Bombs Away - Malmedy - 12-1944 !
Strange and Disturbing facts on World War Two.
On the 40th Anniversary of the Allied Landing in Normandy, while sitting on a terrace and drinking a coffee with Phillipe Jutras (An US Normandy Vet that decided to send the rest of his life in Normandy), 2 Vets from the 505th Prcht Inf Regt and a French Friend (an History Passionated) someone said :
hey Gunter, look at these two fellows over there, they were dropped in France into Jedburgs Teams and they sure could give you a lot of informations for your researches.
So I got to meet the 2 Veterans but I never arrived to talk to them because a strange Major from the US Secret Service took them away. I suppose that he was afraid that the Veterans would tell me that they were dropped into France to help and train the FFI but … also to eliminate every Communist Underground Leaders. War is War and it’s the way it goes.
About the Bombing of Malmedy, the story is going in the exact way but without the Secret Service.
Let see the facts available about this terrible story
Fact 1 - Army Troops are located on the ground with the civilians. So they are able to see the way the citizen of a city is acting with American Troops.
Fact 2 - Army Air Force troops never meet ground soldiers and civilians. While being in the Breffing at the Army Air Force Base / Airfield, they become one Targets pointed on a Maps, they go there, flash the target, open the bombs bays, the Norden Visor located in the front of the bomber let the target sliding into the calibrator, push the button and say to the crew : Bombs Away.
The mission is over and the Crew Chief say in the Intercom : OK guys we’re going home, watch for Jerry Fighters.
Fact 3 - In 1940, when Germany invaded Belgium, the first thing they did was to take back the part of Germany that was confiscated at the end of World War Two. The Triangle Eupen - Malmedy - St Vith was again German and in Germany.
Fact 4 - If (I told this in Fact 1) the ground troops can see if they are in Germany or not, from 12.000 feet there is no way to see this.
Fact 5 - On a General view : associated with the Name of Malmedy, was the Mass Massacre of American Prisoner of War in Baugnez (Five Points Crossroad), the Massacre of American Prisoner of Warin in Ligneuville, Massacre of Isolated Troops and Civilians all around the Town of Malmedy.
Fact 6 - A little while before, (September 1944) one formation of USAAF flying to the Daily target in Germany (Aachen) where changing fly formation into bombing formation while being over Verviers, Belgium. Because one wounded airman was in Verviers for recovery and understood what these flymen where about to do, he reached and HQs Company and orders as well as informations where sent to the Ready to Deliver AAF Bomb Group. They dismissed and went to Aachen.
Army Air Force Missions that flew over Europa - December 16 to December 30 1944
16 December 1944
8th AAF
Over 100 B-17’s supported by 3 ftr gps bomb Stuttgart M/Y, city of Bietigheim, and a T/O.
9th AAF
Bad weather cancels 9th Bomb Div combat operations.
Ftrs escort RAF, fly night patrol and intercept missions, and spt US First Army elements in Ardennes as German FM von Rundstedt begins allout counteroffensive, and XII and XX Corps at Saarlautern bridgehead and in Saint-Avold-Saarbrucken area where news of Ardennes counteroffensive cancels XII Corps plans for assault on Westwall.
12th AAF
Bad weather grounds MBs.
XXII TAC FBs hit occupied buildings and guns in battle zone S of Bologna, continue attacks on Brenner rail line effecting 16 rail cuts, hit and set aflame 3 vessels in La Spezia drydock, and blast several railroad bridges N of battle area.
15th AAF
Almost 600 B-24’s and B-17’s bomb synthetic oil plant at Brux and armament works at Plzen, benzol
plant at Linz, and M/Ys at Innsbruck and Villach, plus several scattered T/Os.
P-38’s and P-51’s escort operations to Czechoslovakia.
Other P-38’s fly rcn missions while P-51’s fly rcn escort.
17 December 1944
8th AAF
Over 350 HBs hit M/Ys at Cologne - Kalk, Kaiserslautern, and Mainz, areas of Koblenz, Lutzel, and
Bonn, and several T/Os.
Bad weather causes over 500 aborts.
7 ftr gps fly escort.
9th AAF
Weather prevents bmr operations.
