398th Bomb Group
Memorial
Association


S/Sgt. Chilton H. Jorgenson's Diary
Ball Turret Gunner 601st Squadron

Jorgenson's Mission No. 21

15 August 1944
Target: Ostheim, Germany

Mission # 21
August 15, 1944

Target Colougne, Germany [Ostheim]. Time 7 hours and 5 minutes.

For the first time our group went to Happy Valley (Ruhr) and believe me the boys were scared and nervous. There was a lot of flak all around us but our target an airfield was on the edge of town.

# 3 engine was hit and caught on fire also one flap was hit. We could not keep up with the group and so we came back all by ourselves. No fighter escort and no fighters but we certainly sweated. We threw out our personal equipment and flak suits but held onto the guns in case of fighters. Clark and I hugged the waist armor every time they mentioned flak.

Total Flying hours: 327.55
Hours in states:144.20
Total combat hours:183.35

Editor's Note:
The official 398th Target for August 15, 1944 was Ostheim, Germany. The primary target was an Airdrome at Ostheim, Germany 4-1/2 miles east of Cologne. Thus Sgt. Jorgenson probably used the name of the larger city for his diary.

The Ostheim mentioned cannot be found on general maps of Germany; however, there is an Osthiem over 100 miles to the east of Cologne. It is presumed the 398th history data is correct and the Ostheim mentione was very close to Cologne.

Dave Jordan

Notes:
  • S/Sgt. Chilton H. Jorgenson's was the Ball Turret Gunner for the Selmar Gustaves, Merwin L. Genung, and John J. Falkenback 601st Squadron crews.
  • The above transcription was provided by Raymond Borys.
  • This transcription is a reproduction of the original. Spelling and punctuation changes have been made to improve readability. In some circumstances, material may not have been transcribed or was rewritten.
  • Clarification of acronyms or special words or guesses of certain words are shown in brackets [ ].

The above diary entry has been placed on the 398th Bomb Group Memorial Association web site to share our history with a wider audience. You may view, download, print, copy and link to our content as you wish as long as the uses are personal or educational. 398th Bomb Group Memorial Association web page content cannot be used for commercial purposes nor placed on other web sites whether commercial, personal or educational, unless authorized in writing by the 398th Bomb Group Memorial Association Official Board and/or the author.