Copyright 2014/2023 Paul R. Martin III. All rights reserved, no portion of this book/photographs/website may be used or reproduced without expressed written permission of the author, Paul R. Martin III.
The Big Raid:
Command planned an ambitious mission for December 18, the largest raid ever conducted by the 14th Air Force. By CBI standards the attack force was huge, with close to 200-combined B-25, B-24, P-51, P-40 and B-29 aircraft participating in a coordinated daylight attack against Hankow. The 308th sent 33 planes from her combined four squadrons, the most 308th B-24s ever airborne for a single mission.
It was the crew’s first mission of the month. “Mission 4- Combat, December 18, 1944. Ship no. 251 American Beauty. Crew, 1. Loughridge, 2. Ohlsen, 3. Skotak, 4. Riddle, 5. Mosier, 6. Mulley, 7. Rockwood, 8. Hayney, 9. Fevola, 10. Trisch. Formation position no.3. Sqd. position no.4. Target Hankow Airdrome. Lead plane 118, Swart, no. 2 584, Hopper. no.3 251, no.4 296, Cosgrove, no.5 294 Turpyn, no.6 Skaggs 429, no.7 Douma 269. One hundred B-29s to go in at 11:30 on Hankow Dock area on Yangtze with demos. 39, 40 lb. bombs. B-25s with P-51s as top cover to bomb and strafe surrounding airstrips. 308 bomb group to go in on Hankow Airdrome at 12:30, one hour after B-29 raid to catch the 100 Jap fighters reported at the field on December 10, on the ground re-fueling. 375 carried 32 M1A1 Frags, 6 bombs to a cluster. Other sqds. carried the same. Some had oil incendiaries. 374 lead. 373 no.2. 425 no.3. 375 no.4. Start engines 7:30. Taxi 7:40. Assemble with group at 12,000 on course at Luliang 8:40. Pick up 36- P51’s and P-40’s over Chiakyang at 10:42 making a ten-minute circle. Group to hit IP 12:20. Over target at 12:30. Turn left from target on straight course home.”[1]
B-29’s from Maj. Gen. Curtiss E. LeMay’s 20th Air Force based in India, and flying from advanced staging fields in China,[2] would drop incendiaries from above 20,000 feet on the City of Hankow, Japan’s largest supply base in China.[3] Chennault’s 14th Air Force targeted the refueling, staging and barracks area of the Hankow Airdrome, the B-24s scheduled to strike the airfield exactly 1 hour after the B-29 attack, catching the Japanese fighters refueling on the ground from fighting off the Superforts.
At the 308th’s bases around Kunming, each squadron’s aircraft thundered aloft. “Started engines 7:30. Taxi 7:43.”[4] The timing and tight schedule unraveled quickly as the large group of thirty-three B-24s struggled into formation. Nine craft from the 425th lifted off; planes no. 689, 823, 441, 240, 428, 1445, 292 235 and 491. The 374th put nine B-24s into the sky; nos. 691, 202, 832, 436, 680, 788, 442, 249, and 141. Eight more from the 373rd; nos. 316, 837, 289, 427, 301, 293, 448, and 443 converged above Luliang. “Assembled with group at 11,000 over Luliang on course as scheduled. Over Chihkiang at 10:45 but no fighters. Squadron leader 375, Swart, overshot the group formation when leader chopped power. Group started a left hand circle at Chiakyang. 375 sqd. made a turn to get back in formation. Second element was shaken off.”[5]
Loughridge and American Beauty faced difficulty assembling four squadrons into formation. “We flew to a homer (beacon) and circled until the other crews came up from the various airfields. We circled to the left, counter-clockwise. A few crews circled to the right (clockwise) and we flew the whole formation right through itself!”[6] Fevola watched in horror from his top turret. “I had the best seat in the house, like sitting on top of the world. I saw a Liberator coming straight in and closing fast. I reached for my throat mic to warn Ray, ‘There’s a plane heading straight for us!’ ‘I see him, I see him!’ Ray retorted. It got hairy quick!”[7]
“We were just forming up. Someone was going the wrong way around the circle and we were at the same level, the whole formation going head on at each other. To avoid the plane coming head on, we pushed our airplane vertical on our wing, tipped up almost ninety degrees in the other direction and held our breath. The other plane went screaming by-whooosh! Boy! We were floating there, straight up on our wing tip with a full bomb load and almost flipped over on our back! Then we leveled out of that. The good Lord was with us then. We ducked somehow, went between them I guess. I am sure the boys remember that, I do! Being vertical on the wing tip and standing on the rudder to bring the wing up, and just waiting.... Everything inside flopped about in a big squash. Then we had to find everybody again with the formation all scrambled up. That’s what we called good planning; those were the little things that happened.”[8]
