Mission #362, flown by the 323rd Bombardment Group, 456th Bomb Squadron on April 3, 1945, B 26 White Tail Marauders (Ray Harwood)

Mission 36: Tactical Analysis of the 323rd Bomb Group, 456th Bomb Squadron’s April 3, 1945 Marauder Strike on Holzminden Marshaling Yards Abstract Mission #362, flown by the 323rd Bombardment Group, 456th Bomb Squadron on April 3, 1945, represents a critical and perilous engagement late in World War II. This mission, involving 30 Martin B-26 Marauders, targeted the Holzminden marshaling yards in Germany with the strategic objective of disrupting troop redeployment from Holland to the German divisions besieged in the Ruhr Pocket. This study synthesizes primary source recollections, technical aircraft data, operational tactics—including the use of radar countermeasure “window” aircraft—and command-level mission narratives to reconstruct and evaluate the execution and outcome of this mission. It situates the mission within the larger context of the Allied effort to isolate and destroy retreating German forces in the waning days of the European theater. 1. Introduction The final months of World War II in Europe were characterized by intensive, high-frequency bombing campaigns aimed at dismantling the final vestiges of German military infrastructure. As the Allies closed in from all sides, the necessity to hinder Germany’s ability to reinforce its collapsing frontlines became a strategic imperative. On April 3, 1945, Mission #362 was executed from Denain/Pouvét Airfield in northern France, targeting the Holzminden marshaling yards, a key logistical node for German troop and equipment movement. The 323rd Bomb Group’s 456th Bomb Squadron, flying B-26 Marauders, played a central role in this mission. This paper explores the mission’s tactical design, technical execution, and tragic losses, with special attention to the aircraft Georgia Miss (WT-W), serial number 42-107842, and the window tactics employed. 2. Strategic Context: March–April 1945 By April 1945, the Third Reich was crumbling. Allied forces had crossed the Rhine and begun encircling German divisions in the Ruhr region—a pivotal industrial and military zone. The German high command, in a desperate effort to stabilize the front, attempted to reposition troops from the occupied Netherlands into Germany. The Holzminden marshaling yards served as a critical junction in this maneuver. The Ninth Air Force, under which the 323rd Bomb Group operated, was tasked with crippling such logistical arteries. Mission #362 was therefore not merely an exercise in bombardment but a component of a broader strategic maneuver to finalize the encirclement and neutralization of the Ruhr industrial region. 3. The Aircraft: Martin B-26C Marauder, Georgia Miss Aircraft Serial Number 42-107842, nicknamed Georgia Miss, bore fuselage code WT-W and was a Martin B-26C-15-MO Marauder assigned to the 456th Bomb Squadron. Known for its high-speed, low-level capabilities, the B-26 was a medium bomber with a combat range of approximately 1,100 miles and a bomb load capacity of 4,000 pounds. Georgia Miss, configured for this mission, carried four 1,000-pound bombs. Technical specifications for the B-26C variant included: Twin Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines Crew: 6–7 Armament: 12–13 .50 caliber machine guns Cruising altitude: typically 10,000–15,000 feet Notable for: high landing speeds and streamlined design 4. Mission Briefing and Crew Composition Takeoff Location: Denain/Pouvét Airdrome, France Altitude: 13,000 feet Target: Holzminden Marshaling Yards, Germany Duration: 4 hours, 10 minutes Group Leader: Lt. Col. Rehr (codename: “Rehr to Ruhr”) Weather Conditions: Cloud banks in horizontal roll formations up to 18,000 feet Crew of Georgia Miss WT-W: Pilot: 1st Lt. Theodore V. Harwood Co-Pilot: 1st Lt. Eugene T. Muszynski Bombardier: S/Sgt. Anthony B. Caezza Tail Gunner: S/Sgt. Raymond Deboer Engineer: Wilbur Alvin Skroh Radio Gunner: C.E. Olsen Additional Gunner/Flight Crew: Possibly S/Sgt. James N. Night or George W. Boyd Harwood’s crew was a seasoned team, having flown previous missions including #29. The B-26 Georgia Miss was battle-tested and emblematic of the “White Tails” of the 323rd Bomb Group. 