493rd BOMB GROUP COMBAT MISSIONS
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1944 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
1 | Flying B-24s, "Liberators" Lisieux, France |
JUNE 06 (D-Day!) |
6:35 | |
2* | Tours, France | 07 | 3:45 | Airfield |
3 | Nantes, France | 08 | 2:40 | |
4 | Flers, France | 11 | 5:55 | |
5* | Beauvais-Tille, France | 12 | 6:05 | Airfield |
6 | Laon-Athes, France | 14 | 6:30 | |
7* | Toussus-le-Noble, France | 15 | 6:35 | Airfield |
8 | Laval, France | 17 | 7:10 | |
9* | Misburg, Germany | 20 | 7:15 | Oil refinery |
10 | La Haye, France | 20 | 5:10 | |
11 | Etampes-Mondesir, France | 22 | 7:25 | |
12 | Coulommiers, France | 23 | 6:35 | |
13 | Orleans-Bracy, France | 24 | 6:00 | |
14 | St. Avold, France | 25 | 7:05 | |
15 | Romilly-Sur-Seine, France | 25 | 7:15 | |
16 | Melun, France | 28 | 5:10 | |
17 | Fallersleben, Germany | 29 | 7:20 | |
18 | Evreux-Fauville, France | 30 | 5:30 |
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1944 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
19 | Flying B-24s, "Liberators" L'Isle Adam, France |
JULY 06 |
4:50 | |
20 | Le Grande Valle, France | 08 | 5:35 | |
21* | Mont Gournay, France | 12 | 5:00 | V-1 [flying bomb] site |
22 | Foret de St. Saens, France | 12 | 5:30 | |
23 | Montdidier, France | 14 | 6:25 | |
24 | Coulanges-sur-Yonne | 17 | 8:10 | |
25 | Caen area, France | 18 | 5:15 | |
26 | Saarbrucken, Germany | 19 | 6:00 | |
27* | Russelsheim, Germany | 20 | 6:20 | V-1 [flying bomb] factory |
28 | Kempten (Duren), Germany | 21 | 6:15 | |
29* | Le Mesnil Eury | 24 | 6:25 | Ground support |
30* | St. Lo area, France | 25 | 6:25 | Ground support |
31 | St. Cicily-Wissant | 27 | 4:20 | |
32* | Brussels, Belgium | 28 | 5:20 | Oil storage |
33* | Juvincourt, France | 29 | 6:00 | Airfield |
34 | Creil, France | 31 | 6:40 |
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1944 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
35* | Flying B-24 "Liberators" Quincampoix, France |
AUGUST 01 |
6:00 | V-1 [flying bomb] site |
36 | Mont Cauvaire, France | 02 | 6:00 | |
36a | St. Gorges-sur-Fontaine, France | 02 | 6:00 | |
37 | Ghent, Belgium
Brussels, Belgium |
03 | 4:40 | |
38* | Hemingstedt, Germany | 04 | 6:10 | Oil refinery |
39 | Halberstadt, Germany | 05 | 6:50 | |
40 | Mont Cauvaire, France | 06 | 5:45 | |
41 | Andenne/Givet, Belgium | 07 | 5:40 | |
42 | St. Gorges-sur-Fontaine, France |
08 | 6:00 | |
43* | St. Florentin, France | 10 | 7:00 | Oil storage |
44 | Toussus-le-Noble, France | 11 | 6:00 | |
45 | Seine River area, France | 13 | 6:00 | |
46* | Angouleme, France | 14 | 7:00 | Railroad yard |
47 | Florennes, Belgium | 15 | 4:40 | |
48 | Halberstadt, Germany | 16 | 6:40 | |
49 | Roye/Amy, France | 18 | 6:10 | |
50 | Kiel, Germany | 24 | 5:45 |
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1944 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
51 | Flying B-17s, "Flying Fortresses"
Mainz, Germany |
SEPTEMBER 08 |
7:10 | |
52 | Dusseldorf, Germany | 09 | 7:00 | |
53 | Furth-Darmstadt, Germany | 10 | 7:40 | |
54 | Fulda, Germany | 11 | 8:10 | |
55* | Magdeburg, Germany | 12 | 7:15 | Ordnance factory |
56 | Ludwigshafen, Germany | 13 | 7:10 | |
57 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 17 | 5:20 | |
58 | Darmstadt-Limburg, Germany | 19 | 7:20 | |
59 | Kassel, Germany | 22 | 6:45 | |
60 | Strasbourg, France | 25 | 6:35 | |
61* | Bremen, Germany | 26 | 7:25 | Tank factory |