Shaken by the close call and relieved by the quick reaction and skill of their young pilot, they raced to catch up. “Group changed its mind and did not complete left hand circle but turned right on course for Hankow leaving the 375th about 20 miles behind when we took out on course after them. 375 leader poured on the coal and was pulling 40 inches Hg and, 2400 RPM indicating 185-190 MPH. We were pulling 43 at 2400 indicating 195-200 MPH at 11,000 feet. Took an hour at this power setting to catch the group before they hit the IP. P-51’s and P-40’s appeared about one half hour out of IP. Caught the group formation, five planes of 375 did. Two turned back. Skaggs and Douma.”[9]
Pushing to catch the group after falling out of formation during the rendezvous confusion killed their engines. #269, Available, piloted by Lt. Douma burned out his #4 engine and #429, Lt. Skaggs’ Settin Pretty dropped temperature in #2 and lost manifold pressure on both the #2 and #3 engines. #249, (possibly Acme Beer Barrel) from the 374th, returned with similar failure. Two jettisoned their bombs into a small lake before landing. The third made a risky but successful landing with her full bomb load aboard.
The 30 remaining aircraft continued in chaotic fashion, American Beauty without her underbelly defenses. “After catching the formation we lowered the ball turret and test fired the guns but elec. system went out so it was useless.”[10] Fevola remembered the anxious moments. “Rocky got stuck in his turret and rode out the whole mission trapped inside; we couldn’t get him out. It wouldn’t move or retract and we didn’t want to land with him still in it. I hated the whole concept of that turret and don’t know how the hell Rocky went into it, I couldn’t have!. Finally, with our help, Mosier manually got the ball inside the plane to get Rocky out. What a relief!”[11]
Loughridge remained in formation. “375 leader pulled our sqd. Too close to lead sqd. whereby a 374 man, tail end Charlie was flying at the same alt(itude) and was putting prop wash in my position in the element. When the wing sqdns closed in over the target, I had no place to go but drop back and get squeezed into a little slot in the middle. Never worked so hard in formation in my life. Japs sent up a barrage of flak but was nowhere near us when we were over the target. On the break away we were jumped by three Jap fighters; all that were in the air as far as we could learn. One Tojo did a split 5 through the formation just in front of us. One more Jap fighter came through the formation and was shot down by a P-40.”[12]
Five Japanese fighters dove in to the formation, weaving between the bigger bombers. “A fighter plane came straight in! Real fast, Sheeeuuu! It peeled off under us and scared the hell out of me. He came straight in all by himself; I think it was a Tojo.”[13] Hayney and Fevola squeezed off a few quick bursts as the fighter sped past. Four Zekes and one Tojo flew several hot passes at the B-24s. Slicing through the formation from the front and above they closed to within a few hundred yards before breaking away as turret and waist gunners fired back at them. Liberator gunners expended 776 rounds of ammunition but claimed no hits.[14]
Forty-two P-51 and P-40 escort fighters overwhelmed the Japanese flyers. Bomber crews watched two Zekes spiraling in smoke and flame; shot down by pilots in the 311th Fighter Group’s stripe tailed Mustangs. The bulk of the area’s defensive fighters remained refueling on the ground.
Light anti-aircraft fire rose to the group’s altitude, although it appeared much heavier above them. A six-gun battery between the airfield and town fired on the B-29’s attacking earlier from 20,000 feet, and enemy gunners had short time to change detonation fuses to a lower altitude for the new threat posed by the Liberator’s arrival. The one-hour interval between the B-29 and B-24 attacks succeeded in keeping the fighters and heavy flak away from the 308th.
