Posted By Fred Preller on November 06, 2007 at 16:18:00:
In Reply to: interpreting flight records posted by Susan Gilmont on November 06, 2007 at 15:21:29:
: My father, Robert D. Gilmont, served in the 306th Bomb Group, 369th Squadron as a radio operator-gunner. Dad is gone now, and we have found his list of operational sorties. I notice that not all missions were counted. One is marked with a dash and the term ABAND - which might mean "abandoned." Others--short missions to France--are also not counted and marked with the word "SPARE." What does "SPARE" mean? Can anyone help interpret this?
The term "SPARE" means that the aircraft and crew were briefed to fly to a certain point in the mission (with full armament and ordnance load) and to be prepared to fill in for any aircraft that aborted. If no aborts, they would return to base without entering enemy territory. Typically, each group would put up a couple of spares for each mission. A spare aircraft that returned without filling in did not get credit for a combat mission, EVEN THOUGH THEY EXPERIENCED ALL OF THE HAZARDS OF FULLY OVERLOADED COMBAT TAKEOFF, CLIMBOUT, AND ASSEMBLY as all the rest of the combat mission crews.
The one marked ABAND sounds interesting. I am sure the rest of the people on the message board would like to know the group, squadron, and date! Might have been that the formation abandoned the mission due to weather or something. Please post this info and let us work on it!
Cheers,
f3