To the right of this page is a map with the 13 missions Dan flew. The numbers correspond with the missions Dan flew starting with his first mission. In his first mission, he was in Crew #6 and flew in A/C 42-31717 "Hells Bells"
Mission 1- Group Mission 65 Chartres, France March 2nd, 1944. The General Narrative was that the 390th Group formation, which flew low in the 13th Wing, took off at 1425-1439 hours and assembled over the field at 2000 feet. It started it's climb to assembly altitude and joined the 100th Bomb Group, which was leading the 13th Wing.
The wing leader was about 4 minutes early at the first control point and was also early at all the other control points, up to and including Beachy Head. Beachy Head was reached eight minutes early and the Wing leader made a 360 degree turn. Arrive at the enemy coast two minutes late rest of course into target essentially as briefed. Peeled off at I.P. as ordered and made run into target. Bombs did not release and a second run was made. Bombs still did not go away due to mechanical failure of the bomb system. The high squadron leader assumed the Group lead and proceeded to the secondary target. However the secondary target was obscured by clouds. On route back from target, attempted to locate a target of opportunity, but the one that was found was not picked up soon enough to make a run. Group returned to base, and the aircrafts had landed by 1928 hours.
Twenty -three A/C including two spares left the field in formation. The spares A/C #925 and #041 were not needed and returned to base All twenty-one were dispatched, credited with sorties and did not bomb. A/C 932 was hit by flak about 1755 hours near Abbeville in the tail assembly. A/C 932 fell out of formation and went down into the clouds. Two chutes were observed.
*Note: The General Narrative is taken directly from the Mission Report as it is worded.
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"Anoxia Queen" A/C 42-39819 was a B-17G-1-VE (4) engine US Army Airforce bomber in WW2. It was lost on April 13,1944 by German flak outside Ostende, Belgium, along with all ten of her crew in the English Channel/North Sea. This is a complete list of all missions and crews, along with a little history.
Sgt. Daniel J.Miller's 2nd Mission
Group Mission 70 - Berlin, Germany - March 9th, 1944. Daniel was in Crew #6, and flew in A/C 42-37890 "Rovin Ramona 2" / "Big Friend".
The General Narrative was the 390th Group formation, which was the low Group in the 13th Combat Wing, took off at 0751-0837 hours. Assembly was at 12,000 feet over Buncher #11, as there was a overcast. Climbed to Wing assembly altitude, arriving at Colchester early. 95th Group, which was the lead group, was not easy to identify as their formation was scattered and a few flares were fired. Assembly of the formation was completed by the time Buncher #9 was reached and in circling, the 95th Group's last time, arriving at Lowestoft seven minutes late, and was at the target fifty minutes late. The course was essentially as briefed and bombs were dropped on PFF (Path Finding) flares in the lead Group. The target was overcast and a secondary target was bombed, The route back from the target was flown as briefed with miner deviations to avoid flak. A few enemy aircrafts were seen and intense flak at target. All aircrafts returned to base by 1642 hours. Twenty -three A/C including two spares, left the base in formation, A/C 42-31114, 42-31466, 42-38130, and 42-30715 returned to before reaching the English coast and were not dispatched, A/C 42-30325 was hit by flak and returned alone. The remaining eighteen A/C went over target, seventeen bombing and one A/C dropping early. No aircrafts were lost.
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The General Narrative was the 390th Group formation, which was the low Group in the 13th Combat Wing, took off at 0751-0837 hours. Assembly was at 12,000 feet over Buncher #11, as there was a overcast. Climbed to Wing assembly altitude, arriving at Colchester early. 95th Group, which was the lead group, was not easy to identify as their formation was scattered and a few flares were fired. Assembly of the formation was completed by the time Buncher #9 was reached and in circling, the 95th Group's last time, arriving at Lowestoft seven minutes late, and was at the target fifty minutes late. The course was essentially as briefed and bombs were dropped on PFF (Path Finding) flares in the lead Group. The target was overcast and a secondary target was bombed, The route back from the target was flown as briefed with miner deviations to avoid flak. A few enemy aircrafts were seen and intense flak at target. All aircrafts returned to base by 1642 hours. Twenty -three A/C including two spares, left the base in formation, A/C 42-31114, 42-31466, 42-38130, and 42-30715 returned to before reaching the English coast and were not dispatched, A/C 42-30325 was hit by flak and returned alone. The remaining eighteen A/C went over target, seventeen bombing and one A/C dropping early. No aircrafts were lost.