The disarrayed Liberator formation resolutely commenced their bomb run, coming on at a heading of thirty degrees from an altitude between 14,300 and 15,200 feet. With no clouds and visibility 6-8 miles, aircrews clearly saw dozens of Japanese aircraft refueling on the field. Despite their earlier difficulties, thirty virtually unmolested bombers brought 53 tons of high explosives above the wide-open refueling and staging area in the southeast corner of the Hankow Airdrome.
Unbelievably, the lead bombardier released early and flat out missed the Airdrome. Perhaps obscuring smoke drifting from the B-29 raids on the city or over-anxiousness at the tempting and easy target caused the error. Ordered to toggle on the leader, the rest of the group followed suit. All 958 of their 100 lb. M1A1 frag cluster bombs fell three to four thousand feet east and south of the airdrome. Collateral damage struck the barracks and administration area causing several fires and secondary explosions, but a clear opportunity to wipe out a large number of Japanese aircraft on the ground was lost.
From the nose of American Beauty, bombardier Riddle’s bomb release switches malfunctioned. “When Frankie first hit the switch they did not go right away, he went back and pulled a handle to manually release them. That was his job; I focused on holding formation and hoped everything went smoothly.”[15] American Beauty’s location near the rear of the formation and short delay from Riddle’s manual release, still did not land her load on the airdrome proper.
The rest of the force was more successful in striking a significant blow to their assigned targets. Ample evidence of destruction from the B-29s at the riverside dock and warehouse facilities existed from fires and smoke rising to 10,000 feet.[16] Twenty-four B-25s from two squadrons of the 341st Bomb Group; thirteen from the 11th and eleven from the 491st; well escorted by 32, 23rd fighter group P-51s, added to the carnage with bombs, machine guns and devastating 20mm cannon fire. The Mitchell’s and Mustangs left the Wuchung Airdrome littered with damaged buildings and aircraft and craters from low level strafing and bombing runs.[17] After providing cover for the B-24 formation over the target, the 311th Fighter Group’s Mustangs were set free to also reap low level 50 caliber havoc on the airdrome. They claimed 16 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air and on the ground, four probable kills and seven damaged enemy planes while losing one Mustang and its pilot.[18]
All Liberators arrived back safely at their bases eleven hours later. Riddle and Mosier reported American Beauty’s electrical problem to their ground crew mechanics.
Loughridge’s logbook conveyed the mission’s disappointing results. “Trip back was uneventful but gas was low. Landed at approx. 6:30. Got 11:05 hours on the mission and used 2200 gallons of gas, 50 gals less than the next lowest ship which was Taylor’s. PS. Big pilots meeting afterwards with ass chewing by Major Edney. Weather on mission over cast from first ridge out of Kunming to past Chiakyang. Target clear! Terminal clear! Wind 270 degrees 45 knots. Supposed to be the largest mission pulled by 14 Air Force. 30 B-24’s went over target. Col. Armstrong’s lead Bombardier missed the target! Over 200 Jap planes reported on field! Piss Poor!”[19]
[1] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log, December 18, 1944
[2] Maurer, Maurer, ed. Air Force Combat Units of World War II, Chartwell Books, Edison, NJ, 1961, reprinted, p. 96, p.318, p.337, p.343
[3] Glines, Carroll V., Chennault’s Forgotten Warriors: The Saga Of The 308th Bomb Group In China. Schiffer Military/Aviation History Publishing, Atglen, PA, 1995 p. 16
[4] Ibid.
[5] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log, December 18, 1944
[6] Loughridge, Raymond H., interview
[7] Fevola, Michael J., interview
[8] Loughridge, Raymond H., interview
[9] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log, December 18, 1944
[10] Ibid.
[11] Fevola, Michael J., interview
[12] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log, December 18, 1944
[13] Loughridge, Raymond H., interview
[14] Official records, microfilm reel 1341, frame 1598
[15] Ibid.
