Scott,
Hard to imagine having to bomb a target with that type of cloud cover.  Thanks for the picture and explanation.
 
From the diary of William P. Dortch, tailgunner B-17, Polebrook, England, 351st Bomb Group

Bomb run #24 - Luxembourg - May 11, 1944 

Dan McCafferty, Capt., Pilot
Dixey, 1st Lt., Co-P
Roberts, 1st Lt., N
G. Gross, 1st Lt., B
Levient, Sgt., TT
Bob Quarles, T/Sgt., R
Gross, Sgt., BT
W. Peter Dortch, S/Sgt., WG
Wimmer, 1st Lt., TG

Ship - 879 The Shark
Takeoff  - 3:05 pm
Landed - 8:30 p.m.
Altitude - 19,000'
Temperature - -21 degrees
Bomb Load - Six 1000 lb. demo's
 
We hit the city of Luxembourg in the little country of Luxembourg.  The target was marshalling yards in the south east corner of the city.
We had excellent fighter support and never even saw a burst of flak.  It was a real milk run.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy Dortch Williams

Sorry it is taking me so long to enter the information from the diary - I'll try to do better!
 
From the diary of William P. Dortch, tailgunner B-17, Polebrook, England, 351st Bomb Group 

Bomb run #25 - Merseburg - May 12, 1944  

Les Cruthirds, Capt., Pilot 
P. Crowe, 1st Lt., Co-P 
Ed. Sullivan, 1st Lt., N 
Bob Lee, 1st Lt., B 
Bob Quarles,  T/Sgt., R 
V.C. Skeen, S/Sgt., BT 
W. Peter Dortch, S/Sgt., WG 
A.R. Kuhns  S/Sgt., TT 
Wimmer, 1st Lt., TG 

Ship - 879 The Shark 
Takeoff  - 9:00 am 
Landed - 4:45 p.m. 
Altitude - 26,500' 
Temperature - -32 degrees 
Bomb Load - Thirty Eight 100 lb. 
The target for to-day was the synthetic oil and gas works at Merseburg, deep in Central Germany.  All the way in we expected to meet plenty of the Luftwaffe, but once again our fighters scared the boys and they didn't come up.
Near the I/P. plenty of flak started coming up, however Capt. Cruthirds led us up and away from it.
All the way into the target the flak trailed us, but did our ship no harm.
Lee dropped a perfect strike on the main building and as we left the place was burning.
The home trip was uneventful except right at the Belgium Coast they shot flak at us again.
For the deepness of the target we got away real easy to-day.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy Dortch Williams

Scott,
 
With all of the great links you are able to find and share with everyone here, I would really be interested in seeing what type of propaganda leaflets would have been dropped from a mission like this next one!
 
From the diary of William P. Dortch, tailgunner B-17, Polebrook, England, 351st Bomb Group  

Bomb run #26 - Stettin - May 13, 1944   

Evans, 1st Lt., Pilot  
Duffy, 2nd Lt., Co-P  
Norton, 2nd Lt., N  
Kopf, S/Sgt., NG  
Pope,  S/Sgt., R  
Honsewitz, Sgt., BT  
W. Peter Dortch, S/Sgt., TG  
Joiner, Sgt., WG  
Kuhns, S/Sgt., TT  

Ship - 470  
Takeoff  - 10:20 am  
Landed - 7:15 p.m.  
Altitude - 26,000'  
Temperature - -32 degrees  
Bomb Load - Propaganda leaflets
 
Our primary target was the synthetic oil and gas works at Politz in far north east Germany near Poland.
It was my fourth straight day counting the recall, and I had to take Benyderine to keep awake.
England was very cloudy upon take off and for a while I thought they might recall us.  Upon forming and gaining altitude it cleared up and we went out into the North Sea.
We crossed over Germany at the northern most part and Bremen and Kiel threw up smoke screens.
The primary target was covered in clouds so we bombed the city of Stettin.  They threw up a helleva lot of flak from the I.P. and through the target and Don Kopf got hit on the head.  He had on his tin hat though and it just knocked him off his seat, and scared the hell out of him.
Just before reaching the target a whole swarm of 109's hit the low wing and knocked down four Forts.  Our Forts got 54 of them however which isn't bad.
The trip home was over Denmark which looks very pretty from the air.  An airfield, and Silt Island threw up more flak but no more battle damage was received.
I saw plenty of ships in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy Dortch Williams 

Scott,
 
Your bombardier wings are safe - thanks for the links!  This next mission we actually hear about the "pathfinders."  Don't think my Dad was too impressed, at least not this time.
 
