 | Beaumont Le Roger (France) | thick haze but was able to bomb | ||
| 5/15/44 | Valenciennes (France) | McCarthy, Louden | flew with 323rd in 72 plane formation; didn't bomb due to cloud cover | |
| 5/24/44 | Dieppe harbor (France) | Hamilton | ||
| 5/25/44 | Liege RR bridge (Belgium) | Schulze (new pilot) | ||
| 5/26/44 | Chartres (France) | Hamilton | leading a group of six | |
| 5/?/44* | no ball near Frevant (France) | MacAdam | back with 323rd | |
| 5/31/44 | bridge on the Seine (France) (Moench: Vernon HW Bridge) |
Enderton | deputy under Sloan | |
| 6/2/44 | coastal gun near Le Havre (France) | Sparks | leading group of 12 | |
* Moench lists only railroad and highway bridges as targets for missions dated between the 26th and 31st, so I was unable to find a precise date for this mission based on information in the Journal
| No. | Date | Target | Pilot/Crew | Result/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/4/44 | coastal gun near Fécamp (France) | Chuck | hit short of target | |
| 6/6/44 | Cherbourg peninsula, Utah Beach (France) | Enderton, McAdams | D-Day | |
| 6/7/44 | Avrances RR (France) | Chuck | deputy under Sloan; couldn't bomb due to low clouds | |
| 6/11/44 | Lorigny RR (France) | Chuck | leading high flight; couldn't bomb due to cloud cover | |
| 6/12/44 | bridge near Dreux (France) (Moench: Cherisy RR Bridge) |
Chuck, Mac | leading group of 18; some direct hits on target | |
| 6/15/44 | near Valognes (France) (Moench: Valognes FD) |
dropped window | ||
| 6/17/44 | fuel dump just west of Paris (France) (Moench: Senonches FD) |
Chuck | leading group of 18; heavy flak on exit | |
| 6/23/44 | no-ball near Frévent (France) (Moench: Prouville NB) |
Chuck | leading group of 18; aborted over Belgium due to no fighter support | |
| 7/18/44 | troop concentration near Caen (Moench: Demouville DA) |
Sloan | lost right engine; made emergency landing at Ford Airdrome | |
| 7/30/44 | St. Lo (France) (Moench: St.Martin des Besaces) |
Sloan | Pathfinder mission; first mission from Beaulieu | |
| No. | Date | Target | Pilot/Crew | Result/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/31/44 | bridge near Rouen (France) (Moench:Le Manoir RR Bridge) |
Satterwhite | leading group; difficult navigation | |
| 8/6/44 | island near St. Malo (France) (Moench: Ile de Cezembre CD) |
Satterwhite, Kaiser | night mission | |
| 8/13/44 | (according to Moench: Foret de Halouze Bivouc & Airdrome) | "nite fliers" | ||
| 8/14/44 | near Cambrai (Moench: Marseille-en-Beauvais Depot) |
night mission | ||
| 8/17/44 | bridge near Beaumont le Roger (date from Moench, p.235) |
P.F.F. | ||
66* |
9/1/44 | Brest (Moench: Brest Gun Battery) |
leading 323rd | 2 runs in support of ground troops |
* Billy's Officer's Qualification Record lists the number of missions flown with each Squadron, and the total comes to 67! Unfortunately we found no mention of this final mission either in the Journal or in the small notebook where notes for missions 40-66 were listed. It's possible a page of that notebook might be missing, but it's also possible that Billy just neglected to note the final mission information in written form. More interesting information from the Qualification Record form: in 22 of Billy's missions his plane was a Squadron leader, and in 17 others he was a Group leader.
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