[16] Munday, Eric. USAAF Bomber Units: Pacific 1941-45Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 1977, reprint 2002. p.38
[17] Official records, microfilm reel 1341, frame 1598
[18] Rust, Ken C. and Muth, Stephen, Fourteenth Air Force Story, Sunshine House, Terre Haute, IN, 1990 p.31
[19] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log, December 18, 1944
Command planned an ambitious mission for December 18, the largest raid ever conducted by the 14th Air Force. By CBI standards the attack force was huge, with close to 200-combined B-25, B-24, P-51, P-40 and B-29 aircraft participating in a coordinated daylight attack against Hankow. The 308th sent 33 planes from her combined four squadrons, the most 308th B-24s ever airborne for a single mission.
It was the crew’s first mission of the month. “Mission 4- Combat, December 18, 1944. Ship no. 251 American Beauty. Crew, 1. Loughridge, 2. Ohlsen, 3. Skotak, 4. Riddle, 5. Mosier, 6. Mulley, 7. Rockwood, 8. Hayney, 9. Fevola, 10. Trisch. Formation position no.3. Sqd. position no.4. Target Hankow Airdrome. Lead plane 118, Swart, no. 2 584, Hopper. no.3 251, no.4 296, Cosgrove, no.5 294 Turpyn, no.6 Skaggs 429, no.7 Douma 269. One hundred B-29s to go in at 11:30 on Hankow Dock area on Yangtze with demos. 39, 40 lb. bombs. B-25s with P-51s as top cover to bomb and strafe surrounding airstrips. 308 bomb group to go in on Hankow Airdrome at 12:30, one hour after B-29 raid to catch the 100 Jap fighters reported at the field on December 10, on the ground re-fueling. 375 carried 32 M1A1 Frags, 6 bombs to a cluster. Other sqds. carried the same. Some had oil incendiaries. 374 lead. 373 no.2. 425 no.3. 375 no.4. Start engines 7:30. Taxi 7:40. Assemble with group at 12,000 on course at Luliang 8:40. Pick up 36- P51’s and P-40’s over Chiakyang at 10:42 making a ten-minute circle. Group to hit IP 12:20. Over target at 12:30. Turn left from target on straight course home.”[1]
B-29’s from Maj. Gen. Curtiss E. LeMay’s 20th Air Force based in India, and flying from advanced staging fields in China,[2] would drop incendiaries from above 20,000 feet on the City of Hankow, Japan’s largest supply base in China.[3] Chennault’s 14th Air Force targeted the refueling, staging and barracks area of the Hankow Airdrome, the B-24s scheduled to strike the airfield exactly 1 hour after the B-29 attack, catching the Japanese fighters refueling on the ground from fighting off the Superforts.
At the 308th’s bases around Kunming, each squadron’s aircraft thundered aloft. “Started engines 7:30. Taxi 7:43.”[4] The timing and tight schedule unraveled quickly as the large group of thirty-three B-24s struggled into formation. Nine craft from the 425th lifted off; planes no. 689, 823, 441, 240, 428, 1445, 292 235 and 491. The 374th put nine B-24s into the sky; nos. 691, 202, 832, 436, 680, 788, 442, 249, and 141. Eight more from the 373rd; nos. 316, 837, 289, 427, 301, 293, 448, and 443 converged above Luliang. “Assembled with group at 11,000 over Luliang on course as scheduled. Over Chihkiang at 10:45 but no fighters. Squadron leader 375, Swart, overshot the group formation when leader chopped power. Group started a left hand circle at Chiakyang. 375 sqd. made a turn to get back in formation. Second element was shaken off.”[5]
Loughridge and American Beauty faced difficulty assembling four squadrons into formation. “We flew to a homer (beacon) and circled until the other crews came up from the various airfields. We circled to the left, counter-clockwise. A few crews circled to the right (clockwise) and we flew the whole formation right through itself!”[6] Fevola watched in horror from his top turret. “I had the best seat in the house, like sitting on top of the world. I saw a Liberator coming straight in and closing fast. I reached for my throat mic to warn Ray, ‘There’s a plane heading straight for us!’ ‘I see him, I see him!’ Ray retorted. It got hairy quick!”[7]
“We were just forming up. Someone was going the wrong way around the circle and we were at the same level, the whole formation going head on at each other. To avoid the plane coming head on, we pushed our airplane vertical on our wing, tipped up almost ninety degrees in the other direction and held our breath. The other plane went screaming by-whooosh! Boy! We were floating there, straight up on our wing tip with a full bomb load and almost flipped over on our back! Then we leveled out of that. The good Lord was with us then. We ducked somehow, went between them I guess. I am sure the boys remember that, I do! Being vertical on the wing tip and standing on the rudder to bring the wing up, and just waiting.... Everything inside flopped about in a big squash. Then we had to find everybody again with the formation all scrambled up. That’s what we called good planning; those were the little things that happened.”[8]
