340th Bomb Group History

340th Bombardment Group History

340th BG Patch

340th BG Squadron Insignia
	486th B.S.	487th B.S.	488th B.S.	489th B.S.
	Click on the squadron insignia above for links to digitized squadron histories

November 15, 1943 Mission to Kalamaki Aerodrome, Greece

Squadron War Diary

340th HQ Diary There was excitement to burn around group operations office this afternoon. We finally got to Greece today, going out with the 321st to bomb Kalamaki airdrome, Athens. Bad weather forced the 321st to turn back, but our 48 ships went on and hit the runway intersection with demolition bombs and the dispersal areas with fragmentation bombs. It was a marvelous job. Captain Fred C. Eggers of Glendale, Calif., our group photo interpreter, said the raid without a doubt was our most effective operation. The pictures showed destructive precision pattern-bombing at its best. Coming home from the target the fliers had to buck a strong headwind and very nearly came to grief for lack of gas. About five ships landed on fields closer to the coast than our own in order to refuel. 2nd Lt. Charles Barnett of the 489th ran out of gas as he hit the coast, so he feathered one propeller. On his final approach the other engine sputtered out, but by cool, excellent work brought the ship in on a mile long glide with little or no power. 2nd Lt. Hampton of the 489th almost did the same thing, coming with a feathered prop the last few miles. Well, the boys finally go to Greece.

486th Not assigned to this mission

487th Today's raid was most successful. 48 planes of the 340th, including 12 for the 487th Squadron, took off at 1010 hours to bomb the Athens/Kalamaki Airdrome. 487th was tail-end Charley, and carried 500 pound bombs. All the other ships carried frag bombs. They were to beat the 321st, which turned back, either because of weather or because they figured the trip was too long for their gas supply. The 340th went on. The first box of the 487th covered the east-west runway in close concentration, crossing the intersection with the north-south runway.

One element of the second box hit the north-south runway at about its middle point, while the second element of the box hit it farther down. Direct hits can be observed. The frag bombs were extremely well placed in the dispersal areas. A reconnaissance photo taken yesterday shows two hangers, but our photos show only one, the other having vanished in smoke.

Col. Tokaz is well pleased, and estimates that at least 30 planes were destroyed on the ground. These were the bombers harassing the British troops attempting to hold the island of Leros, and other islands in the Aegean. All of our planes returned safely, reporting that ack-ack was not intense, and that the few fighters which arose to intercept were taken care of by the P-38 escort. It was a long trip, and gas got low. Two planes stopped at Lecce for more gas. Suggestion for the next war: That a good gas gauge be invented...

488th Same target (Tatoi) as on the 13th. Was changed at last minute to Kalamaki A/D, Athens. Olson, Stauffer, Sanviti, Lester and Downham got their orders for home. Mission had a heavy headwind all the way back and we sweated out the ships at operations. Two just landed on the runway as the engines used the last of the gas and four ships of other squqdrons did not get back. One believed in trouble, but the others thought to be in friendly territory.

489th Kalamaki A/D, Athens. Thirteen planes from this squadron and forty-eight in all from the Group, with each plane carrying twelve clusters (6 x 20 pounds each). The 321st, which led our Group, turned back, whereas our squadron and the Group achieved sensational results. Each squadron had its own objective and our squadron dropped its bombs on the dispersal area. Many enemy planes were destroyed on the Ground and the photographs taken on the mission bore out the observations made by the crews. Lt. David and Sgt. Schurig completed their 50th mission.

This raid should have placed this Group in the "Big Time."

Target in 1943

Target Today

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Squadron	War Diary
340th HQ Diary	There was excitement to burn around group operations office this afternoon. We finally got to Greece today, going out with the 321st to bomb Kalamaki airdrome, Athens. Bad weather forced the 321st to turn back, but our 48 ships went on and hit the runway intersection with demolition bombs and the dispersal areas with fragmentation bombs. It was a marvelous job. Captain Fred C. Eggers of Glendale, Calif., our group photo interpreter, said the raid without a doubt was our most effective operation. The pictures showed destructive precision pattern-bombing at its best. Coming home from the target the fliers had to buck a strong headwind and very nearly came to grief for lack of gas. About five ships landed on fields closer to the coast than our own in order to refuel. 2nd Lt. Charles Barnett of the 489th ran out of gas as he hit the coast, so he feathered one propeller. On his final approach the other engine sputtered out, but by cool, excellent work brought the ship in on a mile long glide with little or no power. 2nd Lt. Hampton of the 489th almost did the same thing, coming with a feathered prop the last few miles. Well, the boys finally go to Greece.
486th	Not assigned to this mission
487th	Today's raid was most successful. 48 planes of the 340th, including 12 for the 487th Squadron, took off at 1010 hours to bomb the Athens/Kalamaki Airdrome. 487th was tail-end Charley, and carried 500 pound bombs. All the other ships carried frag bombs. They were to beat the 321st, which turned back, either because of weather or because they figured the trip was too long for their gas supply. The 340th went on. The first box of the 487th covered the east-west runway in close concentration, crossing the intersection with the north-south runway. One element of the second box hit the north-south runway at about its middle point, while the second element of the box hit it farther down. Direct hits can be observed. The frag bombs were extremely well placed in the dispersal areas. A reconnaissance photo taken yesterday shows two hangers, but our photos show only one, the other having vanished in smoke. Col. Tokaz is well pleased, and estimates that at least 30 planes were destroyed on the ground. These were the bombers harassing the British troops attempting to hold the island of Leros, and other islands in the Aegean. All of our planes returned safely, reporting that ack-ack was not intense, and that the few fighters which arose to intercept were taken care of by the P-38 escort. It was a long trip, and gas got low. Two planes stopped at Lecce for more gas. Suggestion for the next war: That a good gas gauge be invented...
488th	Same target (Tatoi) as on the 13th. Was changed at last minute to Kalamaki A/D, Athens. Olson, Stauffer, Sanviti, Lester and Downham got their orders for home. Mission had a heavy headwind all the way back and we sweated out the ships at operations. Two just landed on the runway as the engines used the last of the gas and four ships of other squqdrons did not get back. One believed in trouble, but the others thought to be in friendly territory.
489th	Kalamaki A/D, Athens. Thirteen planes from this squadron and forty-eight in all from the Group, with each plane carrying twelve clusters (6 x 20 pounds each). The 321st, which led our Group, turned back, whereas our squadron and the Group achieved sensational results. Each squadron had its own objective and our squadron dropped its bombs on the dispersal area. Many enemy planes were destroyed on the Ground and the photographs taken on the mission bore out the observations made by the crews. Lt. David and Sgt. Schurig completed their 50th mission. This raid should have placed this Group in the "Big Time."

Crew Lists and Mission Reports

Crew List 487th

Crew List 488th

340th BG Squadron Insignia
	486th B.S.	487th B.S.	488th B.S.	489th B.S.
	Click on the squadron insignia above for links to digitized squadron histories