November 1944: Ground crew members prepare bombs to be loaded into the racks of the waiting B-29 Superforts, at a U.S. airbase on Saipan, in the Mariana Islands


Airbase on Saipan

A North American P-51D Mustang of the 354th Fighter Group, USAAF, at Ober-Olm airfield (code Y-64), county of Mainz-Bingen, Rhineland-Palatine, Germany, probably around 8 April 1945, when the 345th FG moved to Ober-Olm. In the foreground is the wreck of Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 (s/n 210917). It was produced in December 1944 and seems to have been blown up by the retreating German troops.


Ober-Olm airfield 

"On 31 Dec 44 the target was Hamburg. The 100th Bomb Group would lose 12 a/c on this mission. Flying in "C Squadron" of the 100th BG, Lt Leo D. Ross was in the Low Squadron, Low flight. They were in the "Tail End Charlie" position along with Lt MacNab, Lt Webster, and Lt Rojohn. All 4 crews in the low flight were lost this day. At 12:30pm, B-17G "Faithful Forever" piloted by Lt Leo Ross was attacked by German fighters. Lt Ross dove down, leveled off, and then went into a tight spin at 5000 ft. Two chutes were seen. The aircraft crashed at Bartelsdorf near Rotenberg (30km east of Bremen) Germany. " 
~~brummbar~~