Shaken by the close call and relieved by the quick reaction and skill of their young pilot, they raced to catch up. “Group changed its mind and did not complete left hand circle but turned right on course for Hankow leaving the 375th about 20 miles behind when we took out on course after them. 375 leader poured on the coal and was pulling 40 inches Hg and, 2400 RPM indicating 185-190 MPH. We were pulling 43 at 2400 indicating 195-200 MPH at 11,000 feet. Took an hour at this power setting to catch the group before they hit the IP. P-51’s and P-40’s appeared about one half hour out of IP. Caught the group formation, five planes of 375 did. Two turned back. Skaggs and Douma.”[9]
Pushing to catch the group after falling out of formation during the rendezvous confusion killed their engines. #269, Available, piloted by Lt. Douma burned out his #4 engine and #429, Lt. Skaggs’ Settin Pretty dropped temperature in #2 and lost manifold pressure on both the #2 and #3 engines. #249, (possibly Acme Beer Barrel) from the 374th, returned with similar failure. Two jettisoned their bombs into a small lake before landing. The third made a risky but successful landing with her full bomb load aboard.
The 30 remaining aircraft continued in chaotic fashion, American Beauty without her underbelly defenses. “After catching the formation we lowered the ball turret and test fired the guns but elec. system went out so it was useless.”[10] Fevola remembered the anxious moments. “Rocky got stuck in his turret and rode out the whole mission trapped inside; we couldn’t get him out. It wouldn’t move or retract and we didn’t want to land with him still in it. I hated the whole concept of that turret and don’t know how the hell Rocky went into it, I couldn’t have!. Finally, with our help, Mosier manually got the ball inside the plane to get Rocky out. What a relief!”[11]
Loughridge remained in formation. “375 leader pulled our sqd. Too close to lead sqd. whereby a 374 man, tail end Charlie was flying at the same alt(itude) and was putting prop wash in my position in the element. When the wing sqdns closed in over the target, I had no place to go but drop back and get squeezed into a little slot in the middle. Never worked so hard in formation in my life. Japs sent up a barrage of flak but was nowhere near us when we were over the target. On the break away we were jumped by three Jap fighters; all that were in the air as far as we could learn. One Tojo did a split 5 through the formation just in front of us. One more Jap fighter came through the formation and was shot down by a P-40.”[12]
Five Japanese fighters dove in to the formation, weaving between the bigger bombers. “A fighter plane came straight in! Real fast, Sheeeuuu! It peeled off under us and scared the hell out of me. He came straight in all by himself; I think it was a Tojo.”[13] Hayney and Fevola squeezed off a few quick bursts as the fighter sped past. Four Zekes and one Tojo flew several hot passes at the B-24s. Slicing through the formation from the front and above they closed to within a few hundred yards before breaking away as turret and waist gunners fired back at them. Liberator gunners expended 776 rounds of ammunition but claimed no hits.[14]
Forty-two P-51 and P-40 escort fighters overwhelmed the Japanese flyers. Bomber crews watched two Zekes spiraling in smoke and flame; shot down by pilots in the 311th Fighter Group’s stripe tailed Mustangs. The bulk of the area’s defensive fighters remained refueling on the ground.
Light anti-aircraft fire rose to the group’s altitude, although it appeared much heavier above them. A six-gun battery between the airfield and town fired on the B-29’s attacking earlier from 20,000 feet, and enemy gunners had short time to change detonation fuses to a lower altitude for the new threat posed by the Liberator’s arrival. The one-hour interval between the B-29 and B-24 attacks succeeded in keeping the fighters and heavy flak away from the 308th.
