Date: 10 june 1944

MISSION #31

BASE: Castelluccio dei Sauri

TARGET: Porto Marghera, Italy--Oil Storage and Refinery

SHIP: Jesse James …808

ESCORT:  Forty-eight P-38’s and P-51’s

BOMBS: 10 x 500 lb. General Purpose from 20,000 feet

ENEMY AIRCRAFT: none

FLAK: Moderate to Intense Volume, Accurate Aim, Heavy Caliber (20 guns)

RESULT: Excellent. Oil storage tanks blasted and left in smoking ruins. Main railroad between Mestre and Venice severed.

SORTIES: 1 Total: 43

MISSION TIME: 5:00 Total: 205:45

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NARRATIVE: Flak especially rough on our low flight. JESSE JAMES picked up at least sixteen holes. LONESOME POLECAT (42-52114 of the 726th) was hit by four direct bursts along fuselage, doing considerable damage to ship and resulting in them having to ditch in the Adriatic. Two crewmembers were lost at sea and the rest were injured.