391st BOMB GROUP CREW LISTS

TAXI SHEETS

When I decided to include some “taxi sheets” in the original report, I had only a few and thought that I would put them in for illustrative purposes. Now, I believe that Dave Garnham and I have around 100, and we are including quite a few of them plus a list of all that we have showing donors. One might question whether it is appropriate to include so many, but they are not presented elsewhere, so why not here? Dave Garnham has done a magnificent job of typing them, adding mission notes, correcting typos, researching inconsistencies, etc. As the taxi sheets do not scan very well, each needs to be typed, which is very time-consuming. As I said, I had included some taxi sheets in the original printed report, and I must correct a gross error in the original report. Dave brought to my attention that what I had thought was the Clarion taxi sheet was actually the taxi sheet for Mission #265 on 22 Mar 45, so if you see a reference to the Clarion taxi sheet, I have overlooked it in error.

In looking at these new taxi sheets from Dave, I found a couple of things that completely confused me until Dave straightened me out. I noticed that there were many Captains and many of the pilots were not in my database. Fortunately, Dave was able to explain the situation to me. Apparently, when the 391st first began operations, a number of experienced pilots and crews (89 officers and 97 enlisted men from the 322nd, 323rd, 386th, and 387th) were assigned temporarily to fly with the group and help it get a good start in combat operations. This explanation undoubtedly accounts for the large number of Captains and the new names. I did not arrive until September, 1944, and so had no first-hand knowledge of this.

We should remember that there is a crew associated with each pilot and airplane on a taxi sheet. If pilot Jones flew a mission, his crew flew with him unless there was some very good reason for the crew or an individual not to do so. Having these taxi sheets included may help someone to reconstruct a crewman’s combat history.

Immediately following and before the first taxi sheet, there is a list of all of the taxi sheets that we have (not all are included yet), showing the donor of each taxi sheet. The mission date comes from the taxi sheet itself, but for the mission number and target, we are indebted to several sources, including Hugh Walker’s softback history.

The taxi sheets show the pilot (and usually the bombardier for lead aircraft), partial aircraft number and opcode, parking location, and formation position for the specified missions. The reader may ask, “Why are these called Taxi Sheets?” The proper takeoff and join-up of 36 or 54 aircraft demanded strict adherence to procedure. A pilot, knowing the procedure and knowing where the various airplanes were parked, could determine from the taxi sheet which airplane he must follow onto the taxiway and which airplane(s) he must let onto the taxiway ahead of his airplane in order to be in proper sequence for takeoff.

A taxi sheet shows the pilots’ names and the aircraft alignment by Box and Flight. A normal mission consisted of 36 aircraft arrayed in two Boxes of 18 aircraft each. A Box consisted of three flights of 6 ships each: a Lead Flight, a High Flight (on the right), and a Low Flight (on the left). Normally, a flight consisted of airplanes and crews from one squadron, but there were rare exceptions. You will note that the normal arrangement, before moving to France, was for each Box to be manned by one squadron; after moving to France, the arrangement was for one squadron to man the lead and high flights of the 1st Box; a second squadron manned the lead and high flights of the 2nd Box; and a third squadron manned the low flights of both boxes. Under the ops rotation scheme implemented in France (described earlier), one squadron was off ops at any time for two days, as was the 572nd on Dec 23, 1944, the day of the Ahrweiler mission.

A “Maximum Effort” mission included a third Box and thus numbered 54 aircraft.

A “Pathfinder” mission usually consisted of 30 aircraft, as the lead flights had only 3 aircraft each.

I have indicated the squadron for each flight by putting the squadron number after the lead pilot’s name.

I believe that the effects of the Ahrweiler mission were felt for months, with the three affected squadrons short of qualified crews and lead crews. As an example, refer to the taxi sheet for Mission 245 on 4 March 1945. Chatellier of the 572nd led the low flight of the 1st Box; the other five aircrews in the flight were from the 574th. Richmond, in the slot position, was a Major, but only recently arrived. Transition to the A-26 may have further complicated scheduling.

Unfortunately, some of the taxi sheets were very difficult to read in spots. For example, I was unable to identify the pilot flying No. 5 position in the 2nd box, High Flight, of the Bitburg mission, #206, on 25 Dec 44.

