Though they were tired from the early wake-up call, the men were amused when Col. William Travis of the 41st Combat Wing mentioned it was his 36th birthday and that all he wanted as a gift were destroyed targets. They were skeptical when told that 12,000 Allied aircraft would be in the air with them, and they laughed when told that if they were shot down, they should simply join the invading Infantry, though this was a serious instruction. The crews were also strictly warned to stay above 1,000 feet over the English Channel to avoid being shot at by the Allied naval fleet below.

The 384th’s third D-Day mission again took them to Caen, France. Twelve aircraft and their crews flew this mission. This time, their target was a congested highway area called a highway choke point. Leading the formation in the high squadron was B-17G 42-107221⇗ with Lt. Col. Alfred Charles “Coach” Nuttall (Commander)⇗ and 1st Lt. Edward Lane (Pilot)⇗. Like the first mission, the crews were unable to drop their bombs due to cloud coverage and weather, so they had to turn back and return with their bomb loads. A sincere attempt was made by all crews to find a good target, but weather prevented it. No one was injured on this mission either, and everyone made it back to base.

Surprisingly, none of the crews on any of the three missions were met with any enemy action. Further operations for the day were cancelled. Grounded by the weather, the men of the 384th were very disappointed that they couldn't support the ground troops, feeling as though they had suddenly been "left out of the war---from rags to riches in reverse."

A Ranger Connection

While the 384th Bomb Group was flying over Normandy, a future member of their personnel was fighting directly on the cliffs below. John Hanlon⇗ was at D-Day as part of Headquarters Company, 2nd Ranger Battalion, the unit that scaled and attacked Pointe Du Hoc. His official role remains unknown at this time.

Months after surviving D-Day, John was officially assigned to the 384th Bomb Group on February 11, 1945 to serve as a truck driver. His transfer was deeply personal, as he was the brother of Pvt. Frank Hanlon⇗, an original member who had been with the 384th since their initial formation. Because the military permitted service members to request assignments alongside their siblings, the two brothers were finally reunited at the same base, tying the history of the D-Day Rangers directly into the history of the 384th.

While it was important for John to be with his brother, his identity as a Ranger always remained meaningful to him. He never forgot his time at Pointe Du Hoc, and today, his grave marker is inscribed: "Cowboy Ranger Forever."

The 384th Bomb Group Heritage Association offers our profound gratitude and deepest appreciation to every one who fought on this historic day.

Information courtesy of 384thBombGroup.com Mission Summaries 127⇗, 128⇗, and 129⇗.