Berlin – Into the Heart of the Reich

By the end of February 1945, the Hummel crew had been in England for five weeks. They were still new to combat, but already the war was reshaping them. In just over two weeks of missions, they had begun to learn the rhythm of life at Wendling: early morning briefings in the dark, the endless hours waiting for takeoff, and the long tension-filled flights into enemy territory. Every man knew the statistics. Each mission was a gamble, and five missions in, the reality was starting to sink in.

On February 26, 1945, the target was Berlin itself—the Stettiner marshalling yards on the northeast side of the city. The yards could handle 2,500 rail cars a day and were critical to Germany’s ability to move troops and supplies. Hitting Berlin was never routine, even this late in the war.

The day began with briefings at 5:45 and 7:00 a.m. By 9:10, the runways at Wendling shook as 31 Liberators launched in good weather. Their long route carried them across Europe toward the capital of Hitler’s Reich. Fighter escort was steady, and no German aircraft came up to challenge them—a sign of how weak the Luftwaffe had become by early 1945.

But Berlin’s defenses were never quiet. Flak was light and scattered on the way in, but over the city it turned heavy and accurate. Clouds forced the crews to bomb by radar. A total of 286 five-hundred-pound bombs fell into the target area, but the smoke and cover meant no one could confirm the results.

All thirty-one aircraft made it back. Three carried flak damage, but none were lost. They returned to Wendling around 5:20 p.m., weary but safe.

General William Kepner, commander of the 2nd Air Division, praised the mission, calling it “one of the outstanding performances in the history of precision bombing.” For the Hummel crew, the praise was welcome, but the lesson was clearer: Berlin was never easy, and even on days when every plane came home, survival was never guaranteed.

Five missions in

For the Hummel crew, this was mission number five. They were still newcomers compared to the seasoned crews flying their 20th or 25th missions, but they already knew the risks firsthand. Training back in the States had prepared them for flying a bomber. Europe was teaching them how to endure the waiting, the fear, and the constant uncertainty of what each day would bring.