Over 1,000 ftrs fly armed rcn, defensive patrols, and attacks on bridges and gun positions.
IX and XIX TACs also spt ground forces :
- 8th Infantry Division
- 28th Infantry Division
- 78th Infantry Division
- 99th Infantry Division
- 106th Infantry Division
- 5th Armored Divivision
- V Corps
- VII Corps
- VIII Corps
- XII Corps
- XX Corps
against counteroffensive in the Ardennes and in battle to hold Saarlautern bridgehead.
12th AAF
Bad weather again cancels MB operations.
XXII TAC hits comm in Po Valley and attacks Trento M/Y on rail line running N to Brenner Pass.
15th AAF
550-plus HBs bomb oil refineries at Blechhamer N and S, Odertal and Moravska-Ostrava, M/Ys at
Gross Strehlitz, Villach, Saak, Salzburg, and Wels.
P-38’s and P-51’s escort HBs, fly rcn, strafe railroad running from Rosenheim into Austria, and escort photo rcn operations.
Enemy ftrs appear in force for first time since Aug HBs and ftrs claim 55 air victories.
18 December 1944
8th AAF
Over 300 HBs attack Ehrang and Koblenz M/Ys and 8 W German rail and road junctions, rail and
road chokepoints, and railhead tgts.
Only 1 ftr gp flies escort as weather grounds others.
9th AAF
160-plus A-26’s, A-20’s, and B-26’s hit defended positions at Harperscheid, Hellenthal, Blumenthal,
Dreiborn, and Herhahn.
Ftrs fly sweeps and armed rcn over W Germany (claiming over 40 enemy air-planes downed plus hitting numerous ground tgts) and spt US :
- 2nd Infantry Division
- 4th Infantry Division
- 28th Infantry Division
- 106th Infantry Division
W of Butgenbach, W of Trier, SE of Clervaux, and SE of St Vith, and XII Corps at Niedergailbach.
IX TAC hits Panzer units spearheading Bulge.
12th AAF
Weather again curtails operations.
XXII TAC ftrs and FBs hit comm in E Po Valley, scoring particular success against lines in N part of the Valley in Padua region, and spt US Fifth Army operations in battle area S of Bologna.
15th AAF
560-plus HBs hit oil refineries at Blechhamer, Odertal, Vienna/Floridsdorf, Moravska Ostrava, and
Auschwitz; M/Ys at Graz, Studenzen, and Sopron; Bruck an der Mur industrial area, and various scattered T/Os.
Ftrs fly escort and rcn missions.
19 December 1944
9th AAF
All administrative sections and extra operational equipment of XXIX TAC are moved from Maastricht
to St Trond to avert transportation problems should XXIX TAC be subsequently forced into a hasty
withdrawal.
Weather grounds bmrs.
Ftrs fly armed rcn in W Germany, escort RAF Lancasters, fly patrols from Belgium to the Rhine
spt US :
- 1st Infantry Division
- 2nd Infantry Division
- 99th Infantry Division
- 106th Infantry Division
- 7th Armored Division
(N and E of Malmedy and SE and SW of St Vith), and fly cover for US Twelfth Army troops and XII Corps near Verdun and Saint-Avold.
12th AAF
Weather grounds MBs.
XXII TAC ftrs and FBs, unable to reach primary tgts further N, hit comm N of battle area but concentrate mainly on gun positions in La Spezia area.
15th AAH
More than 400 B-24’s and B-17’s attack Blechhamer N and S and Moravska Ostrava oil refineries,
Rosenheim rail sidings and M/Y and Strasshof, Villach, Klagenfurt, Graz, Innsbruck, and Sopron M/Ys,
town of Sternberk, and several scattered T/Os.
P-38’s and P-51’s fly rcn missions and escort HBs.
20 December 1944
9th AAF
Bad weather prevents all combat operations, except night intruder mission by 2 ftrs.
12th AAF
Continued bad weather limits operations.
MBs are grounded and overcast prevents ftrs and FBs to reach many tgts in C and E Po Valley.
However, the Brenner line is cut S of Trento and trains are successfully attacked near Padua and Treviso.
