Lt. Mark J. Woods, Jr.'s Diary

398th Bomb Group
Memorial
Association

Lt. Mark J. Woods, Jr.'s Diary
Navigator, 600th Squadron

Woods Mission No. 16

**19 June 1944**
**Target** **Cazeaux, France**
Total combat hours to date=106:30 Date: June 19, 1944 Mission #16 Location of target: Cazeaux, France 35 miles south of Bordeau Type of target: Fighter trainer airfield Load: 2300 gals of gas and 33-100 lb. bombs Altitude: 21,500 feet over the target, 30,000 feet on way home Flight Time: 8:30 hours Escort: Area cover (did not see a single escort fighter) Force of raid: One group of 36 planes (all 398th Bomb Group) to our target. First division went to the same area. Position: Number three of low squadron of low group Opposition: Light flak in and out. No flak over the target. There was a big blanket of flak over Bordeaux. Battle damage: None Results: Hit our target as briefed. I saw bombs land. They hit on gas storage tanks. Explosion and fire belched 500 feet into the air. Some planes were on the ground. Visual bombing. Day's losses: 11 bombers, 7 fighters for 8th AF Remarks: German B-17s in the vicinity again as yesterday. They enter into formation, flash colors of the day, read our air speed, altitude and course of our formation and then leave. We lost 2 planes over Hamburg because of these actions yesterday. The 381st Bomb Group lost one, 91st Bomb Group lost two today because of this. A 398th B-17 crashed on the beach in England.

Notes:

Lt. Mark J. Woods, Jr. was a Navigator on Stanley R. Reed's 600th Squadron crew.
The above transcription was provided by Carolyn Woods and Joe K. Mansell.
This transcription is a reproduction of the original. Spelling and punctuation changes have been made to improve readability. In some circumstances, material may not have been transcribed or was rewritten.
Clarification of acronyms or special words or guesses of certain words are shown in brackets [ ].

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