The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the 57th. Bomb Wing & Operation Bingo (11-1944/4-1945)-Dec. 31st, 2003

http://members.tripod.com/jkoppie/brenner.htm ^ | Frank B. Dean

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

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Flak Guns In The Brenner Pass

On 6, November 1944 the Germans were holding the high ridges in the Northern Apennine mountains they called THE GOTHIC LINE. This defense line ran through the mountain ranges that reached, almost unbroken, from La Spezia on the north west coast of Italy to the City of Rimini on the Adriactic. Near the center and behind the German lines was the important transportation center of Bologna. Rail lines bringing war supplies from Germany, were for the most part routed through the Brenner Pass. Other rail lines from Austria were further east and led south into Venice and then into Bologna. These were the two main transportation lines that fueled the German machines in Italy.

It was estimated that 24,000 tons of supplies was flowing to the German troops each day. That was five times the minimum daily requirements needed to support the German troops that were locked in a winter stalemate with our Allied forces.

On the 6th. of November 1944, Operation BINGO was put into effect. It's objective was to stop the flow of German goods coming to the fighting front by closing off the Brenner Pass. The four B-25 bomb groups belonging to the 57th. Bomb Wing were to carry the bulk of the load. Fighter bombers of the 12th. Air Force's Tactical Air Command and the Desert Air Force (British) would assist. Some help would come from B-17's and B-24's of the 15th. Air Force.


Bombs Away.
A load of white phosphorous bombs heading down toward the gun emplacements protecting the the Orr Bridge at Brenner Pass.
Photo courtesy of Dave Mershon, 487th.

It was estimated that if electrical power could be denied the electrical driven locomotives that were used on the steeper grades, it would force the Germans to use more inefficient steam locomotives that would require part of the transportation effort to supply coal for these trains and also pull locomotives and rolling stock from their present activities. If this could be accomplished, it was estimated that it could reduce the carrying capacity in the Brenner Pass to around 10,000 tons a day.

On 6 November, the B-25's struck targets in the Brenner; the electrical transformer stations between San Ambrogio - hit by the 310th., through Ala - hit by the 321st., and Trento - hit by the 340th. The targets were all hit and destroyed or damaged to the extent that electrical power was denied to trains as far north as Balzano. The 319th., newly changed from B-26's to B-25's, hit railroad bridges in the lower end of Brenner.



The defense of the pass fell to the 2nd. Fighter Group of the Italian Facist Republic Air Force. These were Italian pilots flying Me-109's with German markings. With only about 50 planes these would not be the most effective deterrent. The primary defense fell to the German 5th. and 127th. Flak Regiments that manned the 366 heavy, anti-aircraft guns that were stationed from Verona, in the south, to Innsbruk, in the north. By the end of that day more heavy guns moved in around Ala and Rovereto.

In addition to the German gunners there were still Italians fighting along with the Germans. However the batteries were manned independently by either Germans or the Italians. The Italian gunners used an Italian cannon coupled with the German Radar.


319th Bomb Group

The German's main defensive weapon was the 8.8cm. Fliegerabwehrkanone, shortened to Flak. The 88 fired a 9.24KG (20.34 pound) shell to over 49,000 feet. It was coupled with the KG 40 gun director and the 41D gun laying radar. The gun director was a mechanical calculator with a stereoscopic height finder incorporated, capable of predicting a rectilinear or curvilinear course. The radar was capable of furnishing present azimuth, angular height and radar range to the gun director. Usually the gun batteries used radar tracking for range and optical tracking for direction. In cases where clouds or smoke obscured the bomb formations, radar controlled or barrage firing was used although it was not considered as effective as visual sighting.



Other guns were used also. The Italians made 90mm cannon, with a range of 26,000 feet and their 102mm cannon that reached to 40,000 feet were used to guard the Brenner Pass targets. While the larger guns were require to reach high flying B-17's and B-24's, lighter guns such the German and Italian 37mm cannon would reach up to 15,000 feet and the Italian 75mm ranged to 27,000 feet, were all effective against our B-25 Bombers who rarely flew above 13,000 feet. This meant any gun from a 37mm up could reach the medium bombers altitude. From the reports of the combat crews - they all did.



As the attacks increase on the Brenner Pass, targets of rail and road bridges, tracks and fills, the amount of flak guns increased. Batteries were added as far north as Bressanone. On the 11th. of November a flight of B-25's had 18 aircraft holed and one crash due to flak damage. Of the 16 attacks made during November, 11 had drawn flak. Of 300 sorties 20 B-25's were holed and one B-25 crashed.

In December 69 more guns were moved into the Brenner Pass by the Germans, making a total of 435. Anti-flak operations became standard practice by the 57th. Fighter bombers dropping general purpose bombs and the bombers dropping 20 pound fragmentation bombs and twisted pieces of tin foil called Chaff or Window (to confuse the radar) were tried.


Returning from a mission. 7T, 7Z and other aircraft of the 487th peeling off to land. August 1944 Alesan, Corsican
Photo courtesy of Dave Komigsberg, 487th.

At the end of December the 319th. Bomb Group flew it's last mission, over Italy, and returned to the U.S. in January of 1945. This left the 310th., the 321st., and the 340th. Groups the only medium bombers in the theater.

[snippy_about_it]

Then I got my coffee and it was all better.

LOL. Your coffee deceives you... ;-)

[gatorbait]

SAM, they surely did,in fact, the 3 Free French Armored divisions were all Sherman equipped. The French Marine Corps Museum in Frejus makes no bones about their affection for their American brothers and obviously the WW2 types think pretty highly of the M 10 ,too.

