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Dagoperationer Den 5. Marts Den 5 Dagoperationer den 5. marts Den 5. marts afsendte 8th Air Force 429 tunge bombefly og 689 jagerfly mod Tyskland, hvor dagens hovedmål for 1st og 3rd Air Divisions vedkommende var brændstofinstallationerne ved Ruhland. Vejret var dog for dårligt og bombestyrken angreb i stedet for alternative mål ved hjælp af H2X. 1st og 3rd Air Division var den 5. marts henholdsvis First og Second Force. 2nd Air Division havde Hamburg og Harburg som mål og var udnævnt til at være Third Force. B-17G fra 1st Air Division i færd med at kaste bomber over Chemnitz. (Fold3) First Force First Force bestod af 151 B-17 fra 1st Air Division, der var formeret i fire Group formationer eskorteret af 197 ud af 232 afsendte P-51 fra fem Fighter Groups. First Force havde til opgave at bombe ruhland Synthetic Oil Refinery, men målet var 10/10 overskyet, hvorfor man i stedet for valgte at bombe et industriområde i Chemnitz i stedet for. Chemnitz blev bombet af 128 B-17, der kastede 304.1 tons sprængbomber og 2 tons brandbomber over byen. Bombningen blev gennemført ved hjælp af H2X idet også Chemnitz var skydækket. Enhed Fly Mål Bombelast Afsendt Bombet Sprængbomber Brandbomber 1st Air Division 351A 13 13 Chemnitz Industrial Center 231 x 250 351B 13 11 Chemnitz Industrial Center 110 x 500 351C 13 11 Chemnitz Industrial Center 197 x 250 381A 12 10 Plauen, Chemical Factory 178 x 250 20 x 70 1 Esch, Germany 18 x 250 10 x 70 1 Liedenech, Germany 18 x 250 381B 12 12 Chemnitz Industrial Center 214 x 250 20 x 70 381C 13 13 Chemnitz Industrial Center 232 x 250 20 x 70 398A 12 12 Chemnitz Industrial Center 215 x 250 398B 13 13 Chemnitz Industrial Center 130 x 500 398C 12 12 Chemnitz Industrial Center 120 x 500 457A 13 12 Chemnitz Industrial Center 120 x 500 457B 12 9 Chemnitz Industrial Center 90 x 500 457C 13 10 Chemnitz Industrial Center 100 x 500 Total 151 140 1303 x 250 70 x 70 670 x 500 Under angrebet på Chemnitz blev der kastet flyveblade med propagandamateriale og oplysninger om krigens forløb set fra allieret side. Derudover blev der kastet ark med falske rationeringsmærker samt sabotagemateriel i form af små brandbomber, som bestod af små konvolutter, der brød i brand når indholdet indtørrede. Da Chemnitz var fuldstændig dækket af skyer var det ikke muligt for besætningerne at se effekten af deres angreb. Også fly fra 3rd Air Division bombede Chemnitz i løbet af dagen og den efterfølgende aften iværksatte RAF Bomber Command et større angreb på byen, hvorfor skaderne i Chemnitz mere indgående vil blive behandet i dette afsnit. 1st Air Division rapporterede, at de havde bombet industriområde i Chemnitz, medens 3rd Air Division forsøgte at ramme rangerbanegården i byen. Den 15. marts klokken 15.15 blev Chemnitz fotograferet af et fly fra 14th Squadron og følgende fototyderrapport om skader på industri og især transportmål i Chemnitz blev udarbejdet på baggrund af disse billeder: Photographs covering the northern part of the town not previously covered after the last attacks show that the large area of devastation in the centre of the gtown extends northwards almost as far as the main railway station, and that there are many others isolated areas of severe damage. There is no apparent damage to through lines or main sidings tracks in the marshalling yards which has not been repaired or almost repaired since the attack but there is considerable damage to buildings and platform canopies in the main station and sheds and sididngs in the goods depot. In the railway repair shops several large sheds and a probable boiler house are gutted. Many groups of industrial buildings have suffered varying degrees of damage, but few are identified. These include: - Sachsische Webstahlfabrik - Herman Rieman Works - Genossenschafts - Molkerei Chemintz GmbH The town power station (priority 2) has been very severely damaged. 'F' Section notes on the Marshalling Yard Operating facilities - no damage Terminal facilities - 30% unserviceable Servicing facilities - 20% unserviceable M/Y Sidings - no damage Through running lines - 10% unserviceable Loading - moderate J E Reinecker AG i Chemnitz, der var Europas største værktøjsfabrik med 4.000 ansatte. Fabrikken var yderst vigtig for den tyske krigsproduktion, der var afhængig af fræseværktøj af høj kvalitet for at kunne fremstille våben og køretøjer. De britiske fototyderes vurdering af de enkelte faciliteter lyder: 1. Foundry 2. Workshop and possible store and despatch. 