Kenneth DeLong Mission December 28, 1942

MISSION #29 

DATE Sun. 12/27-Tues. 12/22

COMBAT FLYING HOURS 17:55 (Total tour 308:30)

TARGET Sousse, Tunisia HOME BASE Abu Sueir, Egypt

BRIEFING 1230 TAKE OFF 1345 LANDING 1700 (Gambut 12/27)

               0800 TAKE OFF 1120 LANDING 2245 ( “             12/28)

                        TAKE OFF 0925 LANDING 1205 (Abu Sueir 12/29)

CREW CAPT. T. D. Brown PLANE NO. #53 "Poison Ivy"

BOMB LOAD 9-500 lb TARGET TIME not shown BOMBING ALT. 19000'

NO. OF PLANES 9-B24's (ours) & 12 (98th Bomb Group)

BOMBING RESULTS--saw hits on oil tanker and docks ... large fires and great clouds of black smoke. We flew lead ship, 3rd element.

ENEMY ACTION--Very heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire. Saw 5 fighters attack 98th planes. One B-24 actually out-ran 3 fighters.

Several 98th planes were badly shot up, but all planes returned to base. Saw 98th shoot down at least one fighter .... saw pilot bail out. Our problem was anti-aircraft. Several ships were hit. Capt. Edmonds in #48 was killed.

OTHER REMARKS--Capt. Brown got special approval for me to fly this mission (I still was officially grounded). We slept in a tent at Landing Ground 139 Sunday night. Used lots of blankets to fight off the cold. Up at 0700 Monday for stand-Up breakfast in mess tent.