Dailies of the 323rd - the 91st Bomb Group!

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2 – 3 May 1944: On May 2 and 3 , there were no operational
missions due to adverse weather conditions. The “A” crew was on
pass. Considerable local flying was done, and all the synthetic
trainers and ground school classes were well attended.
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4 May 1944: On the 4 , there was a mission with Berlin Germany
as the target; however, due to adverse weather conditions, it was
recalled after about two hours from takeoff. Ten ships from this
squadron made the start.
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5 May 1944: On the 5 , there was no mission scheduled. Crews
engaged in ground school and training. As they had been flying a
good bit the last several days, they were not required to attend
as extensive as is usually the case.
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6 May 1944: On the 6 , Sottevast, France was the target. Ships
went over the target but did not drop bombs due to the targets
being obscured by clouds. This was considered an abortive-sortie;
meaning that the mission was not carried out but the crews were
credited with a mission. This squadron sent six ships as follows:
#580, Lt. Gorby and crew; #075, Lt. Riser and crew; #276, Lt.
Thomas and crew; #040, Lt. Knight and crew; #938, Lt. Maxwell and
crew; #975, Lt. Wilkinson and crew. Ship #075 aborted before
leaving the English Coast due to failure of No. 2 Engine. The
crew was given credit for engineering abortive, since the
abortive was not due to personnel failure.
On this date, six individuals completed their “Tours of Duty” as
follows: 1/Lt. Cecil G. Gorby, Pilot; 1/Lt. Roy L. Jones,
Bombardier; T/Sgt. Anthony J. Klazura, Engineer; T/Sgt. Lewis E.
Hendrix, Radio Operator; S/Sgt. James E. Davis, Waist Gunner; and
S/Sgt. Laddie F. Chavatol, Ball Turret Gunner. All the abovenamed
are awaiting assignment to other duty.
Individuals remaining on the ground carried out an extensive
ground school schedule. It is becoming even more apparent, that
time so spent, pays dividends in the air.
7 May 1944: Today, Berlin, Germany was the target. The mission
was completed but results of bombing remained unobserved due to
the overcast. This Squadron sent seven ships as follows: Ship
#040, Capt. Ranzoni and crew; #276, Lt. Bruce and crew; #580, Lt.
Kovachevich and crew; #304, Lt. Pryor and crew; #909, Lt. Klinger
and crew; #975, Lt. Collier and crew; #938, Lt. Maxwell and crew.
Ship #938 aborted due to malfunction of supercharger. Also, ship
#276 aborted. This was due to a malfunction of the oxygen system.
#580 failed to return. Before reaching the target, one of its
engines had quit. Later on reports were that it had been seen on
its way back, coming near the enemy coast. Several ships from