The taxi sheets prepared by Dave Garnham are somewhat different in appearance from mine. Dave’s taxi sheets begin with Mission No. 4, and continue through Mission No. 137. Because the taxi sheet file had become so large, I have broken it up into three files, 1st half of 1944, second half of 1944, and 1945.

LIST OF AVAILABLE TAXI SHEETS AND DONORS

DATE	MISSION #	TARGET	DONOR/SOURCE
04/28/44	40	Creil, France Marshalling Yard	Holliday
04/29/44		Mission not flown	Holliday
05/01/44	43	Douai, France, Marshalling Yard	Mynn/Ethel Bush
05/01/44	44	Valenciennes, Marshalling Yard	Mynn/Ethel Bush
05/02/44	45	Valenciennes, Marshalling Yard	Holliday
05/07/44	47	Mezieres/Charleville, Marshalling Yard	Holliday
05/07/44	48	LeMans, A/C Repair plant	Holliday
05/10/44	53	Mons, Belgium, Marshalling Yard	Holliday
05/10/44	54	Douai, France, Marshalling Yard	Holliday
05/15/44	60	Evreux/Fauville airdrome	Holliday
05/19/44	61	Fecamp area, Coastal Defenses	Holliday
05/22/44	65	Beaumont Le Roger Airdrome	Holliday
05/26/44	70	Poissy bridge near Paris	Holliday
05/27/44	71	St Pierre du Vivray RR bridge	Holliday
05/27/44	72	Maison Lafitte bridge	Holliday
05/30/44	77	Nantes-Gassicourt bridge	Holliday
05/31/44	78	Courelles-sur-Seine bridge	Holliday
06/03/44	81	Mont Fleury, Coastal Defense Battery	Holliday
06/04/44	82	Gravelines, Coastal Defense Battery	Mynn/Ethel Bush
06/06/44	84	Benerville, St Pierre du Mont, Maisy	Holliday
06/07/44	86	Aigremont, coastal defense	Holliday
06/07/44	87	Briouze, RR sidings	Holliday
06/08/44	88	Valognes, RR Junction	Walker
06/10/44	90	La Pernelle, Nav beam sta & Aigremont, CD	Holliday
06/11/44	92	Nantes-Gassicourt bridge	Holliday
06/12/44	93	Granville, coastal defense guns	Holliday
06/14/44	96	Gallardons Pont, RR junction & sidings	Holliday
06/18/44	99	Foret d'Andaine, Fuel/Ammo Dump	Mynn/Ethel Bush
06/18/44		Not flown	Holliday
06/20/44	100	Predefin, V-1 Site	Walker, Holliday
06/21/44	101	Le Grismont, V-1 Site	Holliday
06/21/44	102	Erny/St Julien, V-1 Site	Mynn/Ethel Bush
06/23/44		No mission this date	Mynn/Ethel Bush
07/05/44	108	Senonches, Fuel/Ammo Dump	Mynn/Ethel Bush
07/06/44	109	Mainentenon, viaduct	Holliday
07/23/44	120	Foret de Conches, Fuel dump	Holliday
07/24/44	121	Laval, RR embankment & viaduct	Holliday
07/25/44	122	Eastern sector, Normandy, close air supt	Holliday
07/26/44	123	Maragay (no attack, wx)	Holliday
07/28/44	124	Grosley-sur-Rusle, RR bridge & embankment	Holliday
07/31/44	127	Nantes, RR bridge	Holliday
08/01/44	128	Bourth, RR bridge & embankment	Holliday
08/05/44	131	Le Mans RR bridge	Holliday
08/06/44	133	Courtalan, RR bridge	Holliday
08/08/44	137	Anizy Le Chateau, RR bridge	Holliday
08/08/44	138	Perrone, RR bridge	Holliday
08/10/44	139	Anizy Le Chateau, RR bridge	Holliday
08/13/44	143	Lisieux, Road choke points	Holliday
08/13/44	144	Cherisy, RR bridge	Holliday
08/14/44	145	Mezieres, RR junction	Holliday
08/17/44	149	Massandras, Road bridge	Holliday
08/18/44	150	Valenton, Fuel depot	Holliday
