#OnThisDate September 27, 1944 - The Kassel Tragedy

The Kassel Mission, Later Known As The Air Battle Over Seulingswald, Was A Strategic Attempt To Cripple Germany’s War Production By Targeting The Henschel & Sohn Factories In Kassel, Which Manufactured The Feared Tiger And Panther Tanks.

The Mission, Involving 283 B-24 Liberator Bombers From The 8th Air Force’s 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing, Was Escorted By 198 P-51 Mustangs.

However, A Navigational Error Led The 445th Bombardment Group’s 35 Bombers To Stray From Their Intended Target In Kassel, Directing Them Instead To Göttingen.

This Misstep Resulted In Bombs Falling On The Village Of Rosdorf, Causing Damage To 25 Buildings And Injuring Three Civilians​.

Separated From Their Escort, The Bombers Were Soon Ambushed By 150 German Fighters From Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Wings) 3, 4, And 300.

The German Fighters, Modified Bf 109s And Fw 190s Equipped With Heavy Cannons, Launched A Devastating Attack Over The Seulingswald Forest, Between Bad Hersfeld And Eisenach.

The Battle, Lasting Only Minutes, Led To The Loss Of 25 American Bombers Across A 24-Kilometer Area. The Destruction Was So Severe That Only Four Bombers Returned To Base Without Damage​.

In Total, 31 B-24 Bombers Were Lost, Alongside One P-51 Mustang, With 118 Americans Killed—11 Of Whom Were Murdered After Landing Safely. 121 Crew Members Were Captured And Sent To German POW Camps.

Despite The Late Arrival Of The 361st Fighter Group, The Kassel Mission Remains One Of The Costliest Single-Day Losses For Any U.S. Bombardment Group In World War II.

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