1945

Robert Mancl

Radio operator Robert Mancl from Appleton took off at 9:50 am on the "Dixie" from southern Italy on March 21, 1945. He and his crew reached Neuburg, Germany, at 1:03 pm. They found their target—a jet propelled fighter base—and dropped 500 pound bombs on it. Mancl wrote in his log that "I don't see how the German morale can be kept up by this continuous pounding." He and his crew landed back in Italy at 4:50 pm.

Mancl's mission was part of a larger attack made by the 15th Air Force on March 21. Three hundred and sixty-six B-24 bombers released 800-tons of bombs on jet plants and airfields at Neuburg. The United States had gained air superiority over occupied Europe and began pushing its way into Germany.

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Robert Mancl poses in Army Air Force uniform, circa 1945
Courtesy of Donna Mancl