The invasion of mainland Europe by the Allies is well underway and the 8th Air Force continues deep into late June and early July with it's continued assault on German oil refineries, armaments manufacturing and marshaling yards. By July 7th, 1944 Lt. Erickson had completed 27 missions of his eventual 35.

My father Lt. Ernest Anders Erickson kept many things from his years in the Air Corps. It's a truly amazing collection of photographs, documents, equipment and hundreds of letters and postcards. He often sent home things to his folks in Bismarck, North Dakota between 1942 and 1945, his years in the Air Corps. In late 1943 through 1945 he piloted various planes and after his combat flying became a flight instructor.

From February through October 1944 Ernest Anders piloted B-17s out of Horham Airfield in England with the 95th Bomb Group (Heavy) on thirty five missions over German occupied Europe.

His parents Clara and Frank Erickson kept everything safe and sound that they received for decades. My dad retrieved much of the collection and I certainly enjoyed seeing the photographs whenever I had the opportunity. After my father passed in 2013 I began to seriously delve into this incredible archive. Much of it I have already posted here on this site.

Along the way of archiving my father's collection I came across a thick envelope of 'The Stars and Stripes' newspapers that contained thirty copies dating from March 29th through August 28th, 1944. These dates coincide with Ernest Anders thirty five missions that he and crew accomplished between March 27th and their final and 35th mission on August 26th, 1944.

Below are details of Lt. Erickson's 28th missions over Saint Lo, France and the bombing of the German Lines. Also you will find his hand written mission notes from July 24th and a photograph of Lt. Erickson in August 1944 at Foggia Airfield in Italy standing in front of an abandoned Luftwaffe JU-88 bomber.

The front page of The Stars and Stripes Newspaper dated July 26th, 1944 reports 8th Air Force activities in and over France. Other actions in various theaters of the war are reported. Lt. Erickson and crew flying the B-17 'Lili of the Lamplight' (44-6085) contributed along with the 334th Squadron on mission pertaining to the reports over France.

The headlines read:
Aerial Armada Blasts Path For U.S. Advance
1,500 Heavies, Plus Fleets of Other Planes, Strike At Nazis in France
Yanks, Allies Renew Attacks in France
The Berlin Express Streaks On
'Limited Objective' Push Gains a Mile Near Caen; Planes Aid U.S. Assault

Also featured below are Lt. Erickson's hand written mission notes from July 24th, 1944.

Mission #28 - July 24th, 1944
aboard the B-17 - 'Lili of the Lamplight' (44-6085)
B-17 received “major” battle damage
Saint Lo, France - Tactical / Bomb German Lines

Mission details:

Heavy bombers are scheduled to participate in a US First Army offensive (Operation Cobra) penetrate the German defenses west of Saint-Lo and secure Coutances. 1,586 bombers and 671 fighters are dispatched. Bad weather causes the ground forces to delay the attack until the next day and cloud conditions cause 1,102 bombers to abort.

Targets hit are:
Of 909 B-17s, 343 hit the Periers/St Lo area and 35 hit the Granville railroad junction. 1 B-17 is lost and 70 damaged. 1 airman is killed in action, 1 wounded in action and 1 is missing in action. 109 of 677 B-24s bomb targets of opportunity including road intersections and rail lines. 2 B-24s are lost and 74 damaged. 1 airman is killed in action, 1 wouned in action and 20 missing in action.

Escort for the bombers is provided by 478 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s. Fighters claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-1 on the ground. 3 P-38s are lost (pilots are missing in action) and 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair and 1 P-47 is damaged. 143 of 169 P-51s fly a sweep over Lechfeld and Leipheim Airfields in Germany and they claim 3-0-0 aircraft in the air and 12-0-16 on the ground. 2 P-51s are lost (pilots are missing in action), 1 damaged beyond repair and 6 damaged

7 of 7 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night. 6 B-24s fly Carpetbagger missions (aerial supply of weapons and other material to French Resistance Fighters) in France during the night.

Operation Cobra:

This is the first use of heavy bombers in a tactical role. Plan is to bomb troop concentrations on the Southwest side of the straight road (107 degrees E) between Periers and St. Lo. The area is defined by a rectangle 1,500 yards wide by 3,500 yards long immediately parallel to the road. The weather is overcast and the target area is not readily visible. The bombers are to attack from 10,000 feet. It was assumed that the bombers would fly parallel to the road and bomb the length of the rectangle, however, because of the number of bombers in the formation it was decided by the 8th Air Force that the bombers would fly perpendicular to the rectangle.

Units of the First Army were poised just 800 to 1200 yards Northwest of the road ready to pounce upon the dazed Germans once the strike was completed. Because of the heavy overcast, Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, who was responsible for coordinating Allied strategic bombing in Normandy issued a recall order to the bomber stream, but too late to prevent 343 from dropping 685 tons of bombs. Some of the bombs fall short and land on units of the 30th Infantry Division, killing 27 soldiers and wounding 131 others. It was a truly tragic friendly-fire incident. Something my father never discussed.

Unfortunately on the next days mission, June 25th, another catastrophic error occurs, and the bombs from 35 bombers fall within US lines. 102 US troops are killed and 380 wounded, including Lieutenant General Leslie J. McNair, who was conducting observation along the front lines. He was the highest ranking officer to be killed in the European theater.

Operation Cobra seemingly repeats the bombing errors of the previous day and short-bomb the area again hitting the 30th Infantry Division. 9th AF fighters strafe German troop positions also. While killing many Germans these attacks tended to shroud the bombing zone with smoke and dust, thus, hampering the bombing barrage launched by 8th Air Force. The result was another tragic friendly-fire incident. 111 American soldiers were killed and another 490 were wounded.

Despite the American losses the ground attack proceeded at exactly 1100 hours and First Army made an 800 yard advance though the bombed out zone. 483 of 500 Fighters (mix of P-47s, P-38s and P-51s) from 8th Air Force also participate in the attack with strafing and bombing runs.

German Lt. Gen. Fritz Bayerlein, commander of the Panzer Lehr Division commented in his memoirs:

The bombers came as if on a conveyor belt. Back and forth the carpets were laid, artillery positions were wiped out, tanks overturned and buried, infantry positions flattened and all roads and track destroyed. By midday the entire area resembled a Mondlandschaft (moonscape), with bomb craters touching rim to rim. All signal communications had been cut and no command was possible. The shock effect on the troops was indescribable. Several of my men went mad and rushed round in the open until they were cut down by splinters. Simultaneously with the storm from the air, innumerable guns of American artillery pounded drum-fire into our positions. Over 70 percent of my soldiers were either dead, wounded, crazed or dazed.

Because of these so-called friendly-fire casualties, General Dwight Eisenhower forbids the use of heavy bombers in as a tactical support for ground troops for the remainder of the war. Something I am sure my father at the time was very grateful for.