Lester Schrenk - BIG WEEK DAY 3 Mission

Legend

Mission flight - green

08:00 Take off from RAF Podington, United Kingdom ‐ Feb 22, 1943

AIRCRAFT begin taking off from Chelveston and Podington. The main force heading to Germany departs an hour later.
09:06 Louth - Formation assembly point ‐ Feb 22, 1944

490.2 km

The amalgamated formation, with the 92nd BG leading, gathers then finally departs from its rendezvous point above Louth in Lincolnshire, heading on a dog-leg course over the North Sea for Denmark.
Waypoint

158.2 km
13:08 Danish coast sighted

113.8 km

The B17s sight the Danish coast – but the country is covered in solid cloud, with the cloud topping out at 8,000 feet. The formation is flying at 24,000-feet.
Waypoint, Denmark

81.6 km
14:13 Luftwaffe Air base - Aalborg West

113.4 km

The bomber formation arrives at Aalborg but visual bombing is not possible. The crews circle the city, twice. Radio messages are exchanged between lead crews over what to do. A decision is made to follow the briefing recommendation to drop the bombs safely over the sea, as no secondary target has been highlighted.
Group rally point

386.2 km

92BG and 305BG assembles again having parted over Aalborg.
- 14:45 Last Reported Position
  
  MACR 2750 states Pot-O-Gold being last sighted at 14:45 at location 57.15 N, 08.15 E. T/Sgt Ingvard Jensen, gunner on another B-17, observes Pot O' Gold getting hit and turn back. He mentions the event in his diary notes for 22 February 1944. "Lavies crew blew up an engine on the way back and turned back for Sweden but I doubt they made it because they only had three engines and there was a Ju-88 on their tail."
  - Pot-O-Gold #42-31377 - main crash site
Louth, United Kingdom ‐ Feb 22, 1944

2nd Lt Lavies landing spot, Denmark ‐ Feb 22, 1944

Location where 2nd Lt Lavies landed and crashed through the ice after parachuting.