08/24/44	154	Vucy les Pierrpoint, Fuel Depot	Bischoff
08/30/44	155	Garrison near St. Malo	Bischoff
09/03/44	158	Brest, Fort Questal gun positions	Holliday
09/05/44	159	Ostend, Dunkirk, Calais, others, Leaflet drops	Holliday
09/06/44	161	Brest, Strong points; Grnd Gouin def btry	Holliday
09/06/44	162	Brest, Strong points	Holliday
09/09/44		Not flown Brest	Bischoff/Holliday
09/10/44	163	Custines & Pompey, Close air support	Holliday
09/11/44	164	Brest, Gun emplacements	Holliday
09/12/44	165	Scheid (first msn into Germany)	Bischoff
09/12/44	166	Chaligney, Artillery & Obs. Post	Bischoff
09/14/44	167	Brest, Camaret, Crozon, Strong points	Holliday
09/16/44	168	Bath, Holland	Bischoff
09/23/44	170	Duren, Germany	Bischoff
09/27/44	171	Foret de Parroy, No attack, wx	Holliday
09/29/44	172	Saarbrucken (Webenheim)	Bischoff
10/02/44	173	Ubach, Germany	Bischoff
10/06/44		Not flown	Holliday
10/07/44	175	Euskirchen, Supply Depot	Bischoff
10/12/44	177	Gravenbeuch, 3-span RR bridge	Holliday
10/14/44		No mission this date*	Bischoff/Holliday
11/02/44	181	Bullay, RR bridge	Holliday
11/03/44	182	Morschied, RR Bridge	Bischoff
11/05/44	?	Unknown; not flown	Sink
11/11/44	185	Euskirchen, RR Bridge	Bischoff
11/19/44	188	Sinzig, RR Bridge	Bischoff
11/29/44	192	Elsburg, Germany	Bischoff
12/05/44	196	Oberzier, Germany	Bischoff
12/09/44	197	Barracks, Baumholder	Bischoff
12/10/44	198	Huchem, defended village	Bischoff
12/15/44	202	Harperscheid, defended village	Bischoff
12/23/44	203	Ahrweiler, RR Bridge	Walker
12/23/44	204	Neuerburg, defended village	Mazurk, Bischoff
12/24/44	205	Konz Karthaus, RR Bridge	Bischoff
12/25/44	206	Bitburg	Main, Bischoff
12/25/44	207	Taben	Main
12/26/44	208	Badmunster, RR Bridge	Bischoff
01/01/45	209	Salm Chateau	Main
01/14/45	210	Bridge, Bullay	Bischoff
01/22/45	212	Supply Center, Gerolstein	Bischoff
01/28/45	214	Eller, RR Bridge	Mazurk
01/29/45	215	Blankenheim, Supply & Comm. Cntr	Bischoff
01/31/45		No mission this date	Philips
02/06/45	219	Berg/Gladbach, motor transport	Bischoff
02/10/45	223	Berg/Gladbach,Panzer spares depot	Mazurk
02/24/45	236	Zulpich, Comm. Center	Bischoff
02/25/45	238	Niederscheid, RR Bridge	Bischoff
03/04/45	245	Rechlinghausen	Mazurk
03/02/45	241	Sinnern, RR Bridge	Bischoff
03/03/45	243	Wiesbaden, Ordnance Depot	Bischoff
03/03/45	244	Schwelm, Motor Transport Cntr	Bischoff
03/06/45	247	Siegburg, Storage Depot	Crumal
03/11/45	251	?Ettingshausen, Luftwaffe Airfield**	Bischoff
03/14/45	255	Babenhausen, Luftwaffe Airfield	Mazurk, Crumal,
			Bischoff
03/18/45	261	Bad Durkheim, Comm. Cntr.	Bischoff
03/22/45	265	Coesfeld, Comm. Cntr.	Bischoff, Crumal
03/27/45		Not flown, Ruthen, Oil Storage	Bischoff
04/03/45	277	Hameln, Marshalling Yard	Bischoff
04/10/45	284	Probably Zwicken, RR Yard** (A-26s)	Bischoff
04/24/45	291	Landau Airfield (A-26s)	Bischoff

* Taxi sheet lineup probably used for next day's mission to Konz Karthaus

RR bridge

** Taxi sheet says Worms marshalling yard

*** Not in history book