Armed rcn in W Po Valley accounts for several locomotives, vehicles, and other T/Os, and railroads, bridges, and T/Os are hit in the La Spezia and Genoa areas.
During 19/ 20 Dec LBs attack lights at 5 locations in E Po Valley.
15th AAF
For fifth consecutive day, HBs hit Axis oil production.
454 HBs hit Regensburg oil refinery, M/Ys at Linz, Salzburg, and Villach, and armament works at Plzen.
Over 300 P-38’s and P-51’s provide escort.
40-plus others fly rcn and rcn-escort missions.
21 December 1944
9th AAF
IX and XXIX TACs are transferred from Ninth AF to British Second Tac AF control to operate against
the N line of the Bulge.
XIX TAC flies armed weather and intruder rcn in Saarbrucken Trier area.
Weather grounds all operations.
12th AAF
During 20-21 Dec A-20’s attack highways, secondary roads, and T/Os in N and C Po Valley.
During the day, bad weather grounds MBs and reduces ftr and FB operations of XXII TAC.
However, XXII TAC aircraft are effective against railroad tgts in Treviso area and damage Ghedi A/F.
Trains, vehicles, guns, and buildings are attacked in or near Mantua, Milan, Turin, La Spezia, Padua, and Mestre.
15th AAF
84 B-24’s bomb main M/Y and railroad sidings at Rosenheim.
40 P-51’s provide escort.
Over 40 P38’s fly photo rcn and rcn escort missions.
22 December 1944
8th AAF
Almost 400 HBs attack M/Ys at Ehrang, Kaiserslautern, and Homburg / Saar, comm centers at
Junkerath, Ahrweiler, and Dahlem, rail junction at Homburg / Saar, and several T/Os.
7 P-51 gps fly escort and encounter an estimated 75-100 ftrs, claiming 23 shot down.
3 ftr gps on sweeps encounter about 350 ftrs and claim 46 destroyed.
9th AAF
3 ftr gps of IX TAC are transferred to XIX TAC to concentrate air power for cooperation with US Third
Army to which main effort against the Bulge has been assigned.
The gps return to control of IX TAC on 25 December.
Ftrs fly a few strafing, weather rcn, intruder patrol, and alert missions.
Bad weather cancels all other missions.
12th AAF
During 21 - 22 December A-20’s hit scattered tgts in Po Valley.
Clearing weather during the day enables MBs to hit bridges at Torre Beretti, Pontetidone, and at Chiari.
FBs concentrate on railway tgts, destroying 5 bridges in N Italy and making numerous cuts in rail lines, several on the important Brenner line.
Motor transport and guns N of battle area are also successfully attacked.
15th AAF
Bad weather restricts operations to rcn, supply dropping, and escort missions over Germany, Austria,
Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Yugoslavia.
23 December 1944
8th AAF
Almost 1,900 (of over 2,000 dispatched) HBs attack 11 A/Fs, 14 comm centers, and numerous other
tgts including 2 M/Ys, 5 cities, and over 50 T/Os - all in battle areas.
13 ftr gps meet over 200 enemy ftrs and claim 70 destroyed.
9th AAF
Around 500 B-26’s and A-20’s attack rail bridges, comm tgts, villages, rail junction and T/Os in
Germany losing 31 bmrs.
Ftrs fly bmr escort, armed rcn, and patrols (claiming over 100 aircraft downed and 3 A/Fs bombed), and spt ground forces between Werbomont and Butgenbach along N battleline of Bulge and US III, VIII, and XII Corps forces along S battleline of the Bulge.
12th AAF
On 22 - 23 December A-20’s on intruder patrols hit Po R crossings and T/Os.
Bad weather during day grounds MBs.
FBs operate in W Po Valley, mainly against railway comm.
A/F near Milan is attacked, and several enemy airplanes destroyed.
15th AAF
Bad weather again limits operations to rcn, supply dropping, and escort missions over C and E
Europe.
24 December 1944
9th AAF
276 MBs and LBs hit rail bridges and comm centers in W Germany.
Ftrs escort 9th Bomb Div, fly armed rcn, and spt US :
- III Corps
- VIII Corps
- XII Corps
along S battleline of the Bulge, stretching from Echternach to area NW of Neufchateau, as 4th Armored Division reaches enemy’s ring around Bastogne.
