Mission No. 28
Date – January 10, 1945
Assigned Target – Airfield West of Cologne, Germany
Target Attacked – As Briefed.
Results – Excellent.
Aircraft Number – M-8373-K (PFF)
Bomb Load – 38 100 lb. G.P. 2 Smoke.
Position in Formation – Group Lead.
Time – 7 hrs. 30 min.
Bombing Altitude – 28,200'
Casualties – None.
Damage – Left Aileron Trim Tab shot away; Structural damage to fuselage at tail; minor flak damage to wings and elevators and main fuselage.
Losses – None.
Loading List.
CA – Capt. Scofield, Frank, O.
Pilot – Capt. Arlin, A. A.
Co-P. – 2nd Lt. Buffalow, Bill
Nav. – Capt. Pickett, P. E.
Nav. – 1st Lt. Kozak, S. V.
Mickey – 2nd Lt. McPherson, D. E.
Bomb. – 1st Lt. Veley, Lester
Eng. – T/Sgt. Chmielewski, R. J.
Radio – T/Sgt. Clements, J. N.
W. G. – S/Sgt. Carter, C. M.
W. G. – S/Sgt. Hoffman, A. W.
Editor's Note: The target for January 10, 1945 was Ostheim which is just west of Cologne.
Mission No. 28
Date – January 10, 1945
We really earned our money today. At the time of briefing, the sky looked foul and it was snowing quite hard. This continued off and on until after take off time. When we went out to the ship, it was covered with snow and ice. It was no little job to get it cleaned up and in condition to fly with the limited amount of equipment available. However, take off time found us in take off position almost ready to go. The wings and tail still had quite a load of fresh snow on them, and ice that we were unable to get off.
When take off time came around, I poured the coal on it and hoped for the best. It was still snowing like the devil, and the visibility was down to zero zero. There was a healthy crosswind that gave me a little trouble in keeping it on the runway, but with a lot of rudder it was managed. I reached the far end of the runway and at the last second hauled back on the wheel and prayed that it would come off.
We didn’t immediately climb out to the assembly buncher because the control tower called and said it didn’t look like the rest of the group was going to get off. As we circled the field at low altitude, I could see what the trouble was. Four ships had taxied off of the icy perimeter track and were stuck. These happened at four places around the field so all the rest of the ships were tied up. The ship that was to have taken off behind us didn’t quite make it and had crashed into a truck parked near the far end of the runway, smashing up both ship and truck. M/Sgt. Wallace, one of our best crew chiefs, was killed in the truck. After circling the field for about half an hour, things were straightened out enough that ships again started to take off.
The weather at the buncher was much worse than briefed. We were to have assembled at 18,000 feet, but the clouds were up over 22,000 feet so we made our assembly at 23,000 feet. We were way behind time on assembling due to the delay in take off and the extra altitude. We left the buncher with a total of 14 ships. Bassingborne was to furnish our high squadron; three of their ships showed up. When we left the English coast, we had a total of 18 ships. According to S.O.P., no Group is to go on a mission unless it has a total of more than 24 ships. I stuck my neck out for a court marshal and went on in with what I had. I wasn’t going to turn back no matter how many ships I didn’t have.
The weather over to the continent was also much worse than briefed. We were to have gone on in and bombed at 25,000 feet, but the clouds between us and the target forced us up to 28,000 feet. On the way in, it was impossible for us to catch up with our wing, and I felt awfully conspicuous up there with so few ships, so I tacked on to the first group I could find and went on into the target area with them. I didn’t want to be caught out there by myself with so few ships by Jerry because he would have chopped us up into little pieces. After we reached the target area, still no fighter escort could be seen so I was glad to have someone around.
When we reached the area of the I.P., the weather was about 5/10. We broke off from this other group and headed in for the target. Our deputy had the G.H. ship, so we turned the lead over to him for the bomb run. About halfway up the run, the G.H. went out, so we took the lead back and prepared to make a mickey run on the city of Köln. At the last minute, Veley was able to pick up the airfield which was our primary target, and make a visual run on it. He did a nice job. We really plastered it.
The flak into the target area was spotted and didn’t give us too much trouble. After we turned off the I.P. and headed up toward the target, the flak began to knock hell out of the formation. Everyone was getting hit pretty hard and often. They were really doing some good shooting. No one went down by the time the bombs were released, and after that Jerry had a hard time hitting us. I could see the flak was much heavier in the area directly ahead and to the left of us, and that what was hitting us had a tendency to be a little high, so I took the formation around in a wild diving turn to the right. The flak tried to stay with us, but we got out of it without much more damage. Coming back, I saw another group leaving the target area so I cut them off and flew along with them until we passed our lines, then I broke off and came directly back to the base.
Andrews had a huge hole through his left wing and had considerable other damage. He landed in France; his crew is all O.K. The rest of the ships came on back with me and landed at the base after letting down through a hole over the field. The landing was a normal formation landing.
At no time during the mission did I see or was I able to contact any fighters, either friendly or enemy. That was the reason I made sure I was right close to another group with my 18 ships.
When we got back we had more wounded than usual, but no one dead. The ships were pretty well shot up, but all of them will be back in the air before too long.
Note: In an October 24, 1985 letter, H.O. Stallings, Alan Arlin's original co-pilot provided the following information in regard to the Arlin diary. "On 1/10/45, I flew with Andrews - we didn’t land in France, it was Antwerp. Most of the left outer wing panel was blown off, 3 and 4 oxygen systems were out, one engine was out, two men wounded."
