William W. Roberts Mission December 29, 1944
Dec. 29, 1944--Bressanone Railroad Bridge, Northern Italy mountains.
ROUGHEST MISSION. Very accurate, heavy flak and came off target with following damage: Lost #1 engine. Gas leak in bomb bay. Navigation instruments shot out. Tail turret rendered inoperative. All compasses shot out. Old #47 took a beating that day, but Sawyer and Eldridge brought her home all alone. Went through terrific thunderstorm about 50 miles from home. Wrote Sparks up for DFC for his stopping gas leak in bomb bay WITH HIS BARE HANDS IN BELOW ZERO WEATHER. (He didn't get it.)
Waist gunners Rye and Rafferty got Purple Hearts for slight flak wounds in their backs. More than 50 holes in plane.
( Single)
The website 376bg.org is NOT our site nor is it our endowment fund.
At the 2017 reunion, the board approved the donation of our archives to the Briscoe Center for American History, located on the University of Texas - Austin campus.
Also, the board approved a $5,000 donation to add to Ed Clendenin's $20,000 donation in the memory of his father. Together, these funds begin an endowment for the preservation of the 376 archives.
Donate directly to the 376 Endowment
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Reunion
NOTE change in month !!!
DATES: Sep 18-21, 2025
CITY:Rapid City, SD
HOTEL:
Click here to read about the reunion details.
