Robert N. McLean, Jr. Mission on June 16, 1944

June 16, 1944 – Friday

“Feather Merchant”

Mission #12 (13) Target – oil refinery at Bratislava in Czechoslovakia.  Takeoff 0550 Landing 1050 (500) total combat hours 5550.  Load 5000 lbs  Remarks

1)     No 2 engine sprung an oil leak and it had to be feathered.  After continuing in formation for a time, we were ordered to return.

2)     En route home, we prayed that we would encounter no enemy fighter or flak because our lone Liberator with one engine out is duck soup.

3)     Slight barrage of flak encountered over Yugoslav coast

4)     No fighters

5)     Bombs were all safetied and we were ordered to drop them into the Adriatic.  10 bombs salvoed – 5000 dollars wasted

6)     Good three engine landing made by Lt. Johnson.

7)     Casualties none

8)     Squadron lost one plane when a Ju-88 with a  dead pilot at the controls hit head on with a B-24.  Only one chute opened.

9)     Granted one mission because two thirds of our double mission was completed and carried out with great risk by our crew.  Now had 12 missions completed