SQUADRONS FLEW IN “DOUBLE V"

398th Bomb Group
Memorial
Association

SQUADRONS FLEW IN “DOUBLE V"

By John Bornstedt
601 Pilot

Regarding the “RDX” mission I am enclosing a copy of the flimsey of the mission so you can see the position of each plane in the formation.

As you can see, I was the farthest from the explosion but our right wing was bowed upward from the concussion and nearly all of the inspection doors on the bottom side of the right wing were flopping in the breeze.

Our only injuries were several broken ear drums and some bloody noses. We were lucky there were no collisions, with planes bouncing in every direction. Some were out of control and ultimately crashed.

About all I can remember about the inquiry was that the accidental detonation was caused by the bombs from the deputy lead plane bumping together about 100 to 200 feet below the formation. This, of course, was caused by the bombs being salvoed rather than being released by intervalometer.

The squadron flight formations on the April 13, 1945 mission featured two, five-plane “V’s”, a departure from the previously used three-plane elements in a 12-plane squadron formation.

This new alignment was initiated about April 1, 1945. The second “V” flew about 40 feet behind and 40 feet below the lead “V”.

Following were the formations on the bizarre “RDX” mission:

		LEAD SQUADRON 601

		MARCHBANKS Taylor
	Hernden		Palant
Starkey				Merritt



		Martinek
	Green		Traeder
Bornstedt				Adams

		LOW SQUADRON 600

		PETTUS Maudsley
	Eiselle		Sheffer
Nolan				Shimek



		Runnion
	Idso		Hultman
Hoelzen				Woodmansee
		McGeorge

		HIGH SQUADRON 603

		GUICE Beckstom
	Swift		Worley
Swan				King



		Aniello
	Rosenberg		Alwood
Keenan				Donovan

Printed in Flak News Volume 3, Number 1, Page(s) 4, 5, January 1988

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