December 30, 1943 Mission

Excerpt from the Wartime Diary of Captain Howard Fogg:

Thursday, December 30, 1943: Wretham
A beautiful, clear morning. Briefing at 0930.

The original Briefing Room (or War Room) at East Wretham Airfield.
Courtesy of Thornton B. Stearns: Archived by Char Baldridge, Historian, 359th Fighter Group Association.

We escorted a combat wing over northern France today at 25,000 feet. Took off at 1100. Never saw a thing. No flak, no enemy and no bombers?? Went a helluva ways into France on a tail wind, and then came back on a reciprocal.

Baldy, Hag, Randy, and I (Blue Flight) ran low on gas over Dover. We went to Bradwell Bay and set down. I had 10 gallons left! Swell field, runways, Mosquitoes. Took off at 1445 in swell two ship elements, flew tight formation.

Haze very bad. Good old Fine boy brought us home to land on our field on the dot. A damn good flight all the way! Over 600 miles, 3 hours 35 minutes total.

Nine V-mails to greet me here!

(Next week we'll look at a close-up of the chalkboard on the left and why we believe this photograph pertains to this December 30, 1943 mission.)