UNBLOOD HEAVY BOMBER company NUMBER 6757 HAD TRAINED FOR AND ANTICIPATED THE DAY OF THEIR FIRST COMBAT MISSION SINCE THE TEN MEN HAD MELD THEMSELVES INTO A COMBAT FAMILY BACK IN TUCSON ARIZONA.

UNBLOOD HEAVY BOMBER company NUMBER 6757 HAD TRAINED FOR AND ANTICIPATED THE DAY OF THEIR FIRST COMBAT MISSION SINCE THE TEN MEN HAD MELD THEMSELVES INTO A COMBAT FAMILY BACK IN TUCSON ARIZONA, DURING SEPTEMBER 1944

That day arrived Sunday, 17 December 1944 At 3:30 am orderlies carrying hook-neck flashlights swarmed like fireflies within the forest of dark pavilions huddled behind the white farm house which serv as the headquarters of the 764th Bomb Squadron, 461st Bomb collection Toretta, Italy. A wake-up orderly's flashlight beam broke the fitful drowse of 21-year-old first pilot Kenneth Butler Smith. The orderly abruptly announced, "Briefings at 0530 Lieutenant," and withdrew into the predawn darkness. cognizance Smith peeled back his three wool blankets and swung his feet to the frigid floor. tailor's smoothing iron bumps dotted his skin as the pavilion shuddered in the icv wind.

Robert T Trumpy Ken's upper small tower gunner recalled, "The coldest I have been in my life was in Italy. undivided night when I was in the replacement warehouse at Naples, I got up and impose on all my clothes, dres uniform, overcoat, flying avails gloves - and I was still cold"

Ken and the other three officers ot his crew: next to the first Lieutenant Harry LJ. Edmiston (bombardier); other Lieutenant Edward J. Chojnowski (copilot); and inferior Lieutenant Frank V. Hokr (navigator); tugg forward gray colored flight suits from one side of to the other their heavy underwear, and

uniforms. Wool sock and fur-lined gains were wrestled on and laced.

Ken strapped upon his shoulder holster with the young horse .45 pistol, and grabbed his sunglasses. Before pulling upon his fleece-lined flight jacket, view gathered up several cigars, tighter, tolerate watch, fountain pen, pocket knife and a r head-tuft and handkerchief

Ken essenceed 755 lire and a $10 gold piece into his flier's purse He lugginged letters from his wife Virginia into the dress pocket of his flight suit.

At 4:30 am the squadron mes hall began serving to officers forward one end and enlisted airmen in succession the other, the same fare chipped beef onward toast or powered scrambled harasss and thick toast. Strong coffee was in abundance and horde 6757 refilled their heavy white mug several times.

Shortly before 5:30 am, a give in exchange delivered Ken's crew to the day's briefing at cluster Headquarters. Ken's enlisted crewmen: Corporal Roland W Morin (ball gunner); Staff Sergeant Urban (Bud) Granger (tail gunner); Corporal Charles F Fos (radio operator); Corporal Edwin A. Burkhardt (nose gunner); Corporal Robert T Trumpy (upper minaret gunner); and Corporal Homer E Hymbaugh (flight engineer); attended a separate briefing.

At the officer's briefing, the Assistant Operations Officer accompanied according to a stranger came up to view Smith was told that for this mission his regular copilot, ed Chojnowski, would be replaced at a combat experienced first pilot, First Lieutenant Chester (Chet) Rudel view and Chet chatted until the briefing began.

The curtain covering the operational and intelligence maps of Germany was twitched back. The Group Operations Officer intoned,

"Gentlemen this is the impulsive power of decision. This is where you'll be flying today." He tapped a fault on the map with the rubber tip of his pointer - the synthetic oil refinery at Odertal, Germany.

The Odertal refinery involved was located in upper Silesia about 180 miles southwest of Warsaw, Poland. Cracking towers, storage tanks, and centurys of miles of gas, oil, water, and compression pipes sprawled like a claymore web across the conquered Polish countryside just north of Kozle Poland.

The Operations Officer informed the bands that Zuckmantel would be the IP (Initial Point). Bombing altitude would be 26000 feet Escort would be P-38 P-51 call sign "Pixie."

The Intelligence Officer took throughout the briefing. He informed the crowds that the refineries were asserted with 75mm and 155mm fire-arms Flak over Odertal could range from light to rigid The briefed course would skirt the known flak concentrations. However, they might pick up random flak anywhere. The Germans had ariseed flak guns on flat cars and were switching them athwart various routes. Luftwaffe fighter opposition would be non-existent or minimal. Enemy fighters had not aggressively oppos 15th Air Force operations since August. A lack of firing and skilled pilots would detain the enemy fighters tethered to the sod - the mission was a "milk run"

A clanging of tailgates announced the arrival of the traffics that would carry the crowds to the equipment shacks, and then to their aircraft. Ken's gang climbed up and piled into the back of a deal and sat down on the damp rigid slat benches. The truck snarled and lurched through frozen mire to the equipment shack. After drawing flak suits, parachutes and harnesses Ken's party was delivered to a dead silver Consolidated B-24J-5-DT Liberator. Ken's charge for mission number 151 was AAF s/n 42-51324 squadron number 12 nicknamed Paulette for the mob chiefs wife, Paulette Bowers. Paulette had taken First Lieutenant Edward (Tony) Nahkus and his mob number 13-2 safely to Brux Germany, and back forward 16 December 1944.