Old MacDonald
Airman
- 48
- Mar 27, 2018
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This mentions some of the different approaches.I'm confused about USAAF European/Mediterranean sortie credit rules and what was required for flyers to complete their combat tours. I've looked on this site and on the web in general but found no conclusive information.
In 8th AF, it appears 25 combat missions (25 credited sorties) was initially required, later 30, and perhaps even more later than that.
But I'm really confused about sortie credit and combat tour requirements. This has two components: 1) why did some targets (or missions) result in the airmen receiving credit for TWO sorties (at least in 15th AF), while other targets were worth only one sortie; and 2), what was required to complete a tour and go home.
For 15th, I've read in various places that 25 "missions" (presumably credited sorties), more than 25 missions, 300 combat mission hours, 250 combat mission hours, and a couple other similar counting mechanisms were used to calculate when a combat tour was finished.
I know from one 15th AF bomber airman's official sortie listing that from Feb to Aug 1944 he was credited with 37 missions, 50 sorties, and 250:00 combat hours. The following targets in his list were listed as double sortie credits:
At first I thought it might be due to mission duration, but these missions were no longer than the others, and some single-credit missions were longer than any of the double-credit missions.
- Bad Voslau, Austria
- Bucharest, Romania
- Fiume, Italy
- Friedrichshafen, Germany
- Linz, Austria
- Maybach, Germany
- Moosbierbaum, Austria
- Munich Germany
- Odertal, Germany
- Ploesti, Romania
- Steyr, Austria
- Szeged, Hungary
Based on this one man's mission/sortie/hours official log, I can guess that 15th during this period reequired either 250:00 combat hours or 50 combat sorties for the flyer to complete his combat tour and go home--but that's just a guess!
Can you shed any light on the 8th & 9th/12th/15th definitions of a combat sortie and requirements to finish a tour? Were bomber and fighter missions/sorties/hours counted differently?
Perplexed,
Ole' Mac
Cn | City | Date | hrs | Target Type | Sight | Eff | Neff | Non | Dest | Miss | Damage | Cause | G/D | Altit. | Wea. | Escort | H.E. | I.B. | Jettison | Note |
Po | Oswiecim/I.G. Farben | 20-Aug-44 | 1050 | O/R | Visual | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-I-I | 29500 | 2/10th | P-51 | 49.8 | - | 4.3 | Claims for 1-1-1 Bf109 |
Ge | Odertal (Deschowitz) | 22-Aug-44 | 1140 | O/Sy | Visual | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-I-I | 27500 | 2/10th | P-38/51 | 63.9 | - | 3.6 | |
Au | Wiener Neudorf | 23-Aug-44 | 1246 | A/Ieng | Visual | 24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-S-I | 26500 | 5/10th | P-38/51 | - | 70.5 | 10.5 | |
Ge | Blechhammer/N (I.G. Farben) | 27-Aug-44 | 1152 | O/Sy | Visual | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Flak | H-I-A | 28500 | CAVU | P-38/51 | 55.0 | - | 1.0 | |
Au | Vienna/Moosbierbaum | 28-Aug-44 | 1110 | O/Ben | Visual | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Other | H-M-A | 28500 | CAVU | P-51 | 47.0 | - | 7.0 | |
Au | Vienna/Moosbierbaum | 28-Aug-44 | 1110 | O/Ben | Visual | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | Flak | H-M-A | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Cz | Bohumin | 29-Aug-44 | 1100 | O/R | H2X | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-S-I | 27500 | Poor | P-51 | 63.1 | - | - | |
Au | Vienna/Schwechat | 10-Sep-44 | 1036 | O/Ben | Visual | 24 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 17 | Flak | H-I-A | 25000 | 7/10th | P-38/51 | 71.0 | - | 7.0 | |
Ge | Munich/Lechfeld | 12-Sep-44 | 1336 | A/F | Visual | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Flak | H-M-I | 22000 | 2/10th | P-38/51 | 71.5 | - | 3.0 | ||
Ge | Blechhammer/N (I.G. Farben) | 13-Sep-44 | 1118 | O/Sy | H2X | 23 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | Flak | H-I-A | 28500 | 4/10th | P-38/51 | 45.0 | - | 7.0 | |
