Berlin — Railroad Station

Mission Narrative

Less than a month after the massive February 3 raid, Carl returned to Berlin — "Big B" — for his second mission to the German capital. On February 26, over 1,100 heavy bombers struck Berlin's rail stations and transportation infrastructure, continuing the systematic effort to paralyze the city's role as the hub of Germany's rail network.

For the crews of the 351st, a second trip to Berlin was no easier than the first. The city's flak defenses remained the most formidable in Europe, and the long flight deep into Germany — past the Elbe and over territory where downed airmen could expect capture and imprisonment — weighed heavily. The bomber formations flew at approximately 25,000-27,000 feet, visible as contrails from the ground but also exposed to the full fury of Berlin's hundreds of heavy flak batteries.

This was Carl's twenty-seventh mission — just five missions from completing his combat tour. The fact that he had survived two Berlin raids was a testament to both skill and luck.

Strategic Context

By late February 1945, Berlin was being squeezed from both sides. Soviet forces on the Oder River were within 40 miles, and the Western Allies were preparing to cross the Rhine. The repeated bombing of Berlin's rail infrastructure was designed to prevent the Germans from using the capital as a hub for shifting reserves between the Eastern and Western Fronts. With each passing week, Germany's ability to coordinate its defense was diminishing.