62 | Ludwigshafen, Germany | 27 | 7:10 | |
63 | Bielfeld, Germany | 30 | 6:30 |
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1944 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
64 | Flying B-17s, "Flying Fortresses"
Kassel, Germany |
OCTOBER 02 |
7:40 | |
65* | Nuremberg, Germany | 03 | 8:20 | Ordnance factory |
66 | Munster, Germany | 05 | 5:45 | |
67 | Merseburg, Germany | 07 | 8:00 | |
68 | Gustavsburg, Germany | 09 | 6:30 | |
69 | Cologne, Germany | 14 | 7:00 | |
70 | Cologne, Germany | 15 | 6:50 | |
71* | Cologne, Germany | 17 | 6:30 | Railroad yard |
72 | Kassel, Germany | 18 | 7:00 | |
73 | Mannheim, Germany | 19 | 6:40 | |
74 | Munster, Germany | 22 | 5:50 | |
75 | Hamburg. Germany | 25 | 7:30 | |
76* | Merseburg, Germany | 30 | 4:00 | Recalled |
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1944 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
77 | Flying B-17s, "Flying Fortresses"
Merseburg, Germany |
NOVEMBER 02 |
7:25 | |
78* | Hamburg, Germany | 04 | 7:35 | Oil refinery |
79 | Ludwigshafen, Germany | 05 | 7:00 | |
80* | Neumunster, Germany | 06 | 7:15 | Railroad yard |
81 | Koblenz, Germany | 11 | 6:20 | |
82* | Duren, Germany | 16 | 6:50 | Ground support |
83 | Koblenz, Germany | 20 | 4:50 | Recalled |
84 | Merseburg, Germany | 21 | 6:30 | |
85 | Merseburg, Germany | 25 | 8:15 | |
86* | Paderborn, Germany | 26 | 5:55 | Railroad yard |
87 | Hamm, Germany | 29 | 5:55 | |
88 | Merseburg, Germany | 30 | 8:00 |
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1944 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
89 | Flying B-17s, "Flying Fortresses"
Giessen, Germany |
DECEMBER 04 |
7:15 | |
90* | Merseburg, Germany | 06 | 7:30 | Oil refinery |
91 | Giessen, Germany | 11 | 6:50 | |
92 | Darmstadt, Germany | 12 | 7:10 | |
93 | Hannover, Germany | 15 | 6:30 | |
94* | Hamburg, Germany | 23 | 6:05 | Oil refinery |
95 | Frankfort, Germany | 24 | 8:40 | |
95 | Darmstadt, Germany | 24 | 8:40 | |
96* | Ahrweiler, Germany | 25 | 5:20 | Railroad tunnel |
97 | Irlich (Koblenz), Germany | 27 | 5:50 | |
98 | Neuwied, Germany | 28 | 6:15 | |
99 | Frankfort, Germany | 29 | 7:10 | |
100* | Kassel, Germany | 30 | 7:00 | Railroad yard |
100a | Misburg, Germany | 31 | 7:50 |
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1945 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
100b* | Flying B-17s, "Flying Fortresses"
Bad Kreuznach, Germany |
JANUARY 02 |
7:40 | Railroad yard |
100c | Paderborn, Germany | 07 | 6:15 | |
100d* | Cologne, Germany | 10 | 6:20 | Railroad bridge |
101* | Bischofsheim, Germany | 13 | 6:25 | Railroad yard |
102 | Derben, Germany | 14 | 8:05 | |
103 | Augsburg, Germany | 15 | 8:25 | |
104 | Bitterfeld, Germany | 16 | 9:10 | |
105 | Mannheim, Germany | 21 | 7:40 | |
106 | Neuss, Germany | 23 | 5:00 | |
107 | Hohenbudberg, Germany | 28 | 5:30 | |
108 | Kassel, Germany | 29 | 6:20 |
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1945 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
109 | Flying B-17s, "Flying Fortresses"
Berlin, Germany |
FEBRUARY 03 |
8:05 | |
110 | Chemnitz, Germany | 06 | 8:40 | |
111 | Munster, Germany | 09 | 7:00 | |
112 | Chemnitz, Germany | 14 | 8:10 | |
113 | Cottbus, Germany | 15 | 8:40 | |
114 | Rheine, Germany | 19 | 5:15 | |
115 | Nuremberg, Germany | 20 | 8:25 | |
116 | Nuremberg, Germany | 21 | 7:50 | |
117 | Bamburg, Germany | 22 | 9:20 | |
118 | Kitzingen, Germany | 23 | 8:10 | |
