The Combat Missions

[Mike flew a total of 12 Combat Missions.  The first two have already been mentioned in the previous section.  In this section, the strategic significance of these Missions will be addressed, as well as the continued summary of The Letters to Home.

It was mentioned earlier that Mike's Second Mission on 11/22/44 was to Ruhland, Germany.  Ruhland was a central railway hub as well as the location of an oil refinery.  Ruhland is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Dresden.  The length of the Ruhland Mission was eight hours (flown at night).  This could be a description of his Second Mission:  "12 of 12 B-17s fly a screening mission".  This description comes from:  http://www.8thafhs.com/get_one_mission.php?mission_id=1695.  A screening mission is defined as "The primary task of a screen[ing mission] is to observe, identify, and report information."  This is taken from: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/7-92/fm792_6.htm

Mike is reported as a Navigator on this mission.]

On December 1, 1944, Mike wrote Mary and Mickey and thanked them for the package they had sent which had arrived the previous day.  Mike says with delight, "We all got a kick out of The Santa Claus Soap and the little tire repair kit.  Thank you very much for the things that you sent me."

Mike tells them that everything is still all right there with him, and the weather is just as bad as it ever was.  He says that he will sure be glad to get back to the USA, and the people in the US don't realize how well off they are.  "But then people are never satisfied."  Mike adds.

He asks how Jerome likes his school work, and asks them to tell him that Uncle Mike thinks he is a pretty good boy, and he should do good work in school.  Mike also asks them to thank Jerome for the things that he sent him.

Mike says that he has been reading some pretty good books.  He tells them that he just finished From the Land of Silent People, [Mike's eldest son purchased a copy of this book and gave it as a Christmas present to Mike's second son in 2011], and if they get a chance they should read this book.  He says that Robert St. John wrote it.  Mike tells them, "Goodnight for now.  Love, Mike"

[In between Mike's December 1st Letter, and his next Letter of December 13, 1944, Mike flew his third and fourth Missions.  Mission 3  (12/5/44)  and Mission 4 (12/9/44) both are listed as "SPR- Germany" without any special place designation.

In researching Bombing Missions for The Eighth Air Force, the records for The 482nd Bomb Group Missions are sketchy in detail.

The first four of Mike's Missions have an "-L" after them in pencil or pen.  These first four Missions were flown at night.  The Eighth Air Force made a distinction between themselves and the Royal Air Force in that The Eighth flew daylight strategic bombing missions, and the RAF (as payback for "The Blitz") flew night missions and bombed indiscriminately.  The Eighth Air Force did fly some night time Leaflet Dropping Missions.  I am speculating that these first four Missions (and possibly all 12 Missions), of Mike's, may have been Leaflet Dropping Missions, and that is what the "L" (at least on the first four) may stand for.

Here is some back ground information on Leaflet Bombing from Wikipedia:

There are six different functions of airborne leaflet propaganda that have been used over the past century:

1. Threaten destruction

   • Warn enemy combatants and non-combatants that their area will be targeted. This has the dual purpose of reducing collateral damage and encouraging enemy combatants and non-combatants (who may be engaged in wartime production) to abandon their duties, reducing the target's military effectiveness.

2. Prompt the enemy to surrender

   • Explain to prospective deserters how to surrender.

3. Offer rewards

   • Rewards could be offered to encourage individuals to provide assistance, or to encourage defection.

4. Disseminate or counter disinformation

   • Reduce enemy morale through propaganda.

   • Neutralize enemy propaganda.

   • Advise radio listeners about frequencies/times of propaganda broadcasts and methods for circumventing radio jamming.

5. Facilitate communication

   • Create a friendly atmosphere for the enemy by promoting ideologies such as freedom, capitalism, and "noble intentions".

6. Provide humanitarian assistance

   • Inform people where to find airdropped food, how to open and consume it, and when it comes.

World War II[edit]

Distribution of Airborne leaflet propaganda was used by both Allied and Axis forces in the Second World War, starting with a Royal Air Force leaflet drop over the port of Kiel in the September of 1939.[5]

The first proposal to construct a special bomb with which to disperse airborne leaflets was put forward by British air force officers during World War II. The most successful 'leaflet bomb' model of the War was the 'Monroe bomb', invented in 1943 by USAAF Captain James Monroe of the 305th Bombadment Group. It was developed from laminated paper containers that had been used to transport M-17 incendiary bombs.[6]

The British improved the use of hydrogen balloons to carry leaflets over German lines.[7] Some of the V-1 flying bombs launched by the Germans against southern England carried leaflets - they were contained in a cardboard tube at the tail of missile. This would be ejected by a small gunpowder charge while the V1 was in mid-air, en route to its target.[8]

Airborne leaflets printed during WWII were "factual, in the main truthful, and served (or so it was claimed) to create a reputation for reliability both in supplying information and refuting German accounts which we said to be untruthful".[9] Often the leaflets did not reach their intended targets because they were dropped from such high altitudes and often drifted over lakes and rural areas.[5]

Although leaflets were seen as being an effective tactic in manipulating troops when morale was low, "During the early months of the war, leaflets or pamphlets were scattered over enemy territory by aircraft and balloons but it was more than doubtful whether these had any useful effect, their obvious defects being that few can have reached their targets and, being printed, they were sometimes out of date by the time they were ready to distribute. The front-line distribution of leaflets was quite another matter and these were dropped by aircraft or fired by shells, the messages they bore being less careful about the general principles of consistency and frankness and only truthful about matters on which the enemy had contradictory information".[9] It was found that psychological warfare was not effective when distributing surrender leaflets to an enemy which currently had a high morale amongst its troops.[9] Despite the pitfalls to airborne leaflets ineffectiveness on opposing sides with high morale, enemies used this tactic "to cause the men to begin talking to each other about their poor military position, their desire to stay alive for their families' sakes, and the reasonableness of honorable surrender",[9] which often led men to desert their troops.

