21 Jan 45 Mission to Mannheim, Germany
By
Helynn Schufieiowski
Daughter of S/Sgt Gerald Hoefert
338th Squadron, 95th Bomb Group

I would like to make contact with anyone who was in any of the 390th Bomb Group B-17s that flew through the “B” Squadron of the 95th Bomb Group’s formation on the 21 Jan 45 mission to Mannheim, Germany. 1 truly believe that if this hadn’t happened, my father and the rest of his crew would have been POWs instead of landing in France (where they were found by U.S. Army troops) and I would like to thank those men of the 390th BG

My father, the waist gunner on Gary Savage’s crew. was in the lead plane of the “B” Squadron of the 95th BG formation on this mission. Their plane suffered flak damage to one engine and the valves to the Tokyo tanks froze so the crew could not transfer fuel. Because of these things the pilot, Cary Savage, left the formation and made a wheels-up landing in France. However , had the 390’s planes not flown into their path, I believe that the men would have ended up in Germany and not France. Here’s why:

According to 95th Bomb Group mission report that I located at the National Archives in College Park. Maryland, “The 95th “B” Squadron was forced out to the right and overshot the target [Mannheim] to 4940N - 0845E. They made a 180 degree turn and made a visual run on the last resort target [Pforzheim]” [Bracketed information is mine.]

Another report states, “The 390th Bomb Group entered the briefed bomb run on the left at a sharp angle. This necessitated a turn to the right by the 95th BG “B” Squadron off the bomb run. [The] target could not be picked up again, so after passing over the rally point. the 95th “B” leader headed for a target of last resort at Pforzheim”

What is not included in the report is the fact that, after the “B” Squadron made the right turn to avoid colliding with the 390th BG planes, the lead aircraft (#42-97961 piloted by Cary Savage) relinquished the lead because of the previously mentioned problems and the crew made their own run on Pforzheim and then headed west toward England.

If the 390th Bomb Group had not entered the briefed bomb run of the 95th BG “B” Squadron, this is what most likely would have happened (shown in the lower diagram)

So, you can see, there was a very good chance that the Salvage crew would have either parachuted from their B-17 and landed in Germany or crash-landed there instead of in France.

If anyone has any knowledge of this incident or has any information about this mission, I would love to hear from you!

Helynn Schufietowski
PO Box 37
Humbird, WI 54748

E-Mail: vetsdaughter95thbg@yahoo.com