Twente-Enschede, Holland — Airfield

Mission Narrative

On March 24, 1945 — while Operation Varsity, the largest single-day airborne operation in history, dropped 16,000 paratroopers east of the Rhine — the 351st Bomb Group struck the Luftwaffe airfield at Twente-Enschede in the eastern Netherlands. The Group dispatched 13 aircraft as part of a 94th Composite Combat Wing formation — a smaller force than usual, reflecting the division of effort across dozens of airfield targets.

In crystal-clear CAVU conditions, the bombardiers had no difficulty identifying the airfield. The bombing results were assessed as very good, with the pattern crossing the landing ground and concentrating on the central runway, effectively cratering the field. Meanwhile, in one of the war's most dramatic missions, 240 B-24 Liberators made extraordinarily dangerous supply drops at just 400 feet altitude to resupply the airborne troops fighting east of the Rhine — 16 of these Liberators were shot down during the low-level runs.

Three consecutive days of missions — March 22, 23, and 24 — made this one of the most intense periods of Carl's combat tour. All three supported the Rhine crossing operations that breached Germany's last great natural barrier.

Strategic Context

Operation Varsity on March 24, 1945, dropped the U.S. 17th Airborne Division and British 6th Airborne Division east of the Rhine to secure the far bank and prevent German counterattack. Unlike the Arnhem disaster of September 1944, Varsity was a complete success — all objectives were secured within hours. The 8th Air Force's airfield suppression missions were part of the massive air umbrella that ensured the Luftwaffe could not interfere. After March 24, Allied armies poured across the Rhine and the final collapse of Nazi Germany accelerated rapidly.