Posted By Laura Edge on June 12, 2005 at 09:31:08:
In Reply to: 96th B/Grp, 12 May 1944 Op. posted by Tony on June 10, 2005 at 14:32:06:
On May 12th, 1944, Oil refineries were targets in the Leipzig area of Germany and a German operated plant on the border of Czechoslovakia.
According to the London Times(May 13th, 1944) the following targets were bombed. "The Lenna refinery at Merseburg; the Luzendorf factory 14 miles south of Halle; the Bohlen plant, just outside Leipzig; the refinery at Zeitz; and the factory at Brux, on the border of Czechosovakia. In addition the fighter aitcraft repair plant at Zwichau, south of Liepzig, and the railway yards at Zwick were attacked."
My father was with the 96th bomb group and was shot down May 12th near Usingen, north of Frankfort. The MACR report (#5359) lists his intended target the oil refineries in Brux, Czechoslovakia. Other papers list Zwickau, Czechoslovakia as the target. On that day 26 Fortresses were dispatched from the 96th; only 14 returned to base.