[SAMWolf]

"It's a loathsome bat-webbed booger being." - - Calvin

No pics :-(

[SAMWolf]

LOL! It's Kodi!!

[SAMWolf]

Yep! One of the best tributes they could give Mauldin

[SAMWolf]

MMMM Cheese

Yeah, that too.

[Conspiracy Guy]

2004

We send greetings to you all,
At home or over there.
Our troops who fight for freedom,
Some thoughts we’d like to share.
You’re the bravest and the best,
We thank you every one.
We will pray that soon you’re back,
We’re proud of all you’ve done.
So stand up tall, stand up proud,
Your nation owes you all.
Happy New Year from us here,
We’re glad you heard the call.

Conspiracy Guy 12/31/03

[Darksheare]

"You are deceived by the Dark Side."
Uh oh.
I'm in trouble.

[Darksheare]

Darn!
"Goop Gorp! Gronk!" - booger being.

[snippy_about_it]

LOL! It's Kodi!!

Ha ha! That wasn't my first thought but now that you mention it you're right! Awwww. Kodi's a good boy.

[SAMWolf]

obviously the WW2 types think pretty highly of the M 10

Just fininshing up a thread on US Tank Destroyers that will cover the M-10. We equiped everyone, the Soviets entered Berlin wearing American boots, driving American trucks.

[snippy_about_it]

Hey there CG, nice poetry for our troops. Thanks for bringing it to the Foxhole.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Thanks. I'd like to say I don't think about them, but I don't like to lie.

[SAMWolf]

Time Magazine's cover for the Dec. 29- Jan. 5 issue shows three American military personnel representing the 'Anonymous American Soldier' chosen by Time to be the magazine's 2003 Person of the Year.

WASHINGTON - Time magazine named the American soldier its Person of the Year for 2003. The American soldier (read: Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard) has been my person of the year every year through four decades and three wars, beginning with Vietnam.

Largely unsung and unnoticed, the American soldier does the hard, dirty work of keeping freedom alive, year in and year out, in a world growing ever more violent and dangerous.

Soldiers put their lives on the line in places like Iraq, and Afghanistan, and Bosnia, and Kosovo, and the Sinai, to name just a few of the 120 places around the world where American soldiers stand between people bent on killing each other; where they teach the soldiers of other nations; and where they pursue the shadowy terrorists who would bring darkness to the world.

To those we owe so much we pay so little that the spouses and children of volunteer enlisted soldiers sometimes have no choice but to seek public welfare. They exist in shabby trailer parks on the outskirts of places like Fort Hood and Fort Riley and Fort Stewart while their loved ones soldier in some foreign country for months, if not years. We should be ashamed.

The Army has changed much in the four decades since I first marched into combat in Vietnam. Then the majority of soldiers were draftees, young men who hadn't made it into college and were called to two years' service by their hometown draft board.

They didn't ask to be called, but didn't run away to Canada or turn up for their draft physicals wearing pantyhose. They went when called and served where ordered, which meant in a hellish jungle war against a formidable foe.

They died by the thousands, were wounded by the hundreds of thousands. Those who made it home unscratched were by no means untouched. They carried the scars of witnessing brutal infantry combat at an age when they should have been home, dreaming of cars and girls. What a homecoming they received from a nation deeply divided over a war badly mismanaged by every president from Jack Kennedy to Jerry Ford.

But for their bravery and sacrifice I would not be here to write these poor words of praise for them. Ronald Reagan called Vietnam a "noble war." It was not. It was a mistake. But the soldiers sent to fight that war WERE noble. No one could explain to them why they were there or what they were fighting for, so they did the only thing they could: They fought for each other. Each other was all they had.

Their era ended with the war they fought. The draft went away 30 years ago and a volunteer force took their place. The first job would be to rebuild the Army, which was shattered by Vietnam, broken by indiscipline, drugs and racial conflict. Those soldiers and NCOs and officers stayed around to rebuild something they loved, and they labored for a decade and more to create a finely trained and armed force.

That Army, and those new soldiers, stunned the world with what they did in the Persian Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm. In just 100 hours of swift ground combat they routed the hapless Iraqis and liberated Kuwait. If they had been given an additional 48 hours they could have finished the job, finished Saddam Hussein, and that would have been that.

Before the last soldier made it home from that outing, the Army was being cut back from 12 divisions to 10. It is ever thus. So the force would shrink but also grow more lethal.

The American soldier deployed again and again: Mogadishu, Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq one more time. The politicians of both parties seem so much more willing to draw the sword these days.

The Army was whittled to only 480,000 great soldiers. Too few called on to do too much. The National Guard and Reserves had to fill in the gap every time America moved militarily.

I see them sometimes in my dreams, and they are always the same, these American soldiers: Young, gaunt, burdened like pack animals, homesick, wary, weary - and so proud to be serving their country.

They give so much and ask so little. The next time you see a man or woman in uniform just walk up, shake hands, and say: Thank you for your service.

And watch the tears come into their eyes.

JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Conspiracy Guy. Good Tribute.

[SAMWolf]

LOL! That wasn't my first thought either. ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

ROTFLOL!!

[Conspiracy Guy]

Thanks Sam. It is a policy of mine to thank active duty and veteran.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Thanks Sam.

[SAMWolf]

It is a policy of mine to thank active duty and veteran

Good Policy, I wish more people had it.