From the diary of William P. Dortch, tailgunner B-17, Polebrook, England, 351st Bomb Group   

Bomb run #27 - Kiel - May 22, 1944    

D. Floden, Capt., Pilot   
J. Dixey, 1st Lt., Co-P   
Bill Badger, 1st Lt., N
T. Trolinger, 1st Lt., B   
Day, S/Sgt., TT   
Bob Quarles,  T/Sgt., R   
Gross, S/Sgt., BT   
W. Peter Dortch, S/Sgt., WG   
J. Wimmer, 1st Lt., TG
 
Ship - 879 The Shark   
Takeoff  - 9:40 a.m.   
Landed - 4:20 p.m.   
Altitude - 24,300'   
Temperature - -36 degrees   
Bomb Load - Ten 500 lb. 
Our target was the North Sea Naval Base of Kiel.
We were leading the low group with the 457th leading the "8th" Air Force.
Two pathfinders were along for pathfinder bombing.
We weren't over land long and over Northwest Germany the clouds were scattered.  We still bombed by pathfinder however and had lousey results.  I hope the other wings hit the target for we stunk up the works.
The 38's and 51's gave us plenty of escort and we were never in trouble.
Kiel has plenty of heavy flak, but it was off to our left and didn't cause any damage.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy Dortch Williams

From the diary of William P. Dortch, tailgunner B-17, Polebrook, England, 351st Bomb Group

Bomb run #28 - Metz - May 25, 1944

Lowery, Capt., Pilot
Neumann, 2nd Lt., Co-P
Scodel, 2nd Lt., N
McFarlane, 2nd Lt., B
Bullock, S/Sgt., TT
Chief Kemohah, S/Sgt., R
DeHart, S/Sgt., BT
Pierce, S/Sgt., WG
W. Peter Dortch, S/Sgt., TG

Ship - 470
Takeoff - 5:40 a.m.
Landed - 11:50 a.m.
Altitude - 23,000'
Temperature - -29 degrees
Bomb Load - Ten 500 lb. demo's
 
At briefing we were given two targets, A and B.  Metz was target A, while B was the city of Munich. We were all hoping they stuck to plan A, for Munich is one helleva way in.
Just before take off we learned Metz was our target.
It was a very uninteresting ride with no flak or fighters.  There were some Focke Wulf 190's in the vicinity, but they kept their noses clean.  We had excellent support from the 47's and 51's.
The target was an important marshalling yard center and we plastered the hell out of it.  Not one bomb fell astray and the jerries are going to have a helleva time riding those rails. 
 
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy Dortch Williams

Scott,
 
I want to thank you and the other members for all of the information and help you've given me as I went through the diary entries.  We've finally come to the last mission and it's almost bittersweet for me because sharing my Dad's diary with everyone was almost like he was here with us again, silly as that may seem.  I've learned so much more from this website than I ever did just reading through the diary myself.  I hope that you have enjoyed reading the entries and maybe have learned a different perspective on the B-17's than you had before.  I know that I have enjoyed writing them here.
 
If you have been following along you know that this mission is actually #30, but because my Dad numbered an abortive sortie the same number (#14) as the following mission he flew on, it is written as mission #29 in his diary.   The last mission he is flying with the pilot from his original crew, Dan McCafferty, whom he spoke very fondly of after the war.
 