The disarrayed Liberator formation resolutely commenced their bomb run, coming on at a heading of thirty degrees from an altitude between 14,300 and 15,200 feet. With no clouds and visibility 6-8 miles, aircrews clearly saw dozens of Japanese aircraft refueling on the field. Despite their earlier difficulties, thirty virtually unmolested bombers brought 53 tons of high explosives above the wide-open refueling and staging area in the southeast corner of the Hankow Airdrome.
Unbelievably, the lead bombardier released early and flat out missed the Airdrome. Perhaps obscuring smoke drifting from the B-29 raids on the city or over-anxiousness at the tempting and easy target caused the error. Ordered to toggle on the leader, the rest of the group followed suit. All 958 of their 100 lb. M1A1 frag cluster bombs fell three to four thousand feet east and south of the airdrome. Collateral damage struck the barracks and administration area causing several fires and secondary explosions, but a clear opportunity to wipe out a large number of Japanese aircraft on the ground was lost.
From the nose of American Beauty, bombardier Riddle’s bomb release switches malfunctioned. “When Frankie first hit the switch they did not go right away, he went back and pulled a handle to manually release them. That was his job; I focused on holding formation and hoped everything went smoothly.”[15] American Beauty’s location near the rear of the formation and short delay from Riddle’s manual release, still did not land her load on the airdrome proper.
The rest of the force was more successful in striking a significant blow to their assigned targets. Ample evidence of destruction from the B-29s at the riverside dock and warehouse facilities existed from fires and smoke rising to 10,000 feet.[16] Twenty-four B-25s from two squadrons of the 341st Bomb Group; thirteen from the 11th and eleven from the 491st; well escorted by 32, 23rd fighter group P-51s, added to the carnage with bombs, machine guns and devastating 20mm cannon fire. The Mitchell’s and Mustangs left the Wuchung Airdrome littered with damaged buildings and aircraft and craters from low level strafing and bombing runs.[17] After providing cover for the B-24 formation over the target, the 311th Fighter Group’s Mustangs were set free to also reap low level 50 caliber havoc on the airdrome. They claimed 16 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air and on the ground, four probable kills and seven damaged enemy planes while losing one Mustang and its pilot.[18]
All Liberators arrived back safely at their bases eleven hours later. Riddle and Mosier reported American Beauty’s electrical problem to their ground crew mechanics.
Loughridge’s logbook conveyed the mission’s disappointing results. “Trip back was uneventful but gas was low. Landed at approx. 6:30. Got 11:05 hours on the mission and used 2200 gallons of gas, 50 gals less than the next lowest ship which was Taylor’s. PS. Big pilots meeting afterwards with ass chewing by Major Edney. Weather on mission over cast from first ridge out of Kunming to past Chiakyang. Target clear! Terminal clear! Wind 270 degrees 45 knots. Supposed to be the largest mission pulled by 14 Air Force. 30 B-24’s went over target. Col. Armstrong’s lead Bombardier missed the target! Over 200 Jap planes reported on field! Piss Poor!”[19]
[1] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log, December 18, 1944
[2] Maurer, Maurer, ed. Air Force Combat Units of World War II, Chartwell Books, Edison, NJ, 1961, reprinted, p. 96, p.318, p.337, p.343
[3] Glines, Carroll V., Chennault’s Forgotten Warriors: The Saga Of The 308th Bomb Group In China. Schiffer Military/Aviation History Publishing, Atglen, PA, 1995 p. 16
[4] Ibid.
[5] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log, December 18, 1944
[6] Loughridge, Raymond H., interview
[7] Fevola, Michael J., interview
[8] Loughridge, Raymond H., interview
[9] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log, December 18, 1944
[10] Ibid.
[11] Fevola, Michael J., interview
[12] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log, December 18, 1944
[13] Loughridge, Raymond H., interview
[14] Official records, microfilm reel 1341, frame 1598
[15] Ibid.
