The Kassel Raid, 27 September 1944: The Largest Loss by USAAF Group on any Mission in WWII

On Thursday, 28 September 1944, a force of 283 Consolidated B—24 Liberator bombers from the USAAF’s 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing, took off from their bases in Britain and headed out across the North Sea escorted by 198 P—51 Mustang fighters. The bombers’ target was the industrial city of Kassel in northern Germany.

Among the bombers assigned to the raid were the aircraft of the 445th Heavy Bombardment Group. Thirty—five of the 445th’s Liberators, along with the 336 men who made up their crews...