12th AAF
Weather again holds operations to a minimum.
However, P-47’s carry out very successful raid on Thiene A/F, causing considerable damage and destroying several enemy airplanes.
Other missions find little activity and result in destruction of only a few trucks and trains.
25 December 1944
8th AFF
Over 350 HBs hit 18 tgts (mostly rail bridges and comm centers) in the tac area W of the Rhine.
9 escorting ftr gps encounter over 300 ftrs and claim more than 40 kills.
9th AAF
Nearly 650 MBs and LBs hit rail and road bridges, comm centers and T/Os in W Germany and breakthrough area.
Ftrs, including an Eighth AF gp loaned to Ninth, escort 9th Bomb Div, fly patrols and armed rcn, and spt US :
- III Corps
- VIII Corps
- XII Corps
along S battleline of enemy salient from Echternach to NW of Neufchateau.
12th AAF
Clearing weather in Po Valley permits FBs to successfully cut numerous rail lines running N to
Brenner Pass, and lines in E Po Valley, destroying or damaging several locomotives.
15th AAF
253 HBs hit Brux synthetic oil plant and main M/Y at Wels.
145 others bomb M/Ys at Plattling, Villach, Hall, Graz, Innsbruck, and Rosswein and Innsbruck AA position and rail siding.
Over 30 ftrs escort Brux - Wels - Rosswein - Plattling raids.
Other P-38’s and P-51’s fly rcn escort and cover MATAF B-25’s on Yugoslav supply run.
26 December 1944
8th Air Force
Over 100 HBs attack 3 M/Ys and 2 bridges at Andernach, Neuwied, Sinzig, and Niederlahnstein, and
3 other tgts in W German battle area.
5 ftr gps fly escort and 2 others fly sweeps in Bonn area.
9th AAF
9th Bomb Div attacks road junctions, rail bridges, rail head, comm and casual tgts in breakthrough
area as enemy’s westward drive ends short of the Maas R.
Ftrs fly escort, armed rcn, sweeps, and spt US :
- III Corps
- VIII Corps
S of Bastogne, as US 4th Armored Division breaks ring around the city.
12th AAF
Good weather permits operations in force for first time in several days.
During 25-26 December A-20’s bomb area between battleline and Bologna, attack lights, motor transport, and railroads in Po Valley, and hit Vicenza A/F.
During the day MBs concentrate on Brenner Pass and hit Padua, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Ponte di Piave, Dolce, Pordenone railroad bridge, and 2 dumps in Bologna area.
FBs bomb railways, especially Brenner line, bridges in Po Valley, and NE Italy, spt US Fifth Army forces S of Bologna and in Serchio R Valley where Germans begin series of counterattacks, and hit shipping at La Spezia and Genoa.
15th AAF
Around 380 B-24’s and B-17’s bomb Odertal, Blechhammer S, and Auschwitz oil refineries, railroad
bridge at Ora and viaduct at Avisio, plus scattered T/Os 26 P-38’s bomb railroad bridge at Latisana.
P38’s and P-51’s escort the HB missions.
27 December 1944
8th AAF
Nearly 600 HBs attack tgts in battle area of W Germany, including 8 M/Ys, 4 rail bridges, 2 rail junctions, cities of Hildesheim and Eckfeld, and 13 T/Os.
4 ftr gps fly spt.
5 other gps on sweeps engage about 200 ftrs in combat, claiming about 30 kills.
9th AAF
9th Bomb Div attacks rail bridges, comm centers, and T/Os in Germany and Belgium.
Ftrs escort bmrs, fly patrols and armed rcn, and spt US :
- 3rd Armored Division
- 82nd Airborne Divison
in Manhay and Trois-Ponts area.
Support also to US :
- III Corps
- VIII Corps
- XII Corps
in St Hubert - Bastogne - Martelange area.
12th AAF
On 26 - 27 December A-20’s bomb pontoon bridges at Ficarolo, road bridges at Ostiglia and Castel Maggiore, San Benedetto Po crossing, Turin A/F, and several Po Valley roads.