One example of German leaflets which appealed to American troops was one that depicted a passionate kiss between a man and woman. The leaflet read: "FAREWELL Remember her last kiss ... ? Gee were you happy then ... ! Together, you spent marvelous times ... , lounging on beaches ... , dancing, enjoying parties galore.., listening to the tunes of your favorite band ...".[10] The leaflets back side reminds the soldier that his loved one is longing for him and that most of the men he had come with are now dead.[10] In comparison one Allied leaflet simply showed a picture of a large open field with thousands of German graves.[11]

James A.C. Brown, a Scottish psychiatrist, summed up the WW2 experience with the observation that "Propaganda is successful only when directed at those who are willing to listen, absorb the information, and if possible act on it, and this happens only when the other side is in a condition of lowered morale and is already losing the campaign".[9]

Leaflets were also used by the USAAF on Japan during the Pacific War. In mid-1945, once it appeared that B-29 bombers of the USAAF were raiding Japan's cities within meeting significant resistance, General Curtis LeMay, commander of the XXI Bomber Command, part of the Twentieth Air Force, felt sufficient enough to drop leaflets in hoping to reduce the needless killing of innocent people. One of the leaflets dropped on targeted Japan's cities, with the text on the back, read:

Read this carefully as it may save your life or the life of a relative or a friend. In the next few days, some or all of the cities named on the reverse side will be destroyed by American bombs. These cities contain military installations and workshops or factories, which produce military goods. We are determined to destroy all of the tools of the military clique that they are using to prolong this useless war. Unfortunately, bombs have no eyes. So, in accordance with America's well-known humanitarian policies, the American Air Force, which does not wish to injure innocent people, now gives you warning to evacuate the cities named and save your lives.

America is not fighting the Japanese people but is fighting the military clique, which has enslaved the Japanese people. The peace, which America will bring, will free the people from the oppression of the Japanese military clique and mean the emergence of a new and better Japan.

You can restore peace by demanding new and better leaders who will end the War.

We cannot promise that only these cities will be among those attacked, but some or all of them will be, so heed this warning and evacuate these cities immediately.

It has been estimated that B-29s dropped 10 million propaganda leaflets in May, 20 million in June and 30 million in July. The Japanese government implemented harsh penalties against civilians who kept copies of these leaflets.[12]]

The above references can be found at:  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_leaflet_propaganda

Further research on Leaflet strategy and missions can be found at:

http://ww2propaganda.eu/spread3.htm

An important note from the above site states:

"The bombers found their way into Germany better and better as the war came into a later stage. Better radar, pathfinder bombers and so-called "window" radar deflection made it easier (but still dangerous!!!). Also the aiming devices got better. Target pinpointing was (in general) the way the americans worked during their daytime bombing."

Also from 

http://www.398th.org/Research/398th_FAQ.html#anchor_PFF

Please note the following two items:

What is the meaning of the Acronym PFF and MICKEY?

1. Specially equipped B-17s, called Pathfinder Force [PFFs] were equipped with a radar navigation system devised by the British and improved by the Americans for targeting through heavy cloud cover. It was encased electronics and replaced the ball turret in the B-17 lead plane. These planes flew in the lead and others dropped their payload when this plane did. Since the ground couldn't be seen, the results were marked as "unobserved." The "secret" system was code named "Mickey". Highly trained operators were called "Mickey Operators." For additional details see the April 1995 Flak News Article BTO, PFF, OBOE, H2S, H2X, MICKEY by Marvin Laufer, Navigator, 603rd Squadron.

2. What B-17 position is the "VN"?

3. The term "VN" referred to the Visual Navigator or Mickey Equipment Operator. He was referred to as the visual navigator as the radar screen received navigational directional signals which helped pinpoint a position, thus the term visual navigation, though the vision was through the screen. [Determined and defined with the help of Don Coffee; a 398th, 601st Mickey Operator/Visual Navigator.]]

On December 13, 1944, Mike wrote to Mary and Mickey and told them that he was writing them just a few words to let them know that all was well with him.  The packages that they had sent him arrived safely.  Mike thanked them for everything.  Mike says, "Today was pretty foggy out so we didn't do a thing but sit and wait."  He continues that the weather is plenty cold there, and old man winter is really getting there fast now.  He says that as of yet there hasn't been any snow, but there have been some terrific frosts though.  Mike says that maybe it would be better if it would just snow a little.  Their barracks have two stoves which they keep going almost all of the time.

"Hope Jerome is well and that his school work comes easy for him.  Tell him I'm working on my bike and soon will have it fixed.

Take good care of everything at home.  Write more often if you can.  There's nothing like a letter or two on a cold day to lift the spirits.  

Love,

Mike"

[Click this link to get an idea of what a Night Time Pathfinder Mission was like.  This information was taken from The 486 BG (P) Web Site.]

[On January 21, 1945, Mike flew his fifth Combat Mission.  The Mission, on Mike's Record, is listed as "SPR- Rine (Sic) River to Mosel".  The total length of this mission was 6 hours and 45 minutes.  Mike is listed as "V" which I believe is the Visual Navigator or Mickey Operator (See Above).  The Mission was flown at night, and because there is no specific target mentioned, I believe it could have been another Leaflet Dropping Mission or Reconnaissance Mission.

This could have been The Mission:  "Mission 804: 2 B-17s and 9 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night without loss."  Taken from:  http://www.8thafhs.com/get_one_mission.php?mission_id=1801