Date: 29 April 1944

MISSION #20

BASE: Castelluccio dei Sauri

TARGET: Toulon, France--Naval Base, Submarine Repair Facilities and Arsenal 

SHIP: Sakinshack …256

ESCORT: Rendezvoused with 100 P-38’s (82nd and 14th Fighter Groups) and 20 P-51’s (31st Fighter Group) 25 miles southwest of Toulon. They stayed with us over the target and 100 miles out to sea on withdrawal. This is the first time we have had P-51 escorts.

BOMBS: 6 x 1000 lb. General Purpose from 22,750 feet.

ENEMY AIRCRAFT: Eight ME-109’s and 3 FW-190’s seen in target area, all sky blue color without belly tanks. Our escort kept the enemy aircraft away from us.

FLAK: Intense Volume, Very Accurate Aim, Heavy Caliber

RESULTS: Good hits on munitions factory, adjacent buildings and nearby marshalling yard. Marine installations and sub pens took a pounding from a large tonnage of bombs. Very heavy smoke screen and smudge pots obscured the target area. One crew claimed a direct hit on a war ship in the harbor. Several ships were seen apparently leaving the harbor to escape the bombing. U-421 confirmed sunk.

SORTIES: 1 Total: 27

MISSION TIME: 8:30 Total: 131:15

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NARRATIVE: The first time we came to Toulon we were on the right wing of our flight and the lead aircraft exploded. One minute he was there and the next he was gone. Other lead aircraft were targeted and shot down as well. This time we were the lead of our flight and nervous to be in that position. But we had a wonderful escort of P-38’s and P-51’s. Seventeen groups were over the target--more than 550 B-17’s and B-24’s. Such a tremendous force must have been awe inspiring to the comparatively defenseless people on the ground.

It seemed colder than usual. And the lead group took us in on the wrong axis and all groups made a wide circle for a second run on the target. This kept us in the flak too long. The flak was the most accurate I have seen. SAKINSHACK was holed but not seriously. I saw one B-24 explode with eight chutes opening. Another went down with three chutes opening. Our radio operator, Sgt. Shipe, said that on the radio he heard one crew throwing everything overboard to lighten the ship, up to and possibly including the heaviest crewmember.