Cz | Munich | 22-Sep-44 | n/a | I/A | H2X | 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-I-A | 27700 | Poor | P-38/51 | 63.0 | - | 18.0 | Area attack, ordered or authorized |
Ge | Brux | 23-Sep-44 | 1220 | O/Sy | H2X | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Flak | H-I-A | 25500 | Poor | P-38/51 | 60.5 | - | 8.5 | |
Hu | Nove Zamky/Ersekujvar | 07-Oct-44 | 1416 | M/Y | Visual | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | Nil | 21000 | Clear | P-51 | 41.0 | - | - | |
n/a | Unknown | 07-Oct-44 | n/a | n/a | Visual | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | n/a | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Secret Mission |
Au | Vienna/Lobau | 07-Oct-44 | 1344 | O/R | Visual | 22 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | Flak | H-I-A | 27000 | Clear | P-38/51 | 59.0 | - | 10.0 | |
Ge | Blechhammer/S (I.G. Farben) | 13-Oct-44 | 1045 | O/Sy | H2X | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Flak | H-I-A | 28500 | 2/10th | P-38/51 | 51.3 | - | 8.3 | |
Au | Vienna/Florisdorf | 13-Oct-44 | 1127 | O/R | H2X | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Flak | H-I-A | 25000 | 10/10th | P-38 | 31.8 | - | 4.8 | |
Ge | Blechhammer/N (I.G. Farben) | 14-Oct-44 | 1156 | O/Sy | H2X | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Flak | H-I-I | 30000 | 8/10th | P-38/51 | 79.3 | - | 8.0 | |
Cz | Pilsen/Skoda | 16-Oct-44 | 1150 | Armaments | H2X | 32 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Flak | H-I-A | 29000 | 10/10th | 53.0 | - | 15.0 | ||
Ge | Blechhammer/S (I.G. Farben) | 17-Oct-44 | 1159 | O/Sy | H2X | 26 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Other | H-I-I | 27000 | 10/10th | P-51 | 75.8 | - | 5.3 | |
Cz | Brux | 20-Oct-44 | 1325 | O/Sy | H2X | 30 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | Flak | H-I-A | 29500 | 10/10th | P-38/51 | 68.0 | - | 14.5 | |
Cz | Pilsen/Skoda | 20-Oct-44 | n/a | Armaments | Visual | 1 | - | - | 0 | - | - | n/a | - | - | - | - | 2.5 | - | - | |
Cz | Pilsen/Skoda | 23-Oct-44 | 1245 | Armaments | H2X | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Unknown | Nil | 26400 | 10/10th | P-51 | - | 60.0 | 4.6 | Area attack |
Cz | Pilsen/Skoda | 23-Oct-44 | 1245 | Armaments | H2X | - | - | - | - | - | 25 | Flak | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | hand written addition to report |
Ge | Regensburg/Winterhafen | 04-Nov-44 | 1204 | O/St | H2X | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | Nil | n/a | 9-10/10th | n/a | 79.9 | n/a |
At least some of the definition included bombing targets the 8th AF could reach, to compensate for 8th AF tours of 25 rising to 35 missions, against the 15th AF 50 missions. After that comes difficulty and the way targets would be added and removed from the list, Ploesti was removed before the final missions there were done. Posting the units involved and the dates of your original mission list may provide further clues.Great info from all; still hoping to find definition of what constituted a double-credit mission.
Cn | City | Date | hrs | Target Type | Sight | Eff | Neff | Non | Dest | Miss | Damg | Cause | G/D | Altit. | Wea. | Escort | H.E. | I.B. | Frag | Jett | Notes |
It | Orvietto | 8/02/1944 | 1225 | A/F | Vis | 40 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | Nil | 11000 | Fair | P-47 | 100.0 | - | - | - | |
It | Arezzo | 14/02/1944 | 940 | M/Y | Vis | 35 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | Nil | 20500 | - | - | 83.3 | - | - | - | |
Yu | Sibenik | 22/02/1944 | 1315 | P/A | Vis | 19 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-S-I | 21000 | I | - | 47.5 | - | - | 7.5 | Ordered City strike |
It | Fiume | 25/02/1944 | 1354 | RR | Vis | 18 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-L-I | n/a | CAVU | - | 45.0 | - | - | - | Primary target Graz-Large. |
It | Canino | 3/03/1944 | - | A/F | Vis | 18 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | E/A | nil | 19500 | Int. | P-47 | - | - | 20.8 | 0.2 | Claims 2-1-0 Fw190, 1-0-0 Bf109 |
