Ralph Conte, Attack Bombers We Need You!, Page 258

Mission #283 - 26 April - Plattling Airfield, 40 miles southeast of Regensburg. This field hangared planes which were harrassing our ground troops. Fragmentation bombs peppered the landing runways and also the gun positions, silencing them while our formation flew over. Results of bombing showed two superiors and four excellents. Lts. Brown with Kerns and Brewer BNs led Box I with Lts. Buskirk and Hanna and F/O Smetanka BNs on Box II. Flight leaders were Lts. Heinke and Rosenquist BN and Lts. Warren and Forbes, BN.

USAAF, 670^th Bomb Squadron (L) Unit History, Page 71

Seven flights, maximum effort for the group, took off on the 26th of April 1945 to attack Plattling Airfield. Twelve of our crews, led by Lt. Heinke, Lt. Rosenquist and Lt. Warren, Lt. Forbes, took part in this mission, which was #283. Excellent to superior bombing was achieved by all flights from the group.

Jim Kerns, 671^st Bomb Squadron (L) Unit History, Pages 253-254

The airfield at Plattling, 40 miles southeast of Regensburg, was rendered unserviceable by the 416ths’ bombing attack on April 26 1945. The field was used for tactical opposition to Allied Forces by single and twin-engine fighters. Lt. Brown, Lt. Kerns and Lt. Brewer led the first box and Lt. Buskirk and Lt. Hanna the second. Both scored excellent results. Three other flights also obtained excellent results, while two flights hit the target with superior ratings. Flak was not encountered.

USAAF, 416th Bomb Group Historical Summary, Page 42

That afternoon, the 26th, 44 aircraft filled a landing ground at Platting, in the lower part of what remained of Germany, with bombs and bomb craters. A total of 968x100-lb. fragmentation bombs fell on the landing ground; 66x100 fragmentation bombs kept gun positions silent while the main attack went on. There was no flak.

The pictures available at briefing were very out-dated and inadequate. When the bombardiers tried to find their aiming points, they discovered that the field had since been reconstructed. Choosing secondary aiming points, in every case but one, they scored two superiors and four excellents. The other bombardier, Lt. P.G.McGivern, flying with D.O. Turner, was able to identify his aiming point and scored excellent. Many hits were scored on revetments and airstrips.

USAAF Chronology of WWII

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 125 bombers hit Plattling Airfield; fighters escort the bombers, fly airfield cover, carry out armed reconnaissance in Germany and Czechoslovakia, drop leaflets, and cooperate with the US XII Corps as its forces cross into Austria SE of Passau, and the XX Corps as it begins a full-scale assault across the Danube River at Regensburg; fighters claim 19 combat victories. Unit moves in Germany: HQ IX Tactical Air Command from Lahn Airfield, Marburg to Weimar; 160th and 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, from Gutersloh to Brunswick with F-6s; 162d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), from Wiesbaden to Furth with F-6s.