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Sgt. Daniel J.Miller's 3rd Mission
Group Mission 73 - Augsburg-Lechfeld, Germany - March 18th, 1944. Daniel was in Crew #5 "B" Group, and flew in A/C 42-31744 "Little Butch 2"
The 390Th "A" Group formation which was high Group in the 13TH Wing took off at 0925 hours - 0954 hours and assembled at 12,000 feet over the field. Climbed to assembly altitude as briefed. Group joined the 95TH "A" & "B" Groups ahead of scheduled time and as a result, no difficulty was encountered at that point. However on route to target, lead Group flew so close to high overcast, we were forces to fly level with them, rather than in normal Wing formation. Coarse into target was essentially as briefed, but clouds obscured the target area and a target assigned to the First Division was attacked. Bombs were dropped at 1413 hours and planes returned to base by 1834 hours.Aircraft Not Attacking: 21 A/C left the base in formation. A/C 906,040,325,332,041, and 715 returned before reaching the English Coast. Thus 15 A/C were dispatched. Of the , A/C 819 returned after reaching enemy coast and is credited with a sortie, The remaining 14 A/C went on and attacked the target. One A/C, # 925 was shot down after leaving the target area. Aircraft lost: A/C 925 observed at 1520 hours, near 48 degrees 18'N- o8 degrees' 00'E, to leave formation after being attacked by enemy aircraft. Peeled off to left and went down in slow spiral with #1 and #2 engines on fire, A/C either explode of fell apart. One to two chutes reported.
The General Narrative reads. The 390th composite Squadron, which flew as the high squadron with the 95th Group, and took off at 0910-0916 hours. Assembly was made at Norham with the 95th Group without difficulty. The narrative reads that the "B" Group made the run into target and back. All planes landed at 1830 hours. The time of the attack on target was 1412 hours at a altitude of 20,000 feet. Bombs dropped were 30x1000lbs GP. GP stands for, general-purpose bomb and is an air- dropped bomb intended as a compromise between blast damage, penetration, and fragmentation in explosive effect. No aircrafts were lost out of this group.
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The 390Th "A" Group formation which was high Group in the 13TH Wing took off at 0925 hours - 0954 hours and assembled at 12,000 feet over the field. Climbed to assembly altitude as briefed. Group joined the 95TH "A" & "B" Groups ahead of scheduled time and as a result, no difficulty was encountered at that point. However on route to target, lead Group flew so close to high overcast, we were forces to fly level with them, rather than in normal Wing formation. Coarse into target was essentially as briefed, but clouds obscured the target area and a target assigned to the First Division was attacked. Bombs were dropped at 1413 hours and planes returned to base by 1834 hours.Aircraft Not Attacking: 21 A/C left the base in formation. A/C 906,040,325,332,041, and 715 returned before reaching the English Coast. Thus 15 A/C were dispatched. Of the , A/C 819 returned after reaching enemy coast and is credited with a sortie, The remaining 14 A/C went on and attacked the target. One A/C, # 925 was shot down after leaving the target area. Aircraft lost: A/C 925 observed at 1520 hours, near 48 degrees 18'N- o8 degrees' 00'E, to leave formation after being attacked by enemy aircraft. Peeled off to left and went down in slow spiral with #1 and #2 engines on fire, A/C either explode of fell apart. One to two chutes reported.
The General Narrative reads. The 390th composite Squadron, which flew as the high squadron with the 95th Group, and took off at 0910-0916 hours. Assembly was made at Norham with the 95th Group without difficulty. The narrative reads that the "B" Group made the run into target and back. All planes landed at 1830 hours. The time of the attack on target was 1412 hours at a altitude of 20,000 feet. Bombs dropped were 30x1000lbs GP. GP stands for, general-purpose bomb and is an air- dropped bomb intended as a compromise between blast damage, penetration, and fragmentation in explosive effect. No aircrafts were lost out of this group.
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Sgt. Daniel J. Miller's 4th Mission
Group Mission 74 - Minoyecques, France - March 19th, 1944. Daniel was in Crew #6 "A" Group, and flew in A/C 42-37890 "Rovin Ramona II/ Big Friend"
23 Aircrafts were dispatched to Minoyecques, France on March 19, 1944 with 21 A/C attacking. The bomb run was made visually and take off was between 1600 and 1615 hours. The time of the attack came between 1810 and 1812 hours. The attitude in which the attack was made was 20,000 to 20,500 feet. All aircrafts returned at 1931 hours with 5 aircraft receiving minor damage. Fighter escort was "good" ACP was Lt. Jeffrey, Group Lead pilot was Capt. Richter. High squardron leader was 1/Lt Settles and the low squadron leader was Capt. Everly. The lead navigator was 2/Lt J.J Hickey. Out of the 8th airforce aircrafts participating, 193 were dispatched with 172 attacking and 1 A/C missing. Bombs dropped were 251 x 500lbs general purpose. The target was a V- weapons factory.
