This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Shaun Thomas (Underdog), OSC
to remember
Petersen, Bernard John, CMM.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Verdel, NE
Last Address Omaha, NE
Casualty Date Jun 06, 1944
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Artillery, Rocket, Mortar
Location Atlantic Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Logan Cemetery - Logan, Iowa
Air Offensive, Europe Campaign (1942-44)/Operation Leader
From Month/Year
October / 1943
To Month/Year
October / 1943
Description Operation Leader was a successful air attack conducted by the United States Navy against German shipping in the vicinity of Bodø, Norway, on 4 October 1943, during World War II. The raid was executed by aircraft flying from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger, which at the time was attached to the British Home Fleet. The American airmen located many German and Norwegian ships in this area, and are believed to have destroyed five and damaged another seven. Two German aircraft searching for the Allied fleet were shot down as well. Three American aircraft were destroyed in combat during the operation, and another crashed while landing.
The attack followed a two-year lull in Allied aircraft carrier operations against Norway, and took the German forces by surprise. The choice of the target area was guided by intelligence gained from decoding German radio signals and reports from Norwegian Secret Intelligence Service agents, and two Norwegian airmen flew with the attack force to provide advice on the local geography. While historians have found it difficult to determine the exact number of ships sunk, Operation Leader damaged the German war effort by considerably disrupting the convoy system in the region and reducing shipments of iron ore.