3. Large Workshop 4. Linking workshop 5. Heat treatment and hardening shop 6 Joinery and wood working 7. Workshop 8. Probable final assembly workshop 9. Workshop 10. Workshop with new extension 11. Power Plant. Heat treatment and hardening shop 12. Smithery and small parts workshop 13. Area where structural changes are taking place. Ti fly fra 381st BG 'A' valgte at bombe Plauen, hvor man kastede 22.3 tons sprængbomber og 1.1 tons brandbomber. To fly fra samme formation valgte ifølge amerikanske oplysninger i stedet for at bombe småbyerne Esch og Liedenech. Også fly fra 3rd Air Division bombede Plauen og skader i Plauen er nævnt i dette afsnit. Der var ingen luftværnsskydning over Chemnitz, men på vej til Chemnitz blev de amerikanske bombefly beskudt af tungt luftværnsskyts, der af flybesætningerne blev beskrevet som 'moderate, fairly accurate', hvorved der opstod mindre skader på 11 fly og større skader på fire fly. Jagereskorten kom i luften mellem klokken 07.03 og 07.25 og landede igen mellem klokken 12.10 og 14.00. Det kom ikke til luftkampe i løbet af missionen. En jager nødlandede på kontinentet og Lt Fred L Raffel fra 384th Fighter Squadron/364th Fighter Group sprang ud med faldskærm ved Tongers i Belgien. Hans fly, P- 51D 44-15538 blev knust ved nedstyrtningen, men Lt Raffel kom intet til. Da Second Force bombede Chemnitz den 5. marts 1945 gik man ikke efter de mange fabrikker i byen, men forsøgte at koncentrere sig om rangerbane- gården. Jernbanen blev ramt, men det blev også de omkringliggende bygninger. Second Force Second Force bestod af 152 B-17 fra 3rd Air Division, der ligeledes havde Ruhland Synthetic Oil Refinery som mål. Second Force blev eskorteret af 172 ud af 188 afsendte P-51 fra fire Fighter Groups, der kom på vingerne mellem klokken 07.39 og 08.41. Jagereskorten mødte ingen modstand og mistede heller ingen fly. De landede igen mellem klokken 13.15 og 13.46. Lt Henry W Gauger fra 339th Fighter Group mavelandede på grund af brændstofproblemer hans P-51, hvorved flyet blev kategoriseret som beskadiget Cat. E. Lt Gauger, der stammede fra Milwaukee, kom ikke noget til under nødlandingen. 105 B-17 bombede Chemnitz med 257.4 tons bomber, medens 24 andre bombede Plauen med 59.0 tons bomber. Endelig kastede 9 B-17 22.5 tons bomber over Fulda. Alle tre mål blev af 8th Air Force beskrebet som Chemical Factory, hvilket det ikke var. Bomberne var hovedsageligt rettet mod jernbaneterrænet i de tre nævnte byer. Grundet skydække observerede de bombende besætninger ikke effekten af deres angreb. Enhed Fly Mål Bombelast Afsendt Bombet Sprængbomber Brandbomber 3rd Air Division 388A 12 11 Plauen RR Storage Sidings 110 x 500 388B 13 13 Plauen RR Storage Sidings 126 x 500 388C 13 11 Chemnitz M/Y 110 x 500 452A 12 12 Chemnitz M/Y 120 x 500 452B 13 10 Chemnitz M/Y 100 x 500 452C 13 12 Chemnitz M/Y 120 x 500 490A 12 11 Chemnitz M/Y 110 x 500 490B 13 7 Chemnitz M/Y 70 x 500 490C 13 13 Chemnitz M/Y 130 x 500 385A 12 12 Chemnitz M/Y 239 x 250 385B 13 9 Fulda 180 x 250 385B 3 Chemnitz M/Y 60 x 250 385C 13 12 Chemnitz M/Y 240 x 250 Total 152 136 996 x 500 719 x 250 388th Bomb Group, som var en del af 45th A Combat Wing, fløj forrest i 3rd Air Division. Enheden sendte 38 B-17 (herunder fire Pathfinder fly) på vingerne mellem klokken 05.40 og 06.37 og der var ingen frafald blandt flybesætningerne. Der var ikke de store problemer under turen mod Ruhland, men da man ankom til målområdet, var Ruhland dækket af skyer og man havde ordre på kun at bombe, hvis man visuelt kunne se målet. 388th BG satte i stedet for kursen mod Chemnitz. Low Group bombede klokken 10.57 fra en højde af 24.000 fod baneterrænet i Chemnitz, medens de to andre (lead og high) bombede baneterrænet i Plauen ved hjælp af PFF metode. Dette blev gjort klokken 11.06 fra en højde af 25.500 fod. 2nd Lt Kittle i B-17 42-97542 mistede to motorer under bomb run. Han kastede sin bombelast og forlod formationen med besked om at han forsøgte at nå russisk territorium. Kittle nåede dog ikke så langt. B- 17eren styrtede klokken 11.25 ned ved Minkwitz ved Friedland/Sudetengau. Kittle og tre andre besætningsmedlemmer blev straks taget til fange af tyskerne, medens den resterende besætning klarede sig lidt længere, før de blev fanget. B-17G 42-97542 var et 'gammelt' fly, der fløj sin første mission til Ludwigshafen den 1. april 1944 og som den 5. marts 1945 var på sit 44. togt. B-17eren var udstyret til at være et PFf fly og havde tilnavnet 'City of Savannah'. Også i Plauen forsøgte Second Force at ramme rangerbanegården, hvilket lykkedes, men der faldt også bomber i den sydlige del af byen. 23 mandlige indbyggere og 51 kvindelige blev dræbt under bombningen. Det var det 5. angreb på Plauen, men byen skulle ikke få fred.
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