The General Narrative reads as follows.
The 390TH Group formation took off at 1600-1615 hours. Assembly was over the field at 2000 feet. There was to be no Wing or Division assembly. Climbed on course to 1st control point at a altitude of 20,000 feet from that point to target. Reached Splasher 8 a few minutes early and S-ed to lost time, Squadron peeled off in 30 second intervals and proceeded to Dungeness. Course flown by all squadrons was essentially the same. Each squadron made one run on the target dropping on the first run. Return to base made by squadron individually. All planes had landed by 1913 hours.
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23 Aircrafts were dispatched to Minoyecques, France on March 19, 1944 with 21 A/C attacking. The bomb run was made visually and take off was between 1600 and 1615 hours. The time of the attack came between 1810 and 1812 hours. The attitude in which the attack was made was 20,000 to 20,500 feet. All aircrafts returned at 1931 hours with 5 aircraft receiving minor damage. Fighter escort was "good" ACP was Lt. Jeffrey, Group Lead pilot was Capt. Richter. High squardron leader was 1/Lt Settles and the low squadron leader was Capt. Everly. The lead navigator was 2/Lt J.J Hickey. Out of the 8th airforce aircrafts participating, 193 were dispatched with 172 attacking and 1 A/C missing. Bombs dropped were 251 x 500lbs general purpose. The target was a V- weapons factory.
The General Narrative reads as follows.
The 390TH Group formation took off at 1600-1615 hours. Assembly was over the field at 2000 feet. There was to be no Wing or Division assembly. Climbed on course to 1st control point at a altitude of 20,000 feet from that point to target. Reached Splasher 8 a few minutes early and S-ed to lost time, Squadron peeled off in 30 second intervals and proceeded to Dungeness. Course flown by all squadrons was essentially the same. Each squadron made one run on the target dropping on the first run. Return to base made by squadron individually. All planes had landed by 1913 hours.
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Sgt. Daniel J. Miller's 5th Mission
Group Mission 76 - Brunswick, Germany - March 23rd, 1944. Daniel was in Crew #6, and flew in A/C 42-32026 "Tis a Mystery".
18 B-17's from the "A" Group and 12 B-17's from the "B" group of the 390Th participated in the mission to Brunswick on March 23rd 1944. The Bomb run was made with path finders. The "A" group dropped 180 x 500lbs GP bombs and the "B" group dropped 432 x 100 lbs frag bombs. The 8TH airforce dispatched 768 A/C, in which 707 attacked and 28 went missing. Casualties were 1, with 16 wounded and 288 crewmen missing. The target that day was a aircraft factory, with Munster being a secondary target.
The General Narrative for the "A" Group is as follows.
The 390Th "A" Group formation which was the lead Group of the 13TH "B"Combat Wing took off at 0620 hours- 0636 hours and assembled over the field at 9000 feet. Assembly was completed as scheduled and proceeded to climb to Wing assembly altitiude. Arriving at Colchester 3.5 minutes late and did not locate the low group at that point. Swung around toward Buncher 9, arriving there about one minute early, Contacted the low Group leader on VHF and gave him out heading and altitude, also fired flares at his request. However low Group did not locate out formation. As this left us on individual Group we followed closely behind the 13TH "A" Wing for the remainder of the flight. Primary target was covered and the secondary was bombed on PFF. Bombs were away at 1037 hours. Route back was as briefed and all planes had landed by 1255 hours.
Aircraft Not Attacking: (21) A/C including (2) PFF left the base in formation. A/C 114 crash landed at Horham and was not dispatched Thus (18) A/C not including the PFF were dispatched. All (18) are credited with sorties. All (18) attacked the target. Aircraft lost, none.
General Narrative for the "B" Group is as follows.
The 390TH "B" Group Composite formation which flew high group on the 13TH "A" combat Wing took off at 0605 hours - 0625 hours and assembled above the overcast at 12,000 feet over the field. 9 A/C from the 95TH Group formed the high squadron. Proceeded to Wing assembly altitude arriving at Manningtree on time. Assembly with lead and low groups accomplished without difficulty. Except for a change in the wind that all times to be early, no difficulties were encountered on course into target. Primary was overcast and bombs were dropped on secondary at 1038 hours. Route back was flown as briefed. All planes had landed by 1304 hours.
