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
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.