| 340th BG Squadron Insignia |
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| 489th B.S. | ||||
| Click on the squadron insignia above for links to digitized squadron histories | ||||
February 15, 1944 Mission to Montecassino Abbey
| Squadron | War Diary |
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| 340th HQ Diary | The Benedictine abbey at Monte Cassino, which, inhabited for many weeks by German soldiers, and disastrously blocked the efforts of our ground troops to break through Cassino, was bombed today something like 16 formations of B-25's, B-17's and B-26's in the greatest concentrated aerial blitz of the war on so small an objective. Thus, regrettably, was destroyed one of the greatest cultural and religious shrines of Europe, venerable with 1400 years of fruitful progress in the arts of peace and the cultivation of spiritual values. Allied press headquarters in a special communique stated the German use of the shrine as a command post and observation point had already cost too many American and British lives and that if our forces were to get through to Cassino it would have to be eliminated. And thus the abbey perished. |
| 486th | Crews knew at breakfast their target for the day - the already publicized monastery at Montecassino. Twelve ships of the 486th took off at 1006 hours and were over the abbey at 1059. They dropped 36 1000 lb bombs, with a majority of them landing in or near the buildings, causing fires and explosions. The buildings were obscured by smoke, and photographs do not reveal much. Crews felt the abbey was finito. A/A was negligible and all planes returned safely.... |
| 487th | The Abbey on Monte Cassino, which the Germans were shrewdly using as a Fortress was the target for six of our ships today. The formation was over the target at 1059 hours, forming a good pattern and dropped their 23x1000 bombs with excellent results, although several bombs fell short of the target and landed on the slopes of the monastery. Several explosions and large fires were observed emitting from the building. Ack-ack was heavy, slight and inaccurate. All ships and crews returned safely to the base...... |
| 488th | Mission to Cassino Abbey which the Germans had converted into a fortress. Allies have been threatening for days to blast it if the Germans didn't move out "because it was costing the lives of so many Americans." Finally went at it today with B-17's, B-26's and '25s'. We had word later that the 321st and us working together had stolen the show from the '17s'. |
| 489th | No mention in diary. |
| The 321st Bombardment Group also Participated with 12 Aircraft |
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| The Benedictine abbey at Monte Cassino, which, inhabited for many weeks by German soldiers, and disastrously blocked the efforts of our ground troops to break through Cassino, was bombed today something like 16 formations of B-25's, B-17's and B-26's in the greatest concentrated aerial blitz of the war on so small an objective. Thus, regrettably, was destroyed one of the greatest cultural and religious shrines of Europe, venerable with 1400 years of fruitful progress in the arts of peace and the cultivation of spiritual values. Allied press headquarters in a special communique stated the German use of the shrine as a command post and observation point had already cost too many American and British lives and that if our forces were to get through to Cassino it would have to be eliminated. And thus the abbey perished. |
| Target in 1940 |
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| Target Under Attack |
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| Aftermath of Attack |
 Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2005-0004 / Wittke / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de |
| Target Today |
Crew Lists and Mission Reports
| Crew List 486th |
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| Not Available |
| Crew List 487th |
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| Crew List 488th |
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| Crew List 489th |
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| 340th BG Squadron Insignia |
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| 489th B.S. | ||||
| Click on the squadron insignia above for links to digitized squadron histories | ||||
