Subject: Radio Silence and Death over Frankfort
From: "M. J. Powell"
Date: 2/11/04 4:07 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

In message , ArtKramr
writes
The mission was far into Germany at the very limit of our fuel reserves. I
don't remember the target but I never will forget the return flight. B-26's
carry bombardier navigators. Each one in the formation plots the flight as
though he was flying lead. After we hit the target we turned toward home.
As I
was plotting our course my plot looked as though the lead was taking us
right
over Frankfort. Impossible, Frankfort was defended by 600 guns, I must have
made a mistake in my plot. I did it over and over. No mistake. We were
headed
right for Frankfort and the 600 guns. .Yet no one broke radio silence
Suddenly
the sky filled with violent accurate flak. We lost two planes that day over
Frankfort 12 aircrew dead because of navigational carelessness. When we
landed
we all talked about the error. It seems everyone knew where we were except
for
the lead navigator. We paid a high price for maintaining iron discipline in
radio silence. One more point, We never saw that navigator again.

Art, I would like to ask some stupid questions. Why keep radio silence
then? If someone had put a quick question to the lead a/c what would
have been lost? Your radio frequencies were changed for each mission? It
would have been amazing if the enemy heard the transmissions. If he had,
what would he have gained? There wouldn't have been time to DF you. And
he knew where you were anyway.

Mike
--
M.J.Powell


Of course they knew we were there. They were shooting at us. And every one of
us thought just that. But we can't have a situation where radio silence must be
kept unless someone thinks other wise. In that case everyone would be blabbing
over the radio all the damn time. So the rule is trict and allows for no
exceptions. Radio silence. Always radio silence. No exceptions. No matter
what. It is the way we were trained. and that is how we flew our missions. For
better or for worse.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer