S/Sgt Carl E. Johnson

Left Waist Gunner & Top Turret Gunner / Flight Engineer

510th Bomb Squadron

351st Bomb Group (Heavy)

Higher Formation: 8th Air Force, USAAF
Station: RAF Polebrook, England
Aircraft: B-17G Flying Fortress
Combat Tour: Sep 1944 – Apr 1945
Missions: 32 combat missions
Aircraft Flown: 25 distinct B-17s

Carl began his combat tour on 8 September 1944, striking the I.G. Farben synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen. Over the next seven months he flew missions to some of the most heavily defended targets in the Reich — including two raids on Berlin, direct support of ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge, and strikes on oil refineries, railroad yards, and industrial targets across Germany. Promoted to Staff Sergeant during his tour, he was reassigned to the top turret / flight engineer position for his final missions. His 32nd and last combat mission targeted Traunstein, Germany on 18 April 1945 — three weeks before Germany's surrender.

Inside a B-17 at the 2007 Flight of the Mustangs Air Show — left to right: Steve Carmichael, Carl Johnson, Scott Carmichael — Inside a B-17 at the 2007 Flight of the Mustangs Air Show (left to right: Steve Carmichael, Carl Johnson, Scott Carmichael)

Complete Combat Mission Log

All 32 missions verified from 510th Squadron loading list records at 351st.org. Mission numbers are 351st Bomb Group group mission numbers.

Mission	Date	Pos.	Rank	Aircraft	Target / Location
200	8 Sep 1944	LWG	Sgt	42-107124	Ludwigshafen — I.G. Farben Synthetic Oil Plant
201	9 Sep 1944	LWG	Sgt	42-97196	Ludwigshafen — I.G. Farben Synthetic Oil Plant
203	11 Sep 1944	LWG	Sgt	43-37524	Lutzkendorf — Refinery
204	12 Sep 1944	LWG	Sgt	42-31879	Ruhland — Synthetic Oil Plant
207	22 Sep 1944	LWG	Sgt	42-102576	Kassel — Henschel Armored Vehicle Plant
215	6 Oct 1944	LWG	Sgt	44-8222	Stargard — Airfield
216	7 Oct 1944	LWG	Sgt	42-97651	Politz — Synthetic Oil Factory
218	15 Oct 1944	LWG	Sgt	44-8045	Cologne — Railroad Marshalling Yard
220	18 Oct 1944	LWG	Sgt	42-97651	Cologne — Railroad Marshalling Yard
225	28 Oct 1944	LWG	Sgt	42-102955	Münster — Railroad Marshalling Yard
227	4 Nov 1944	LWG	Sgt	42-97349	Harburg — Oil Refinery
229	6 Nov 1944	LWG	Sgt	42-102955	Hamburg — Railroad Marshalling Yard
238	4 Dec 1944	LWG	Sgt	44-8455	Kassel — Railroad Marshalling Yard
245	19 Dec 1944	LWG	Sgt	42-97687	Kall — Enemy Positions (Battle of the Bulge)
246	24 Dec 1944	LWG	Sgt	44-8376	Biblis — Airfield
251	1 Jan 1945	LWG	Sgt	42-97651	Kassel — Railroad Yards
255	6 Jan 1945	LWG	Sgt	44-8376	Bonn — Bridge over Rhine
259	17 Jan 1945	LWG	Sgt	44-8358	Paderborn — Railway Workshops
266	3 Feb 1945	LWG	S/Sgt	42-38038	Berlin — Transportation Area
267	6 Feb 1945	LWG	S/Sgt	44-8376	Lutter — Secondary Target
273	16 Feb 1945	LWG	S/Sgt	43-37515	Gelsenkirchen — Coking Plant
274	19 Feb 1945	LWG	Sgt	44-6565	Münster — Railroad Centre
276	21 Feb 1945	LWG	S/Sgt	42-38461	Nuremberg — Main Railroad Marshalling Yard
277	22 Feb 1945	LWG	S/Sgt	43-38130	Salzwedel — Railroad Marshalling Yard
278	23 Feb 1945	LWG	S/Sgt	44-8376	Plauen — Secondary Target
281	26 Feb 1945	LWG	S/Sgt	42-97216	Berlin — Railroad Station
299	22 Mar 1945	LWG	Sgt	43-38465	Barmingholten — Army HQ and Camp
300	23 Mar 1945	LWG	S/Sgt	44-6610	Recklinghausen — Railroad Marshalling Yard
302	24 Mar 1945	LWG	S/Sgt	43-37512	Twente-Enschede, Holland — Airfield
303	26 Mar 1945	LWG	Sgt	43-37515	Plauen — Cellulose Plant
318	17 Apr 1945	TT	S/Sgt	44-6610	Dresden — Railroad Marshalling Yard
319	18 Apr 1945	TT	S/Sgt	44-6610	Traunstein — Railroad Marshalling Yard

LWG = Left Waist Gunner · TT = Top Turret Gunner / Flight Engineer · Rank reflects loading list records — promotion to S/Sgt first recorded 3 Feb 1945. Sources: 510th Squadron loading lists at 351st.org, americanairmuseum.com, b17flyingfortress.de, ww2aircraft.net.

351st Bomb Group Markings

The 351st BG carried the tail symbol Triangle J, identifying them as part of the 94th Combat Bomb Wing, 1st Air Division. Carl's squadron — the 510th — used the fuselage code DS. Every B-17 in the mission log above would have carried these markings.

Look up 8th Air Force unit markings →