It | Cassino | 15/03/1944 | 952 | T/T | Vis | 24 | 7 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-M-I | 15000 | Overcast forming | P-38 | 72.0 | - | - | - | Cirrus overcast forming, escort over target only |
It | Maniago | 18/03/1944 | 1107 | A/F | Vis | 25 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | nil | 22000 | CAVU | nil | - | - | 28.3 | - | |
Bu | Dragoman | 30/03/1944 | - | City | Vis | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | - | - | 2.5 | - | - | - | T/O, primary Sofia |
Bu | Kneju | 30/03/1944 | - | City | Vis | 5 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | - | - | 12.5 | - | - | - | Opportunity city strike, primary Sofia, NRO |
Bu | Misc., Bu | 30/03/1944 | - | T/O | Vis | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | - | - | 2.5 | - | - | - | T/O, primary Sofia, unspecified target |
Bu | Sofia | 30/03/1944 | 1109 | City | Vis | 22 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 11 | Flak | H-M-A | n/a | Good | P-38 | 55.0 | - | - | - | Ordered City strike but T/O |
Au | Steyr/Diamler-Puch | 2/04/1944 | 1217 | A/Ieng | Vis | 28 | - | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-I-A | 21000 | Good | P-38/47 | 70.0 | - | - | - | Claims 2-1-0 Bf109, 3-1-0 Bf110, 1-0-0 Ju88 |
It | Bologna | 7/04/1944 | - | M/Y | Vis | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-S-I | 21900 | CAVU | P-38 | 46.3 | - | - | 2.5 | |
Ru | Turnu Severin | 16/04/1944 | 1046 | M/Y | Vis | 26 | - | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | Nil | 20600 | CAVU | P-38 | 65.0 | - | - | - | |
Ru | Bucharest | 21/04/1944 | 1225 | M/Y | H2X | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | E/A | H-I-I | 23600 | Poor | P-38 | 77.3 | - | - | 2.8 | |
Ru | Bucharest | 21/04/1944 | 1225 | M/Y | H2X | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 10 | Flak | H-I-I | 23600 | Poor | P-38 | - | - | - | - | |
Au | Bad Voslau | 23/04/1944 | 1416 | A/Iasy | Vis | 23 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 8 | Flak | H-I-I | 21500 | CAVU | P-38 | 57.5 | - | - | 2.5 | |
It | Airasca- 10 miles S of | 25/04/1944 | - | T/O | Vis | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | - | 2.5 | - | - | - | Primary target Turin |
It | Turin/Aeritalia | 25/04/1944 | 1310 | A/I | Vis | 30 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Other | H-M-A | 21000 | I | P-38/47 | 75.0 | - | - | 12.5 | |
It | Turin/Aeritalia | 25/04/1944 | 1310 | A/I | Vis | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 11 | Flak | H-M-A | 21000 | I | P-38/47 | - | - | - | - | |
Fr | Toulon | 29/04/1944 | 1150 | P/A | Vis | 26 | - | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Flak | H-I-A | 23000 | Good | P-38/51 | 75.0 | - | - | 8.0 | |
It | Milan/Lambrate | 30/04/1944 | 1204 | M/Y | Vis | 31 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | E/A | H-M-I | 16600 | Good | P-38/51 | 77.0 | - | - | - | Claim 1-0-0 Bf109 |
Ru | Ploesti | 5/05/1944 | 1413 | M/Y | H2X | 36 | - | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Flak | H-I-A | 23000 | Poor | P-38/51 | 87.0 | - | - | 0.5 | |
Ru | Ploesti | 5/05/1944 | 1413 | M/Y | H2X | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 1 | E/A | H-I-A | 23000 | Poor | P-38/51 | - | - | - | - | |
It | Lake Nemi Area | 23/05/1944 | 1000 | T/T | Vis | 0 | 42 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | - | - | - | - | - | |
It | Piacenza/San Damiano | 25/05/1944 | 1000 | A/F | Vis | 37 | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Flak | n/a | 20000 | n/a | P-38 | - | - | 48.2 | 3.1 | Claims 1-0-2 Bf109 |
Yu | Bos Novi | 29/05/1944 | 919 | T/T | Vis | 32 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | Nil | 14600 | CAVU | - | 53.3 | - | - | 10.6 | City strike requested by partisans |
Yu | Knin | 29/05/1944 | 1354 | T/T | Vis | 30 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | Nil | 15600 | CAVU | P-38 | 45.7 | - | - | 9.9 | City strike requested by partisans |
Hu | Szeged/South | 2/06/1944 | 1002 | M/Y | Vis | 34 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Flak | H-S-I | 17800 | Poor | - | 82.8 | - | - | - | |
