379th BG, 524th Bomb Squadron, Kimbolton

1st mission Oct. 5, 1944 Target: Cologne synthetic oil plant Position: Lede group, right wing Altitude: 28000 ft, temp. -44C Escort: P-51, P-47 Bombs away: 11:25 on a visual target Bomb load: 12 five hundred pounders Flak: was pretty heavy and accurate, our ship came back with about 20 big holes in it Lost: one bomber and crew Results: moderate bombing Bomb run: 8 minutes Remarks: I was amazed the flak didn't rip us apart. Flak just black puffs today Ship #855
T/Sgt Donald C. Denney
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The 379th Bomb Group, 8th AAF Europe, flew its first 300 missions in less time than any other heavy Bombardment Group. During all of its 330 bombing missions it dropped 26,640 tons of bombs, shot down 315 enemy aircraft and lost 141 of its B-17s to enemy action. "Ol Gappy" a B-17G, flew 157 missions, more than any other bomber in the 8th. One record lists 345 Fortresses assigned to the 379th Bomb Group during World War II. More than 43% of those 345 Fortresses were lost to enemy fighters and flak. The 379th flew more sorties and dropped a greater bomb tonnage than any other Bomb Group in the 8th with a lower abort rate than any other Group in action from 1943.