From the diary of William P. Dortch, tailgunner B-17, Polebrook, England, 351st Bomb Group

Bomb run #29 - Ludwigshaven - May 27, 1944     Finito

Dan McCafferty, Capt., Co- Pilot
J. Dixey, Capt., Pilot
W. Roberts, Capt., N
G. Gross, Capt., B
Bullock, S/Sgt., TT
Bob Quarles, T/Sgt., R 
W. Peter Dortch, S/Sgt., WG
Jones, 2nd Lt., TG 

Ship - 879 The Shark
Takeoff - 8:45 a.m.
Landed - 3:30 p.m.
Altitude - 27,000
Temperature - -26 degrees
Bomb Load - Ten 500 lb. 
Before take off I figured this wouldn't be a bad one to finish up on.  However when we were about twenty minutes from the I.P. about 50 to 100 F.W's and 109's hit us head-on.
On the first pass they got Lt. Evans.  Don Kopf, Joiner and Pope were flying with him.  On the next pass they got Johnson and Sengstock.  Before it was over we lost six forts from this Group.
I was really scared mainly because it was my last mission.  Mac was sitting up there joking throughout the whole attack.
The flak over the target was plenty heavy but after those fighter attacks I didn't mind it at all.
The last reports were that Evans was heading for Switzerland on fire.  Four parachutes was seen to get out of Stenstock's plane, and he was also burning.  Johnson was going down with half his stabilizer shot away.
 
Summary
 
Original crew
Daniel E. McCafferty - Pilot - Winona, Mississippi - 21
Edwin Olson - Co-Pilot - Deer River, Minnesota - 27
William D. Badger - Navigator - Evanston, Illinois - 20
George L. Mills - Bombardier - Lubbock, Texas -22
Douglas T. Ryerson - Engineer - Brooklyn, New York - 23
Donald E. Johnson - Radio - Clarksville, Pennsylvania - 20
Donald L. Hottensen - R. Waist - Opdyke, Illinois - 22
Raymond J.McCoy - L. Waist - Boston, Massachusetts - 21
Robert L. Cheek - Ball Turret - Houston, Texas - 22
William P. Dortch - Tailgunner - Bronx, New York - 20
 
Our first phase training was in Pyote, Texas.  Then we moved to Dyersburg where Olsen and Badger joined the crew.  After completing our training we went to Grand Island, Nebraska for staging.  We then flew to Syracuse, New York, and from there to Pruque Isle, Maine.  From here we started overseas and stopped at Gander, New Foundland, Goose Bay, Labrador, Bluie West, Greenland, Meeks Field Iceland, and finally landed in Prestwick Scotland.  Then we were sent to Stor?, England for processing.  Boringdon England was our next stop and we were sent to an advance school.  Next stop was our permanant base at Polebrook, England. 
Before we went into combat Cheek quit our crew.  On our fourth raid to Bremen Germany he was shot down while flying with Lt. Cassel.  It was Cheek's first, and last raid.  Badger was made group navigator and left the crew after the Solingin, Germany raid which was our fifth.  He shot down a Focke-Wulf 190 on this mission.  Mac was made squadron leader - on our twelvth mission which was to Oschersleben, Germany, Hottensen, Skeen, and myself each shot down a fighter.  Doug got a probable also.  Mac was promoted to Group leader and I didn't fly with him much.
Johnson was shot down over Berlin with Lt. Apperson April 18th.  Since then we've learned he's a German prisoner.  Doug and Hottensen were the first to finish up.  Mac flew them to Cherbourg, France for their last one.
Olsen was sent home and given a 30 day furlough after which he was to report back, and fly 30 more missions.
Mac was made Captain.
I finished up May 27th on a raid to Ludwigshaven, Germany.  Mac took me and we fought our way through Nazi fighters, which got six of our group.  McCoy finished up May 31st on an Invasion Coast raid with Capt. Floden.
Mac finished up a couple of days before McCoy.
At this writing Badger, and Meatball are still flying.
June 19, 1944.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy Dortch Williams
 

First half of tour completed at 15 missions; Overview map of Targets 1-15 from 3 November 1943 to 3 March 1944
 
Second half of tour completed at 30 missions; Overview map of Targets 16-29 from 4 March 1944 to 27 May 1944
 
Final overview map of 30 missions (including missions 14A & 14B) 3 November 1943 to 27 May 1944