119 | Munich, Germany | 25 | 8:25 | |
120 | Berlin, Germany | 26 | 8:20 | |
121 | Leipzig, Germany | 27 | 8:00 | |
122 | Kassel, Germany | 28 | 6:50 |
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1945 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
123 | Flying B-17s, "Flying Fortresses"
Ulm, Germany |
MARCH 01 |
8:00 | |
124 | Steinhagen, Germany | 03 | 7:00 | |
125 | Nuremberg, Germany | 04 | 6:20 | Recalled |
126 | Datteln, Germany | 07 | 7:15 | |
127 | Dortmund, Germany | 08 | 7:35 | |
128 | Soest, Germany | 10 | 6:50 | |
129 | Hamburg, Germany | 11 | 6:40 | |
130 | Siegen, Germany | 12 | 6:35 | |
131 | Misburg, Germany | 14 | 6:45 | |
132 | Oranienburg, Germany | 15 | 7:30 | |
133 | Bitterfeld, Germany | 17 | 9:10 | |
134 | Berlin, Germany | 18 | 7:30 | |
135 | Jena-Fulda, Germany | 19 | 8:45 | |
136 | Bad Zwischenan, Germany | 21 | 5:50 | |
137 | Dusseldorf, Germany | 22 | 5:50 | |
138 | Giesecke, Germany | 23 | 6:30 | |
139 | Varel, Germany | 24 | 6:00 | |
140 | Hannover, Germany | 28 | 7:15 | |
141 | Hamburg, Germany | 30 | 6:50 | |
142 | Brandenburg, Germany | 31 | 8:25 |
Mission Number |
Target | Date 1945 |
Flying Time | Target Type |
143 | Flying B-17s, "Flying Fortresses"
Kiel, Germany |
APRIL 03 |
6:50 | |
144 | Kiel, Germany | 04 | 6:50 | |
145 | Unterschlauerbach, Germany | 05 | 7:50 | |
146 | Gustrow, Germany | 07 | 8:10 | |
147 | Grafenwohr, Germany | 08 | 8:30 | |
148 | Schleissein, Germany | 09 | 8:15 | |
149 | Neuruppin, Germany | 10 | 7:55 | |
150 | Ingolstadt, Germany | 11 | 8:00 | |
151 | Royan, France | 14 | 7:45 | |
152 | Royan, France | 15 | 8:30 | |
153 | Rochefort, France | 16 | 6:55 | |
154 | Roudnice, Czechoslovakia | 17 | 8:45 | |
155 | Kolin, Czechoslovakia | 18 | 9:40 | |
156 | Auszig, Czechoslovakia | 19 | 8:45 | |
157 | Nauen, Germany | 20 | 7:30 |
493rd Group Food Missions to The Netherlands May 1945
38 Aircraft Rotterdam 1 May;
flying time of 3:45
40 A/C Haarlem
2 May; flying time of 3:30
38 A/C Amsterdam
3 May; flying time of 2:45
40 A/C Amsterdam 5
May; flying time of 3:00
40 A/C Amsterdam
6 May; flying time of 2:55
39 A/C Amsterdam
7 May; flying time of 3:05
NOTES: The list of combat missions of the 493rd Bomb Group was compiled by John F. Conway in August 1993 and reprinted with modifications in the Autumn 1994 issue of the 493rd Bombardment Group Memorial Association's Briefing Notes (vol. 6, no. 3). The spelling of geographic names of targets has been standardized, where feasible, according to American atlas usage.
Missions shown as "Recalled" (because of weather over England) were credited combat sorties, because the Group had crossed enemy lines and were subjected to antiaircraft fire.
*The asterisk-marked mission numbers denote the missions flown by our crew. As General Arnold observed, the concerns of a combat airman are apt to be "personal". For mission 86 "Paderborn" replaces the official "Bielfeld" as the target, because according to notes I made at the time, that is where our squadron went. The descriptions of the target types are also from my 1944-45 notes.
The 493rd's nickname is said to be "Helton's Hellcats", a name I never heard overseas. Most likely the name was first applied to the Group's baseball or football team. No disrespect is meant to our first commanding officer, Colonel (later Major General) Elbert Helton, but I'd not describe myself as one of his "hellcats". Bombing from B-17s and B-24s seldom called for the hellcat type of airman.