Münster — Railroad Centre

Mission Narrative

On February 19, the 351st was briefed to attack the power station at Gelsenkirchen, but complications immediately arose. The GH radar equipment in the lead aircraft was found inoperative over the target area, and the Gee navigation set had burned out shortly after takeoff. With the primary target obscured by cloud, the decision was made to divert to the secondary target — the railroad marshalling yards at Münster.

The 351st dispatched 39 aircraft including one GH ship, three PFF Pathfinder ships, and three flying spares. Despite the navigation equipment failures, the formation reached the IP 33 minutes ahead of schedule at 26,000 feet. In a fortunate break, the clouds parted briefly near the target, allowing the bombardier to obtain a visual sighting on the marshalling yards. The lead and low squadrons delivered an effective concentrated pattern across the southern junction of the yard, striking the critical shunting neck and rail bridge where the Wesel-Dortmund-Hamm railroad lines converged.

Carl's loading list shows his rank as Sgt on this mission, rather than the S/Sgt recorded on his previous two missions — an inconsistency common in loading list records that likely reflects administrative delays rather than a change in rank.

Strategic Context

The Rhineland campaign was reaching its climax. Operation Veritable had launched on February 8, with Canadian and British forces pushing through the Reichswald Forest toward the Rhine. Operation Grenade, the American drive to the Rhine from the Roer, was delayed by German flooding of the Roer dams but would launch on February 23. The 8th Air Force's transportation campaign was designed to prevent the Germans from reinforcing the Rhine defenses.