Operation Market-Garden

Following a fighter sweep into the Mannheim area on the 16th, the 353rd Fighter Group was totally involved for the next week with Operation MARKET. This was the landing of two large forces of the 1st Allied Airborne Army at Arnhem and Nijmegen in Holland. It was planned that these forces would wrest control of the strategic area, including bridges, from the German troops and hold it until British ground forces advanced north, Operation GARDEN, linked with them and then swept forward around the northwestern end of the Rhine River.

It was the last chance the Allies had to keep their offensive going in the fall of 1944, due to supply shortages, but bad weather and tenacious German resistance was to doom it to failure. The British airborne troops at Arnhem were eventually to be forced to surrender when their supplies ran out, while the U.S. airborne men at Nijmegen were relieved by ground forces. On both the opening day of MARKET and the following day, 17th and 18th, the Group dispatched 50 plane missions to concentrate on enemy flak positions threatening the landing of airborne troops by parachute and glider.

On the 17th, 31 flak positions were destroyed and 18 damaged, while the next day saw 33 flak positions destroyed and four damaged. Claims for the two days also included 2-O locomotives, 80-36 rail cars, and 39-O motor vehicles. One plane caught fire from its own bomb blast on the 17th. and the pilot bailed out but his parachute did not open. Flak shot down another P-47 on the 18th, and during the two days 17 planes were damaged by flak. Weather kept down air operations on the 19th, and on the 20th the Group was unable to bomb or strafe due to very poor visibility in the MARKET area while flying its 300th mission.

On the 21st of September, the Group again supported air drops in the Arnheim area. They were dispatched at 1503 hours to bomb and strafe, but their mission was changed to one of airborne patrol after take-off. Consequently, 32 planes jettisoned 70 260-lb frag cluster-bombs into the Channel and patrol was undertaken at 1610 hours.

Twenty minutes later, just southwest of Nijmegen, 30-plus enemy aircraft, mostly FW 190s were sighted. Some were attacking C-47s while others gave top cover, and one enemy plane was observed strafing gliders. It was destroyed in short order by 1st Lt. Robert W. Hedler, and other enemy aircraft were engaged from 10,000 feet to the deck. Final claims were five FW 190s destroyed by the 350th Squadron and one Me 109 shot down by Lt. Richard F. Vomaske of the 351st Squadron. 1st Lt. Bayard C. Auchincloss got one 190 to go with a 109 he’d shot down on 24 August and bring his air claims to two destroyed. One P-47 was lost and one damaged, by small arms fire.

A sweep by 45 planes on the 22nd was uneventful, but a support mission on September 23rd ran into 50-plus 109s and 190s flying in two gaggles, stacked up, southeast of Arnhem at 1745 hours. The Group, led by Lt. Col. Gallup, flew head on into the 109s and broke up their formation. They were then engaged by the FW 190s and a general dog fight took place from 5,000 feet to the deck. The Group lost three P-47s and had four damaged, but it claimed 11 FW 190s and 8 Me 109s destroyed, one 109 probably destroyed, and five planes damaged.

The 350th Squadron led the way with claims of 15-1-5. Lt. Auchincloss, Seldom Red One, sent a 109 down in flames, damaged a 109 as it went into clouds, blew up a 190 with a two second burst from directly astern, damaged another 109, and sent a second 190 down in flames with his last rounds of ammunition. His three victories made him an ace with five enemy planes destroyed.

Capt. Middleton, who flew the mission as a spare, was credited with three Me 109s destroyed but failed to return. Among the single victories was a 109 shot down to explode on the ground by Lt. Robert W. Abernathy, for his first air victory. On the way home, pilots of the 350th Squadron destroyed two flak positions.

Distinguished Unit Citation

For its performance during Operation MARKET, from September 17th through September 23rd, the Group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. In the last days of September the 353rd carried out a final MARKET support mission on the 26th, and escorted heavies on the 27th, 28th and 30th. The mission of the 27th saw 1st Lt. Harrison B. Tordoff destroy a single Me 109 for his third aerial victory, and other 350th pilots destroyed 3 locos and 2 rail cars.

For September’s 23 missions, Group claims were:

• 28-l-5 enemy planes in the air and
• 6-1 on the ground,
• 168-12 locomotives,
• 216-433 rail cars,
• 374-143 motor vehicles,
• 67-25 gun positions,
• 2-34 tanks,
• 40 buildings,
• 1-0 horse drawn vehicles and
• 1-2 bridges.

The cost was eight planes lost and 52 planes damaged.

Ch 22

Ch 24