5. Tactical Execution and the Role of Window Aircraft “Window” aircraft, equipped to dispense radar-confusing strips of metal foil (chaff), were an integral part of the bombing formation. The 12 window aircraft on Mission #362 flew ahead of the main bomber stream, scattering chaff to confuse German radar stations and anti-aircraft batteries. The goal was to mask the formation’s true size and trajectory, thereby protecting the formation from radar-directed flak and night-fighter intercepts. The window aircraft operated under extreme risk, flying closer to detection zones and often at standard or reduced altitudes, ensuring maximum chaff effectiveness. According to mission logs and the account of Lt. Col. Rehr, one of these window aircraft vanished into the massive cloud formations and was never seen again. Its disappearance, along with the loss of three additional Marauders, underscores the deadly volatility of such radar-confusion tactics when weather and enemy fire conspired. 6. Operational Hazards: Cloud Banks and Flak Zones Rehr’s vivid description of navigating the horizontal “monster” cloud bands reveals the layered complexity of April flying conditions in Europe. These strato-cumulus formations, potentially lenticular in shape, created aerial "canyons" that pilots had to traverse at high risk. Flying under these clouds at 2,000 feet was perilous due to ground fire; flying above at 18,000 feet was oxygen-prohibitive in the B-26. Instead, the formation cruised at around 12,000–13,000 feet, with the lead aircraft scanning for breaks in the wall of cloud. Despite chaff deployment, German flak batteries around Holzminden responded aggressively. Twenty aircraft returned with flak damage, and three were lost outright, in addition to the missing window aircraft. The skies over Holzminden were filled with exploding black flak bursts, indicative of radar-precision aiming by the defenders—possibly due to limitations in the chaff screen or shifts in wind dispersing the metallic foil prematurely. 7. Post-Mission Loss and Memory The disappearance of the window aircraft into cloud cover remains one of the somber mysteries of the mission. General Meonch’s account confirms the finality: “That Marauder with its crew of seven never returned to base.” The grief of families, including a father who came to the base seeking answers, adds a human dimension to the operational loss. These disappearances, often without wreckage or witnesses, were not uncommon in WWII air campaigns and exemplify the unquantifiable toll of tactical warfare. 8. Strategic Impact Despite losses, Mission #362 achieved its strategic intent. The marshaling yard at Holzminden was heavily damaged, contributing to the disruption of German troop withdrawals from the Netherlands and compounding the encirclement in the Ruhr. The cumulative effect of similar missions hastened the collapse of German resistance in the west, ultimately leading to the surrender on May 7, 1945. 9. Conclusion Mission 36—Target #362—represents both the tactical sophistication and tragic risks of Allied aerial warfare in the closing phase of WWII. Through the prism of one aircraft, Georgia Miss, and its crew under Lt. Theodore Harwood, we gain insight into the operational complexities faced by the 456th Bomb Squadron. The deployment of window aircraft, the navigation of meteorological hazards, and the intensity of German flak defenses illustrate the lethal chessboard of mid-level bombing missions. Their sacrifices were instrumental in closing the European chapter of the war, a legacy carried in each code—WT-W—and in the silent losses that still echo through the clouds of April skies. References 323rd Bomb Group Historical Records, U.S. National Archives Lt. Col. Rehr’s mission debrief, April 3, 1945 B26.com Veteran Testimonies, accessed January 2016 General Meonch’s Air Command Reports, April 1945 Jackie Fitzgerald correspondence, B26.com archives Technical manuals and factory specs for the Martin B-26C Marauder U.S. Army Air Forces Tactical Mission Logs, Ninth Air Force “Window Warfare: The Allied Use of Radar Decoys in WWII,” Air & Space P