Robert N. McLean, Jr. Mission on September 12, 1944

September 12, 1944

“That’s all brother”

Mission #48,49 –target Allach Motor Works at Munich in Germany.  Takeoff 0630 Bailout time 1030 (0400) Total combat hours (270:35).  Remarks:

1.     Lt. Click as pilot, Capt Beth as co-pilot, we were to lead the group

2.     Plane developed a tail flutter and crew was ordered to bail out over the middle of the Adriatic about 50 miles north of Vis.  All men abandoned ship

3.     Air-sea rescue picked up seven men – the other four, Lt. Florczak, Lt. Hawkins, Sgt Lange, and Sgt Aronowitz were never found.

4.     The rescue plane, a Catalina, tried to takeoff on a rough sea and cracked up

5.     We were re-rescued from our rafts by an LCI (British) which shelled the Catalina

6.     We were brought to Vis – six men left for home the next day.

7.     Lt Morgenbesser, who had been in water the longest (4 hours) went by C-47 to Bari for hospitalization with pnenmonia – released Sep 23.

8.     Entire crew awarded purple heart

9.     All men who had missions in the forties were excused from further combat flying

10.  Double mission credit granted

11.  Our original crew is all through flying now except Lt. Clark who has four missions left at this writing

12.  Casualties – four

13.  Statistics – total bomb tonnage (183,600 lbs)(91.8 tons)

14.  Spent 3 days in Rome

Robert wrote a second account of that day in 1944:

376 ARCHIVES

The website 376bg.org is NOT our site nor is it our endowment fund.

At the 2017 reunion, the board approved the donation of our archives to the Briscoe Center for American History, located on the University of Texas - Austin campus.

Also, the board approved a $5,000 donation to add to Ed Clendenin's $20,000 donation in the memory of his father. Together, these funds begin an endowment for the preservation of the 376 archives.

Donate directly to the 376 Endowment

To read about other endowment donation options, click here.


My Trip to San Pancrazio

October 2019


Reunion

NOTE change in month !!!

DATES: Oct 26-29, 2023

CITY:Tucson, AZ

HOTEL: Double Tree Suites Airport hotel

7051 South Tucson Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85756

520-225-0800


Click here to read about the reunion details.

previous reunions


For Sale

The Other Doolittle Raid


The Broken Wings of Zlatibor


The Liberandos


Three Crawford Brothers


Liberando: Reflections of a Reluctant Warrior


376th Bomb Group Mission History


The Last Liberator


Full Circle


Shadows of Wings


Ten Men, A "Flying Boxcar," and A War


I Survived Ploesti


A Measure of Life


Shot Down In Yugoslavia


Stories of My Life


Attack


Born in Battle


Bombardier's Diary


Lost Airmen


Langdon Liberando