Description
The Schweinfurt Edition – BLACK THURSDAY – 14 OCTOBER 1943
Briefing at 0500 hours on the morning of 14 October 1943 brought the crews of the 92nd
Bomb Group news they didn’t want to hear: “It’s Schweinfurt again!” The same message was
being repeated in USAAF bomb group briefing rooms all over eastern England in the early
hours of what was to become forever known as “Black Thursday’~
The weeks following the 17 August mission to Schweinfurt were some of the toughest faced by the bomber crews of the Eighth Air Force; losses of aircraft and men were higher than ever before and the seven-day period commencing Friday 8 October 1943 would come to be known as ‘Black Week’. Thursday 14 October would prove the most deadly of them all.
Responding to intelligence indicating increasing Luftwaffe fighter strength, the decision was taken to attack the ball-bearing plant at Schweinfurt for the second time in three months. Over 400 Fortresses and Liberators would make the 920 mile, seven hour trip – 370 miles of the journey without fighter escort – in an all-out effort to stem the flow of new fighters reaching Luftwaffe front line units.
For the second time in three months the mission would once again mean a 960-mile, seven-hour round trip and the crews knew that the last 370 miles to the target were beyond the range of their escorts. Having faced the ordeal once, the prospect was terrifying.
To make matters worse bad weather plagued the start; fog over Norfolk meant that under half the Second Division’s B-24s got airborne – a force too small for the mission ahead and, instead of continuing to Schweinfurt, they were dispatched to diversionary targets.
The 92nd Bomb Group’s mission leader, Colonel Budd Peaslee knew the score: As soon as the escorting P-47 Thunderbolts reached their maximum range and turned for home, the loitering Luftwaffe fighters would pounce. And so it was on that crisp autumn day. The moment the fighters departed some 400 enemy fighters ripped into the vulnerable bomber formations spewing rockets and cannon; the B- 17 gunners made valiant attempts to repel the onslaught, but the result was carnage. For three hours the surviving bombers thundered on, their ranks thinning as continuing enemy attacks pressed home. Just 12 of the 92nd’s 21 aircraft made it through to the target. Turning for home the weary crews knew they had to face the flak and enemy fighters all the way home until within range of Allied escort fighters. The USAAF’s 1st Division alone lost 60 Fortresses with 600 men missing before the day was out.
The Third Division, following on a slightly more southerly route, fared better on the outbound journey to Schweinfurt but as they turned after bombing it was their turn to take a pummelling – and worse was to come. A quarter of the force that had set out for Schweinfurt that morning failed to return.
Bruised, battered and running out of fuel, the survivors staggered home, with some just glad to put down on the nearest airfield they could find. Although the raid had destroyed production – it would be months before the ball-bearing plants were running smoothly again – the overall losses suffered by the Eighth were again horrendous.
Robert Taylor’s majestic new painting shows Colonel Budd Peaslee’s B-17 Equipose, piloted by Kemp McLaughlin, leading the Fortresses of the 92nd Bomb Group en-route to the vital ball-bearing factories at Schweinfurt. High over Germany, beyond the range of Allied fighter cover, the unprotected B-17s come under relentless attack from enemy fighters. Losses are high. Undeterred, the valiant crews press on to the target, their determination and courage on that “Black Thursday” forever etched into aviation folklore.
All editions: Overall Print Size: 36″ wide x 24″ high (Image Size: 29 1/2″ wide x 16″ high)
The SCHWEINFURT EDITION has also been individually signed by
10 veterans from the second Schweinfurt mission plus the artist Robert Taylor.
General J. KEMP MCLAUGHLIN
First Lieutenant WILBUR ‘BUD’ KLINT
First Lieutenant JOHN P. NOACK
First Lieutenant FREDERICK J. BIRD
Technical Sergeant JACK R. GOETZ
Captain MALCOLM H. HIGGINS
Technical Sergeant BILL E. MARTIN
Chief Master Sergeant ROY C. McGINNIS
Captain JAMES A. ‘PETE’ MULLINAX
Staff Sergeant BEN ROBERTS
325 Schweinfurt Edition prints with TEN signatures
