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

kept the enemy fighters from giving our ships any trouble. The
flak was moderately heavy but inflicted little damage to our
planes. Our ground crews soon made them ready for another mission
the next day. Such events tend to raise morale among all the men
both ground and air echelons. While no enemy planes were shot
down by our gunners, the primary purpose of the mission was
accomplished. We dropped our bombs on the target and returned
safely without loss of ships or personnel. Flying personnel, who
did not participate in today's mission, took training on the
ground. The basic policy is to stress training so as to enable
each individual to be occupied in developing his ability to the
highest degree as well as building morale. A man on the ground
doing nothing while his comrades are in the air slugging it out
with the enemy is far from happy. He should have something to
occupy his mind until the ships come home.
5 Jan. 1944: Again, eight ships took off. This time the target
was Tours, France. Nine were scheduled but Ship #372 did not
succeed in taking off due to mechanical failure. Ships # 774,
428, 739, 712, 070, 939, 172, and 746 flew over the target and
dropped their bombs. Capt. Thompson, 2/Lt. Pickard, 2/Lt.
Maziarz, Capt. Dalton, Lt. Sutherland and 2/Lt. Harding, 1/Lt.
Samuelson and 2/Lt. Kolts and their crews flew their ships in the
order indicated above. The fighter escort was again on the job
and prevented the enemy fighters from coming within close range
of our guns. Damage by enemy anti-aircraft guns was slight.
Some of our gunners witnessed or experienced the effects of flak
hitting their ships. It is not a pleasant sound, but so long as
the flak fails to strike the men, it is not taken very seriously.
These eight ships returned safely. Bombs were dropped in the
target area so the mission was considered as "completed" and each
man added one more to hit total toward the one they all look
forward to - twenty-five. The men on the ground, not flying, had
physical training and attended a class in Aircraft Recognition.
6 Jan. 1944: On the sixth day of the New Year, two ships made a
local cross-country flight of about three hours duration. Flights
of this nature are beneficial to both the pilot and navigator. In
this country, navigation is a very important factor in flying. It
is very easy for a ship to become lost without getting very far
away from its home base. Looking downward from above, the
countryside looks pretty much the same, so if the pilot is aiming
to land at a specific point, he must have the services of a
navigator who knows his job. Thirty man-hours were spent in
studying aircraft recognition. Tests are given the men from time
to time in order to ascertain their ability to recognize all
types of aircraft both friendly and enemy. Instructors try, by