Kassel Mission

The Kassel Mission on 27 September 1944 was also known as the air battle over the Seulingswald. The mission aimed to destroy the factories in Kassel of the engineering works of Henschel & Sohn which built tracked armoured vehicles (the "Tiger" and "Panther" tanks) and their associated infrastructure. See bombing of Kassel in World War II.

Main battle

For this mission the 8th Air Force dispatched 283 B-24 Liberator bombers of the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing and, as escorts, 198 P-51 Mustang fighters.

As the result of a navigation error, the lead ship of the 445th Bombardment Group turned almost due east instead of east-southeast and its 35 bombers bypassed Kassel, deciding instead to bomb the railway facilities in the town of Göttingen.[1] The marshalling yard and the repair shop were, however, missed. As a result of the change, of course, the bombers lost their fighter escort on the return flight.[1] Around 11:00 am they turned west over the Seulingswald forest between Bad Hersfeld and Eisenach and were almost immediately attacked by 150 fighters[1] of the German Jagdgeschwader 3 (Udet), 4 and 300. These fighter wings had Bf 109s and Fw 190 which had been specially adapted and equipped with extra armour and 20 and 30 mm cannon for attacking bomber formations. The air battle only lasted for a few minutes "but it was a horrendous attack"[1] and 25 bombers were shot down across an area 15 miles (24 km) across and went down over the Seulingswald.[2] Total losses were avoided by the late arrival of the 361st Fighter Group. Besides, six other bombers crashed on the return flight to their home base at Tibenham in Norfolk, England; and only four bombers made it back home.[1]

American losses were 31 B-24 Liberator bombers and one P-51 Mustang. 118 Americans were killed, of which 11 were murdered after parachuting to safety. 121 Americans ended up in German POW camps and survived.

German losses came to 29 fighters and 18 pilots killed. Also, seven unknown persons in a German medical base died when a German aeroplane crashed on it.[3]

This air battle was one of the largest confrontations between the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the Luftwaffe which was barely still active at this time.

Follow-up operations

In the days after the battle, USAAF aircraft dropped leaflets over the suspected landing zones to try and protect crews that had parachuted to safety from being lynched. Near the town limits of Bad Hersfeld carpet bombing was carried out to create fear of the American air force.

Memorial site

On 1 August 1990, an airmen's memorial was unveiled at the crash site of the lead ship of the US bomber group in the Seulingswald near Ludwigsau-Friedlos to commemorate the fallen and as a gesture of reconciliation.[4]

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References
  1. Overview of the Kassel Mission at www.kasselmission.org. Retrieved 17 Sept 2019.
  2. Mission Map at www.kasselmission.org. Retrieved 17 Sept 2019.
  3. "The disaster of the 445th Bomber Group of the 8th USAAF (German)". barrierefrei.ludwigsau.de. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 20 Oct 2017.
  4. "Ludwigsau – Fliegergedenkstätte der Gemeinde Ludwigsau". ludwigsau.de. Retrieved 20 Oct 2017.

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