It | Genoa/Sampierdarena | 4/06/1944 | 1033 | M/Y | Vis | 36 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | Flak | H-I-A | 17700 | Good | P-38 | 90.0 | - | - | 2.5 | |
It | Leghorn | 7/06/1944 | - | P/A | Vis | 2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | P-38 | 6.0 | - | - | - | Primary target Voltri |
It | Voltri | 7/06/1944 | - | P/A | Vis | 29 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Flak | H-S-I | 20800 | I | - | 83.5 | - | - | 25.5 | |
It | Ferrara | 10/06/1944 | 1024 | A/F | Vis | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Flak | H-M-A | 19500 | Overcast | P-51 | - | - | 67.3 | 19.3 | |
Ge | Munich/BMW | 13/06/1944 | 1020 | A/Ieng | Vis | 36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | Flak | H-I-A | 22000 | 2/10th | P-51 | - | 69.9 | - | 6.7 | Claims 1-0-0 Bf109, 1-0-0 Fw190 |
Ru | Craiova | 24/06/1944 | 940 | RR/Shops | Vis | 35 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | E/A | Nil | 22000 | I | P-38 | 85.5 | - | - | 17.5 | |
Au | Vienna/Moosbierbaum | 26/06/1944 | 942 | O/Ben | Vis | 35 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | E/A | H-M-A | 21600 | CAVU | P-38/51 | 51.0 | - | - | 22.8 | Claims 1-0-0 Ju88, 1-0-0 Re1001, 1-0-0 Me410, 0-1-0 Me210 |
Ge | Odertal | 30/06/1944 | - | O/Sy | Vis | 0 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | - | - | - | - | 20.3 | Returned due to weather |
Ru | Bucharest/Titan | 3/07/1944 | 1209 | O/R | Vis | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-I-I | 22800 | I | P-38/51 | 84.3 | - | - | 5.8 | |
Cz | Dubnica | 7/07/1944 | - | Armaments | Vis | 20 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | - | 48.8 | - | - | - | Primary target Odertal |
Ge | Ober Gloglau | 7/07/1944 | - | City | Vis | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | - | 2.5 | - | - | - | Opportunity city strike Primary target Odertal |
Ge | Odertal (Deschowitz) | 7/07/1944 | 1130 | O/Sy | Vis | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | E/A | n/a | n/a | n/a | P-38 | 30.0 | - | - | - | 5 more kill claims? Claims 3-1-0 Bf109, 1-0-0 Ju88, 0-0-1 Fw190 |
Ge | Odertal (Deschowitz) | 7/07/1944 | 1130 | O/Sy | Vis | 0 | - | - | 0 | 2 | 0 | Flak | n/a | n/a | n/a | - | - | - | - | - | |
It | Trieste/San Sabba | 13/07/1944 | 1100 | O/R | Vis | 30 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | H-S-I | 18600 | 9/10th | P-38/51 | 73.3 | - | - | 1.0 | |
Ru | Ploesti/Dacia Romano | 15/07/1944 | 1040 | O/R | Vis | 28 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | Flak | Nil | 22000 | 9/10th | P-38/51 | 67.0 | - | - | 10.0 | |
Ge | Friedrichshafen/Maybach | 20/07/1944 | 1047 | AFV eng | Vis | 30 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 15 | Flak | H-I-A | 22300 | CAVU | P-51 | 71.5 | - | - | 11.0 | |
Au | Linz/Hermann Goering | 25/07/1944 | 1115 | AFV | Vis | 28 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 22 | Flak | H-I-A | 21500 | 4/10th | P-38/51 | 83.0 | - | - | 12.0 | Claims 6-3-5 Bf109, 1-0-0 Fw190 |
Au | Linz/Hermann Goering | 25/07/1944 | 1115 | AFV | Vis | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 3 | E/A | H-I-A | 21500 | 4/10th | P-38/51 | - | - | - | - | |
Fr | St. Rambert | 6/08/1944 | 1130 | RR/Br | Vis | 35 | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | Nil | 16200 | Good | - | 84.8 | - | - | 5.8 | |
Fr | Sete | 12/08/1944 | 1055 | Gun Emplacements | Vis | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Flak | H-S-I | 20500 | CAVU | P-51 | 77.0 | - | - | 3.0 |
Thanks for posting. A very interesting read. What strikes me is how this issue seems to have been such a hot potato for the senior commanders to grasp. I know that many high-ranking commanders get into their positions by being single-minded, often having blitzed their way to the top regardless of the risks. It certainly seems that some felt that anyone wanting any sort of "contract" on their combat service were shirkers or cowards.This mentions some of the different approaches.