MBs blast 3 Brenner area routes leading into Austria and Yugoslavia, and bomb 2 supply dumps in Bologna area.
FBs devote main effort to spt US Fifth Army in Serchio Valley area where counterattacks are being successfully halted.
Other FBs hit comm in Po Valley and escort MBs and C-47’s dropping supplies to Italian partisans.
15th AAF
520-plus HBs bomb Vosendorf oil refinery, Linz ordnance depot, M/Ys at Wiener-Neustadt, Villach,
Klagenfurt, Bruck an der Mur, Graz, and Maribor, Feldbach railroad junction, Brenner rail line,
Venzone viaduct, and Vipiteno and Bressanone railroad bridges.
44 P-38’s bomb bridges at Latisana and Casarsa della Delizia.
29 P-51’s strafe railroad tgts between Vienna and Linz.
Other ftrs fly over 250 escort sorties.
28 December 1944
8th AAF
More than 1100 HBs attack 9 M/Ys, 4 bridges, and several cities and T/Os in W German tac area.
11 gps of P-51’s fly spt.
4 other ftr gps sweep Bonn - Koblenz area.
9th AFF
Weather prevents all combat operations except night-ftr missions.
12th AAF
MBs attack troop concentration at Aulla, dump at Mirabello Monferrato, 3 rail lines from Austria and
Yugoslavia into NE Italy by hitting bridges at Chiusaforte and Bodrez, and viaduct at Borovnica.
XXII TAC planes spt US Fifth Army in Serchio Valley, where counterattacks are repulsed, hit roads and
bridges, and destroy a number of vehicles, many at a motor transport depot near Aulla which the ftrs
bomb and strafe.
During 27 - 28 December LBs bomb lights and motor transport at almost 50 places throughout Po Valley and Brenner area.
15th AAF
480-plus HBs attack Regensburg oil storage and freight yard in Germany, M/Ys at Zwettl, Amstetten,
Kallwang, Hieflau, and Salzburg, oil refineries at Kralupy nad Vltava, Kolin, and Pardubice, oil storage
and sidings at Roudnice nad Labem, Nymburk railroad bridge at Kammern, Brenner rail line, and
Bressanone and Venzone railroad bridges.
P-38’s and P-51’s fly over 350 sorties in spt of HBs.
29 December 1944
8th AAF
750-plus HBs strike 5 M/Ys, 4 bridges, 6 comm centers, dock area, 5 city areas, and several T/Os in
W Germany.
10 P-51 gps fly close escort and 2 gps later strafe rail transportation.
3 other gps fly area spt.
9th AAF
Weather causes recall of over 100 bmrs except for 7 which bomb St Vith comm center and
Keuchingen road bridge.
XIX TAC flies armed rcn over Belgium and Germany and supports US :
- III Corps
- VIII Corps
- XII Corps
in the Neufchateau - Bastogne - Arlon areas.
12th AAF
During 28 - 29 December LBs pound motor transports, ferry crossings, road bridges, rail line, and T/Os
throughout NW and NC Po Valley.
MBs during the day blast the Rovereto bridge and Lavis viaduct, attack several bridges in NE Italy destroying center span of bridge at Pordenone, and severely damage bridge at Motta di Livenza.
FBs concentrate on comm tgts in extreme W end of battle area, with excellent results on bridges in Massa Lombarda area and destroy numerous vehicles and several locomotives.
15th AAF
Almost 450 HBs attack M/Ys at Innsbruck, Passau, Rosenheim, Landshut, Salzburg, and Verona,
Brenner rail line, Castelfranco Veneto and Udine locomotive repair depots, and Bressanone railroad
bridge.
14 P-38’s bomb road bridge S of Rosenheim.
Around 300 other P-38’s and P-51’s fly escort and rcn missions.
30 December 1944
8th AAF
Over 1,200 HBs hit 8 M/Ys, 6 bridges, rail junction and city area, and 13 T/Os in W Germany.
11 ftr gps fly escort, 2 others fly area sweeps.
9th AAF
Weather forces recall and cancellation of 9th Bomb Div and IX TAC missions.
XXIX TAC flies armed rcn over battle area and around Wallersheim and XIX TAC covers large areas of France, Belgium, and Germany hitting numerous ground tgts and supports US :
- III Corps
- VIII Corps
- XII Corps
in the St Hubert - Bastogne and Diekirch areas.
12th AAF
MBs concentrate major effort on rail line running N to Brenner Pass, hitting fill at Dolce and bridges at
Calliano, Ala, and Santa Margherita d’Adige, and ammo dump at Bologna.
FBs blast road bridges, spt US Fifth Army SE of La Spezia, and hit bridges in Mantua and Modena areas.
During 29 - 30 Dec LBs hit T/Os at numerous N Italian locations, including Ghedi A/F, and train S of Mantua.
31 December 1944
8th AFF
1200 plus HBs hit 5 oil refineries, an aircraft plant, Uboat yards, 2 A/Fs, T/Os in N Germany, 6
bridges, 3 comm centers, 3 M/Ys, a detraining point, a city area, several T/Os in W Germany and
Helgoland.
14 escorting ftr gps engage about 150 ftrs, mostly in Hamburg area, and claim about 60 kills.
HBs lose 14 to the ftrs, and claim 26 ftrs destroyed.
9th AAF
Weather grounds bmrs.
Frs fly sweeps and armed rcn, attacking numerous ground tgts.
XIX TAC supports US :
- III Corps
- VIII Corps
- XX Corps
around Bastogne and between Mosel and Saar Rivers in Merzig area.
12th AAF
During 30 - 31 December A-20’s again fly intruder missions, bombing a variety of tgts, including motor transport, bridges, and railroads in Po Valley.
During the day MBs hit bridge at Bodrez, railroads at Piazzola Sul Brenta and near Padua, and a dump.
XXII TAC FBs destroy 5 and damage 2 railway bridges in Po Valley, cut rail lines at numerous places, destroy several locomotives, and destroy or damage 200 plus railway cars.
Collecting Infos(Bombing of Malmedy) (Whatya doin guys ?)
001
(From a Veteram of the 30th Infantry Division)
During the Battle of the Bulge our support troops were in a Belgian town called Malmedy. One clear day, December 23rd 1944, the Air Corps bombed the city and killed many headquarter personnel, cooks and supply people. When told of their mistake they said they did not know American troops were that deep into enemy controlled territory. Then they came back the next day, December 24th 1944 and bombed the town again. And again on December 25th for the 3rd day.
We were strafed so many times by American fighter planes we called the Air Corp the American Luftwaffe.
The men of the 30th Infantry Division were extremely cautious when American fighter planes were in the area and I only saw one man killed by one.
We were in the second section of a truck convoy going from Germany to Belgium to fight in the Ardennes and to stop the German breakthrough. The convoy had stopped because the first section had been strafed by American fighter planes. As we sat in the trucks a Mustang fighter started to circle us, very slowly about tree top altitude. Almost all the men disembarked from the trucks and took cover in the trees on the side of the road. The convoy leader’s driver told him :
that Son of a Bitch is going to strafe us !
The officer replied :
Nonsense !
and climbed up on the hood of his command car, holding a recognition panel : one glossy hunter orange colored panel about 6 ft. by 2 ft. When a pilot sights this he is to be aware that there are American vehicles or troops near the panel, in front of him with his arms outstretched. The plane flew up the road tree top high, machine guns blazing, shot the officer through the panel into his chest and knocked the first four trucks out of action. It flew away.
We didn’t think much of the Army Air Corp. We thought they just shot up anything, dropped bombs anywhere and then went back to the four Bs; Britain, Booze, Broads, and Bed.
I am aware the Air Corp had lost many men before the Infantry ever set foot in France. The reason they killed more of us then German Air Force is because they destroyed the enemy air power before D-Day.
I will add every files related to this action
Gunter G. Gillot Jr, born 1955 Aachen, Germany, Belgian Citizen, and one of the best in the area : US World War Two Military Photos, Movies, Ammunitions and Militaria. As, Charles B. McDonald, one of America's top Military Historian and World War Two Veteran said once to me : Gunter, now ya gonna tell me how do you managed to know the thing as well as a veteran that fought in the Battle of Bulge ! This is as amazing as incredible.