[16] Munday, Eric. USAAF Bomber Units: Pacific 1941-45Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 1977, reprint 2002. p.38
[17] Official records, microfilm reel 1341, frame 1598
[18] Rust, Ken C. and Muth, Stephen, Fourteenth Air Force Story, Sunshine House, Terre Haute, IN, 1990 p.31
[19] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log, December 18, 1944
Two weeks of in-action broke for the crew on January 14 for their first mission without American Beauty when the Group conducted its first major operation of the New Year. “After the loss of American Beauty, we were an ‘extra’ crew, flying someone else’s ship”.[1] They were assigned the oldest B-24 in the squadron, #584, Kings X, for an attack on Hankow, targeting the dock area not hit by B-29’s December 17. Loughridge detailed their objective. “Group was to bomb Hankow dock area which was a troop and supply embarkation. Only part left by B-29’s from the Dec. 17 raid. Start engines 9:00. Taxi at 9:15 and T.O. at 9:25 after 374. Assembly at 12,000 over Luliang in no. 3 position at 10:00 0‘clock. Pick up 40 P-40’s over Chihkiang at 16,000 ft. or, if overcast at Chihkiang, fighters would fly under overcast and meet us at Chengtu, south end of Tungting Lake. Drop on Group leader, heading 26 degrees. Length of run, 36 miles, alt. setting 30.42. Altitude 16,000 ft. and air speed 165 MPH. To fly group diamond to and from target, break away to right after bombs away to avoid large 4-gun AA battery north and 20 guns in City itself. 2 guns south, 4 guns east, 4 guns north and 20 guns in city proper, Bomb load, 12 M18 incendiaries, 500 LB clusters.”[2]
Twenty-seven planes took off between 0915 and 0945. Six aircraft from the 425th ascended from their base in Kunming while seven 373rd planes lifted from Luliang. Eight from the 374th and six from the 375th joined from Chengkung. Cosgrove flew #649 and Taylor flew 294, followed by Loughridge in Kings X, Swart in 118, Rose in 429 and Pancello in 569. They rendezvoused at the assembly point above Liliang. An unusual incident occurred to plane #622 from the 425th squadron when the front windshield blew out, forcing them to scrub the mission.
The remaining 26 Liberators led by the 425 squadron formed a group diamond, etching a tight mosaic pattern against the cold Chinese sky as they flew via Kweiyang, Chantgu, Chiakiang and then to the IP and target. Intelligence reported an increase in anti-aircraft battery strength defending the city, but the amount of fire was considerably less than anticipated. Still, the crews described it as accurate, medium intensity and heavy caliber.
Six planes sustained minor damage, 23% of the force. Three aircraft took hits in the engine nacelles and cowlings. #649, Innocent Infant, piloted by Lt. Cosgrove, caught a burst sending shrapnel tearing through the nose turret plexiglas, just missing the gunner. Plane #624 suffered damage to the camera hatch area and Loughridge’s Kings X received multiple hits to the #4 engine. “Mission actual, approximates mission as briefed. Fighters rendezvoused at Chengtu because of overcast from Luliang to south end of Tungting Lake. H2X ship leads to south end of lake straight. I took over from there. Went over target as briefed, no AA until a few seconds before bomb release. AA very heavy caliber, we got hit in cowling no. 4 engine, no damage done. Target was approximately 1/3 overcast. Mission fair.”[3]
Thirty-five P-40s and two P-51s provided fighter cover. Radio chatter from the American fighter pilots announced ten enemy planes approaching. The bombers’ gunners readied their weapons, but the friendlies’ protection kept the Japanese fighters away from the big birds. Loughridge praised the “little friends” as he and the crew watched with relief the advancing Oscars and Zeros falling to earth trailing smoke and flame. “Few Jap fighters in vicinity. Fighter cover perfect, not one Jap plane got to make a pass. P40’s sent them to join ancestors!”[4]
Thanks to the cover of the fighter squadron, the B-24s made a clean unmolested bomb run across Hankow. “A few fighters came up to attack us and never got close to the bombers. Escorts intercepted them before they reached us.”[5] Riddle toggled behind the lead ship and the group dropped a combined 73.5 tons of high explosives and incendiaries at 60-foot intervals in an effective pattern. 60% of the bombs reportedly struck the southern two-thirds of the intended impact zone. Secondary explosions and small fires burned during the turn toward home but the group leader recommended photo reconnaissance to confirm their success. The group returned safely to their fields by 2023 hours.
[1] Fevola, Michael J., interview
[2] Loughridge, Raymond H., pilot’s log January 14, 1945
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Fevola, Michael J., interview