Some missions of B-25 #327554 - 310th B.G., 380 B.S. USAAF
		I don’t know the story of this aircraft but the stripes on his tail have been sufficient for to identify a ship of the 310th BG, 380th BS. I saw this picture in an aviation book. The B-25 was flying at low altitude escorted by a P-47 of the 57th FG but the landscape was not of Italy but typical of Germany. In the caption there was confirmation that my opinion was right. Certainly this picture was taken a few months after the end of War but I don’t know the raison because this aircraft was in the ex- Reich. The history of 310th BG says that the Unit was inactivated in Italy on 12 September 1945. Re-designated 310th Bomb Group (light) Allotted to Reserves. Activated in USA on 27 December 1946 and inactivated 27 June 1949. The SN on his tail raised my curiosity: #327554. This serial was familiar to me. Yes, I had seen it among my records copies. I have a few NARA textual records about the 310th for some researches of missions performed in the territory of my town Vicenza, Northeast Italy. This #554 B-25 certainly was very active, if I have found more times his SN in my few records. On November 6, 1944 the ship was in mission to Domegliara, target was the Transformer Station for electric trains from Verona to Brenner Pass. Domegliara is a little village a few miles to North-West of Verona and it M/Y is S.Ambrogio di Valpolicella. Crew: 2nd Lt. G.W. Goble, Pilot 2nd Lt. J.H. Sweet, Second Pilot 2nd Lt. C.L. Balch, Bombardier Cpl. A.V. Parlati, Radio Sgt. H.E. Kimbrough, Gunner Sgt. M.J. Madison, Tail Gunner Crews in mission, 18 ships, and report first box havening very good coverage of South half of target. Buildings well hit. Second box bombed slightly over, hitting in M/Y’s to East of target. Third box also bombed over and East of target area, some bombs hitting in M/Y’s. On November 11 1944 our ship was in mission to Casale Monferrato, target was the Railroad Bridge at J-643322. Crew: 2nd Lt. G.W. Goble, Pilot 1st Lt. R.L. McGinnis, Second Pilot 2nd Lt. C.L. Balch, Bombardier Cpl. A.V. Parlati, Radio Sgt. H.E. Kimbrough, Gunner Sgt. J.M. Madison, Tail Gunner Results of mission were a good concentration on target with D/H’s reported on center and E end of bridge. E approach also hit. Spans reported down on breakaway. Ship #554, so other B-25s of the formation, dropped four 1000 GP bombs. Radio man (Parlati) - was written in the pilot’s reports signed by Goble – saw bombs hit left approach and in smoke. Bombardier (Balch) observed hits on north end. Flak was accurate and one aircraft was lost and other nine ships holed. Another ship crash-landed at base. Aircraft lost was #917, 1st Lt. Laverle T.Hacking - 379th B.S., the leader of formation. DFCs were awarded to Hacking and members of his crew Temple and Mitchell. The Silver Star was awarded to the bombardier (ship #679) 1st Lt. F.G. Schell, 379th B.S. During November 1944 a strong effort was maintained in the Po Valley, where the principal line of interdiction North of the Po River was shifted East from Ticino River to the Adda River. On the Po itself, seven out of a total of eleven missions were devoted just to the sturdy structure of Casale Monferrato, Region Piemonte, and Northeast Italy. From the picture is well visible all historical center of the town and some its monuments as the Castle of the Paleologhi built on 1352 by order of Giovanni II Paleologo, Marquis of Monferrato. The photo strike shows the bombs exploding on the rail bridge over the Po River. The bridge in very near to M/Y. On November 13, 1944 the ship and the same crew were dispatched with 17 other aircraft to bomb Cittadella, target the rail diversion at G-239735 but weather prevented attack at Primary and Alternate targets. So all B-25s returned bombs to base. On November 16, 1944 the target was the same. I well know this area as is only a ten miles away from my town Vicenza. Really the bridges of Cittadella are known also to day with the names of the bridges of Fontaniva because its are near to this village. Cittadella, a little medieval town surrounded by large walls, is about three miles East from Fontaniva. The long rail bridge, who cross over the Brenta River, was a very important target during WWII, because on the main line from Vicenza to Treviso, to Udine, Tarvisio Pass and Austria. The Fontaniva’s bridge was early destroyed after several raids performed by Twelfth Air Force during the four days 29 August – 1 September 1944. So Germans built on the bed of river a rail diversion, to more South of the original bridge. This was one of the earliest diversions in Northeast Italy. The Germans always exerted maximum effort to keep this Brenta crossing open. Also if diversion was blocked during the entire month of February 1945 by day, it was probably night operational part of the time. MATAF was operational over this target just to March 1945. Results of mission: Strings of bombs walked across Center of Diversion Bridge with many D/H’s observed. Other bombs hit Northeast approach. Center span observed down on breakaway. Lt.Goble reported that were made two runs on target to enable the second box to drop their bombs. East approach hit by bombs. Crew observed east approach knocked out when they made the second run over target. On the first day of spring 1945, we see again our ship #554 in mission over San Michele, target the RR/Diversion Fill. It was an alternate target of Steinach Railroad Bridge who was not bombed due to cloud cover. The inhabited of San Michele, built on the riverbank of Adige as old bulwark, to control the important road that leads to the North, along the Claudia Augusta Roman way, is about 10 miles North from Trento. The rail bridge was well bombed and also here the Germans programmed the construction of a rail diversion bridge and fill. Germans found a big difficulty to stabilize the San Michele fill during the winter of 1944-45 and had dumped over 6000 tons of ballast. It is also interesting to know that in November 1944 Germans completed a 12-mile stretch of line between Ora and San Michele. Crew of ship # 554 was: 1st Lt. C. O. Murphree, Pilot 1st Lt J. E. Beaumier , Second Pilot 1st Lt. F.R. Edginton, Bombardier S/Sgt. R. J. Fulton, Radio Gunner S/Sgt. M. L. Lorino, Gunner S/Sgt. E.B. Loetzer, Tail Gunner Also some members of the old crew of ship #554 were in this mission. Goble (now 1st Lt.), Balch (now 1st Lt.), Parlati (now S/Sgt.), Kimbrough (now S/Sgt) and Madison (now S/Sgt.) flew with ship #929 A few words in the mission report. Excellent concentration on Fill at alternated target (San Michele) with many direct hits reported. 72 1000 lb. RDX bombs were dropped. Eight P-47s were in escort. In area South – West of Vicenza, my town, 3 P-47s came up fast at 6 o’clock from below, appeared to be enemies. Gunners of the third box fired warning bursts when at about 1000 yards. Fighters continued in and so received several more bursts from the ships in the box. Fighters broken off at about 500 yards. This days there were many fighters in the area and this was a case of mistaken identity, due to the fact that the fighters came in tail and appeared to the gunners to be enemy attacking. At time of this mission the only enemy fighters were a few Me 109s of the Fascist Air Force, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, who defended the skies of North East Italy from the raids of Allied Air Forces. Giuseppe Versolato .NARA Records .Personal historical archive

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