Aircraft Not Attacking: (13) A/C including one spare left the field in formation shown in diagram. Spare A/C 971 was not needed and returned to base. (12) A/C were dispatched, are credited with sorties and attached the target. Aircraft lost: none.
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18 B-17's from the "A" Group and 12 B-17's from the "B" group of the 390Th participated in the mission to Brunswick on March 23rd 1944. The Bomb run was made with path finders. The "A" group dropped 180 x 500lbs GP bombs and the "B" group dropped 432 x 100 lbs frag bombs. The 8TH airforce dispatched 768 A/C, in which 707 attacked and 28 went missing. Casualties were 1, with 16 wounded and 288 crewmen missing. The target that day was a aircraft factory, with Munster being a secondary target.
The General Narrative for the "A" Group is as follows.
The 390Th "A" Group formation which was the lead Group of the 13TH "B"Combat Wing took off at 0620 hours- 0636 hours and assembled over the field at 9000 feet. Assembly was completed as scheduled and proceeded to climb to Wing assembly altitiude. Arriving at Colchester 3.5 minutes late and did not locate the low group at that point. Swung around toward Buncher 9, arriving there about one minute early, Contacted the low Group leader on VHF and gave him out heading and altitude, also fired flares at his request. However low Group did not locate out formation. As this left us on individual Group we followed closely behind the 13TH "A" Wing for the remainder of the flight. Primary target was covered and the secondary was bombed on PFF. Bombs were away at 1037 hours. Route back was as briefed and all planes had landed by 1255 hours.
Aircraft Not Attacking: (21) A/C including (2) PFF left the base in formation. A/C 114 crash landed at Horham and was not dispatched Thus (18) A/C not including the PFF were dispatched. All (18) are credited with sorties. All (18) attacked the target. Aircraft lost, none.
General Narrative for the "B" Group is as follows.
The 390TH "B" Group Composite formation which flew high group on the 13TH "A" combat Wing took off at 0605 hours - 0625 hours and assembled above the overcast at 12,000 feet over the field. 9 A/C from the 95TH Group formed the high squadron. Proceeded to Wing assembly altitude arriving at Manningtree on time. Assembly with lead and low groups accomplished without difficulty. Except for a change in the wind that all times to be early, no difficulties were encountered on course into target. Primary was overcast and bombs were dropped on secondary at 1038 hours. Route back was flown as briefed. All planes had landed by 1304 hours.
Aircraft Not Attacking: (13) A/C including one spare left the field in formation shown in diagram. Spare A/C 971 was not needed and returned to base. (12) A/C were dispatched, are credited with sorties and attached the target. Aircraft lost: none.
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Sgt. Daniel J.Miller's 6th Mission
Group Mission 77 - La Glaciere, France - March 26th, 1944. Daniel was in Crew #6, and flew in A/C 42-32026 "Tis a Mystery". The target were military installations on the Cherbourg peninsula. 21 aircrafts were dispatched, with 14 A/C attacking. Bombing was done visually. Take off was at 1221 - 1234 hours.The alititude of the attack was between 20,000 feet and 21,000 feet. 140 x 500 lbs general purpose bombs were dropped. All planes returned by 1641 hours. The fighter escort was "good". The position of the Wing was low. No A/C were lost and there were no casualties. 10 A/C received minor damage. The 8TH Airforce dispatched 573 planes, 560 A/C attacked and 5 A/C went missing. 4 crewmen were killed, 27 more wounded and 50 missing from that day.
The General Narrative reads as follows.
The 390TH Group formation took off at 1221 hours - 1234 hours and assembled over the field at 5000 feet. The Group was assembled by 1300 hours and continued to climb on course. There were no Wing formation scheduled.Control points were made on time. At I. P. squadrons peeled off and approached target individually. The lead squadron did not pick target up soon enough to make the run on it, and bombs were not dropped. The high and low squadron did drop. Returned to base was made without difficulty. All planes had landed by 1641 hours. Aircraft not attacking: 21 A/C left base in formation. All 21 were dispatched and are credited with sorties. 7 A/C in lead squadron failed to bomb. 14 A/C attacked. Aircraft lost: none. Moderate to fairly accurate continuous pointed flak was encountered at the target. No enemy aircraft attacked the group.
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The General Narrative reads as follows.
The 390TH Group formation took off at 1221 hours - 1234 hours and assembled over the field at 5000 feet. The Group was assembled by 1300 hours and continued to climb on course. There were no Wing formation scheduled.Control points were made on time. At I. P. squadrons peeled off and approached target individually. The lead squadron did not pick target up soon enough to make the run on it, and bombs were not dropped. The high and low squadron did drop. Returned to base was made without difficulty. All planes had landed by 1641 hours. Aircraft not attacking: 21 A/C left base in formation. All 21 were dispatched and are credited with sorties. 7 A/C in lead squadron failed to bomb. 14 A/C attacked. Aircraft lost: none. Moderate to fairly accurate continuous pointed flak was encountered at the target. No enemy aircraft attacked the group.
