| 340th BG Squadron Insignia |
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| 489th B.S. | ||||
| Click on the squadron insignia above for links to digitized squadron histories | ||||
August 8, 1944 Mission to Avignon Railroad Bridge
| Squadron | War Diary |
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| 486th | Early morning mission against S. France. Bombing was good and Sqdn again received 100% accuracy. |
| 487th | Not assigned to this mission. |
| 488th | Losses in action: officers and men. (1) Avignon rail bridge, France. (a) Killed 1st Lt. Burrhus, James C., Jr. 2nd Lt. Yellon, Alvin H. (b) Wounded 2nd Lt. Coe, Bennie H., Jr. 2nd Lt. Koerner, Frederick C. (c) Missing S/Sgt. Wheeler, James F. Sgt. Reynolds, James D. |
| 489th | The target was the railroad bridge across the Rhone River near the city of Avignon. All bursts were on or near the north end of the bridge. No photos reveal the damage done. Three ships preceded the main formation with chaff and fragmentation bombs. The frags were dropped to the north of the bridge and in the city. Over the target a 488th plane was hit by flak and went down flaming. Five chutes were seen to open. |
| Target in 1944 |
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| Target Today |
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Crew Lists and Mission Reports
| Crew List 486th |
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| On the crew list for the 488th Bomb Squadron below, the bombardier in plane 8W is listed as 2nd Lt. J. Heller. This is Joseph Heller, the author of the novel Catch-22. |
| 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 | ||||
