The 324th Dailies (Mission Histories)

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Daily Reports from the 324th Bomb Squadron

From our viewpoint today, the Second World War was a black-and-white pageant of men and machines battling across or above a grainy, forgotten landscape. War is a narrative voiced by calm, analytical announcers who examine the past from an academic distance. Often forgotten is the work of tens of thousands of non-combatant clerks and record keepers whose jobs were to capture on paper the administrative minutia of the process of war. Their efforts, while doubtless tedious at the time, provide an outstanding backdrop against which the war plays out in practical terms. It is the "how" behind the "when" and "where".

The Daily Reports from the 324th Bomb Squadron is part of that vast store of administrative detail. They are the actual day-to-day records of the squadrons missions and movements from the inception of the group through the end of the war.

This record is a valuable resource in many ways. For veterans, they can augment memories with hard facts. For researchers they provide solid dates around which to base further investigation. Children and grandchildren of the 324th veterans will be able to pinpoint where their family members were at any given time. (Richard Williamson)

Many thanks to ;

Nancy Perri, who transcribed this information for the 91st Bomb Group Website.
HOW TO USE "FIND" TO LOCATE A/C FLOWN AND PILOTS.
When you bring up the attachment or go to the Mission Histories on our web site, press "Control and F 1"  (F ONE) on your keyboard.  Then enter in the "Find" box the name of the pilot or A/C # you are researching.  Each time you click Find you will be taken to the next mission in which the pilot or A/C flew.  If you put Bob Morgan's last name in "Find," it will show you each mission he flew as well as what happened on the mission.  If you put the last three numbers of Memphis Belle's serial number (485) in the Find box, it will bring up all the mission's the Belle flew.  We have not separated the file into years as this makes the researching of names and A/C more difficult.
    Each mission is on a separate page and listed at the top of the page by the number of Group missions flown. i.e. (100) would be the 100th mission flown by the Group.   Since the Squadron was stood down for some Group missions this number is not the same as the number of 324th missions flown.  The target and date of the mission is also shown at the top of the page. Always use the Military date format for finding a date, i.e. 7 January 1943.  Note that the Mission History also tells the A/C #, PILOT'S LAST NAME, CLAIMS OF E/A DAMAGED OR DESTROYED, CASUALTIES TO CREW MEMBERS, BATTLE DAMAGE TO THE A/C AND CREW REMARKS FROM DEBRIEFING for each 324th A/C on the mission. 
     It also sums up at the bottom Squadron crewmen injuries and losses.  It does this also for Group injuries and losses.
     Remarks at the bottom of each page are summations of what happened on the mission.

 

       November 1942 the Beginning Dailies of the 324th Squadron

             12-17-05           Transcribed by Andy Caswell & Scanned by Mike Banta

        1943 Dailies of the 324th Squadron

               2-15-05           Transcribed by Andy Caswell & Scanned by Mike Banta

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