Article 4 - "Anatomy of a Bombing Mission '
EDITOR’S NOTE: Winfred and the 453rd Bombardment Group are now assembling at their new base – Station #144 (Old Buckenham) – in England. It will take about a month for the entire bomb group to complete the move. During this time, they are setting up the base, and becoming familiar with the actual procedures required to fit in and be ready for combat. Their first combat missions start in February.
The article below is being provided at this time because there will be a week-long gap until the letters home resume, and it will help you to understand what is going on behind the scenes of the letters and journal entries over the next several months. Next week, the pace picks up.
The article “Anatomy of a Bombing Mission” does an excellent job explaining everything that took place to put together one bombing mission. Written by Annette Tison in 2017, it features the 392nd Bomb Group (Winfred’s was the 453rd). A similar process would have been used by all of the bomb groups for all of their missions. The article contains many photos and is well worth the read. You will really come to understand what a team effort it was to put together a mission from start to finish by all involved.