Hamburg — Railroad Marshalling Yard

Mission Narrative

Two days after striking the Harburg oil refinery, the 351st returned to Hamburg with a heavier punch — 38 B-17s carrying six 1,000-pound GP bombs each, a significant increase in destructive power. The group formed a 36-aircraft composite formation and headed across the North Sea as part of an 8th Air Force effort of 1,272 bombers and 666 fighters.

At 26,000 feet, with outside temperatures plunging to minus 41 degrees Celsius and winds gusting at 38 knots, the formation approached Hamburg through seven- to nine-tenths cloud cover. All three squadrons bombed entirely by PFF radar. The target was attacked at 1101 hours, twenty-one minutes behind schedule. Flak was moderate to intense and accurate, particularly for the lead and high squadrons, with several aircraft sustaining significant battle damage — though all managed to return to Polebrook.

The back-to-back missions to Hamburg (Harburg on November 4, Hamburg on November 6) demonstrated the 8th Air Force's ability to sustain pressure despite heavy defenses and deteriorating autumn weather.

Strategic Context

November 1944 saw deteriorating weather across northern Europe that increasingly hampered bombing operations. The 8th Air Force relied more heavily on PFF radar bombing during this period, with accuracy suffering compared to visual bombing. Despite the weather challenges, the combined oil and transportation campaigns continued to erode Germany's war-making capacity. On the ground, Allied forces were engaged in fierce fighting in the Hürtgen Forest and along the Siegfried Line.