I suppose you also are aware of the two missions by 320th BG on August 6th 1944 for
Tarascon RR-bridge:
- http://320thbg.org/1944_missions.html
319th BG also went for
Tarascon RR-bridge on August 6th 1944 with 24 a/c. The August 6th mission:"the group's afternoon mission blew a 250-foot gap in the Tarascon bridge. The 319th 's afternoon mission finished it off".
To sum up for August 6th 1944: 42nd Bomb Wing sent 72 a/c to Tarascon Bridge on the morning mission. Each group also sent 24 a/c for the afternoon mission (17th BG, 319th BG, 320th BG) = 72 a/c. That means 144 a/c on August 6th. When checking the 320th BG bomb load each a/c had 4x1000-lbs demolition bombs. If we assume that the other a/c had same type bomb load, it sums up to 576x1000-lbs bombs.
Regarding the 17th BG I only have data for 34th BS. On August 6th 1944 they sent 9 a/c on the morning mission and 6 in the afternoon mission. "Although both missions report hits on the structure, evidently it is of steel reinforced concrete and hard to bust up".
On August 15th 1944 34th BS sent 9 a/c to
a road bridge just North of Tarascon on an afternoon mission.
I cannot find that 17th BG 34th BS bombed Tarascon RR-bridge on August 17th 1944, but St. Julien RR-bridge (Ganges).
319th BG launched a new mission on August 16th 1944 with 36 a/c for
Tarascon Road Bridge; "thirty-six ships knocked down the east span of the Tarascon Road Bridge and also cratered the approaches."
post edited by deefeater -