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Sgt. Daniel J.Miller's 7th Mission
Group Mission 78 - Cazoux, France - March 27th, 1944. Daniel was in Crew #6, and flew in A/C 42-32026 "Tis a Mystery".
The enemy airdrome at Cazoux, France was bombed visually with great effectiveness by the 390TH Bomb Group (H) on March 27, 1944. First phase photo interpretation show a concentration of high explosive bombs on the MPI, dropped by the group. Incendiary bombs dropped by the group hit accurately in the smoke of the MPI.Bombs were dropped by squadrons. No enemy aircraft were seen. Meagre flak from boats in the bay and land installations was encountered. All of our aircrafts returned and there were no personnel casualities. 200 x 500lbs general purpose bombs and 588 x 100 P-47 incendiary bombs were dropped. The fighter escort was "good"
General Narrative reads as follows.
The 390TH "A" group formation, which was low group in the 13TH Combat Wing, took off at 0951 hours - 1008 hours. Group assembly was on top of overcast at 9000 feet over the field. There was no difficulty in Group assembly. At 1116 hours, lead Group was picked up and Wing assembly accomplished. Division assembly was as planned. Route flown to the target was as briefed, Bombing was visual with bombs away at 1438 hours.Return to base flown as briefed. Aircraft Not Attacking: 21 A/C left the base in formation shown. A/C 819 left formation before reaching the English Coast and was not dispatched. The remaining 20 A/C were dispatched and credited with sorties and attacked. Aircraft lost: None.
General Narrative for "B" Group as follows.
The 390TH "B" Group Composite Group which flew high group in the 13TH Wing took off at 0931 hours - 0944 hours. Six A/C from the 95TH Group formed the low squadron. Group assembly was on top of the overcast at 12,000 feet over the field. No difficulties were met in Group assembly. The lead group for the Wing was located ahead of time and Wing assembly was completed without trouble. Course to target corresponds to that if the 390TH "A" Group. Bombs were away visually at 1440 hours. Return to base flown as briefed. Aircraft Not Attacking: 15 A/C left base in formation. A/C 338 returned before reaching the English Coast and was not dispatched. The remaining 14 A/C were dispatched, are credited with sorties, and attacked the target. Aircraft lost: None.
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The enemy airdrome at Cazoux, France was bombed visually with great effectiveness by the 390TH Bomb Group (H) on March 27, 1944. First phase photo interpretation show a concentration of high explosive bombs on the MPI, dropped by the group. Incendiary bombs dropped by the group hit accurately in the smoke of the MPI.Bombs were dropped by squadrons. No enemy aircraft were seen. Meagre flak from boats in the bay and land installations was encountered. All of our aircrafts returned and there were no personnel casualities. 200 x 500lbs general purpose bombs and 588 x 100 P-47 incendiary bombs were dropped. The fighter escort was "good"
General Narrative reads as follows.
The 390TH "A" group formation, which was low group in the 13TH Combat Wing, took off at 0951 hours - 1008 hours. Group assembly was on top of overcast at 9000 feet over the field. There was no difficulty in Group assembly. At 1116 hours, lead Group was picked up and Wing assembly accomplished. Division assembly was as planned. Route flown to the target was as briefed, Bombing was visual with bombs away at 1438 hours.Return to base flown as briefed. Aircraft Not Attacking: 21 A/C left the base in formation shown. A/C 819 left formation before reaching the English Coast and was not dispatched. The remaining 20 A/C were dispatched and credited with sorties and attacked. Aircraft lost: None.
General Narrative for "B" Group as follows.
The 390TH "B" Group Composite Group which flew high group in the 13TH Wing took off at 0931 hours - 0944 hours. Six A/C from the 95TH Group formed the low squadron. Group assembly was on top of the overcast at 12,000 feet over the field. No difficulties were met in Group assembly. The lead group for the Wing was located ahead of time and Wing assembly was completed without trouble. Course to target corresponds to that if the 390TH "A" Group. Bombs were away visually at 1440 hours. Return to base flown as briefed. Aircraft Not Attacking: 15 A/C left base in formation. A/C 338 returned before reaching the English Coast and was not dispatched. The remaining 14 A/C were dispatched, are credited with sorties, and attacked the target. Aircraft lost: None.
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