Some mission sheets list spare, early return, or no-credit status. Ship numbers usually do not prove aircraft serial numbers or aircraft names. The 25 December 1944 Singen/Thayngen crew sheet is still the key missing record.
Roll-Up Table
| Date | Evidence | Mission / file | Target | Cary role | Ship | Status | Likely purpose | Likely outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Dec 1944 | Open question | Report 436 | Singen railroad bridge; Thayngen accidental bombing by part of formation | Co-pilot | 82 | Sherman pilot; 444th; took off about 1239+, landed about 1539 | Rail bridge interdiction near Swiss border | Report says 26 B-26s hit Singen and nine hit Thayngen. Cary's ship 82 drop group remains unresolved. |
| 26 Dec 1944 | Confirmed record | Report 437 | Rastatt railroad bridge | Co-pilot | 93 | 444th spare; took off | Rail bridge interdiction | Partial or poor. Bridge missed; south approach cut. |
| 1 Jan 1945 | Confirmed record | Report 446 | Marshalling yards and road bridge | Co-pilot | 94 | Flew with Hartwell Davis | Transportation interdiction | Good concentration across target. |
| 19 Jan 1945 | Confirmed record | Report 453 | Achern supply dump / chaff mission | Co-pilot | 78 | Flew with Hartwell Davis | Supply dump attack and chaff support | No bombing or chaff drop due weather/cloud. |
| 8 Feb 1945 | Confirmed record | Report 460 | Loeffingen railroad bridge; Lahr last resort | Co-pilot | 76 | Flew with Hartwell Davis | Rail bridge interdiction; fallback supply attack | Primary not bombed. Last-resort target bombed. |
| 15 Feb 1945 | Strong lead | Report 472 | Offenburg marshalling yard | Co-pilot | 98 | Sullivan pilot | Rail-yard interdiction | Needs direct page-crop extraction. |
| 19 Feb 1945 | Confirmed record | Report 474 | Bad Muenster railroad bridge; Lahr last resort | Co-pilot | 99 | Ellis pilot | Rail bridge interdiction; fallback ammo/supply attack | Primary and alternate not attacked due weather; Lahr attacked. |
| 23 Feb 1945 | Confirmed record | Report 488 | Standenbuehl railroad bridge | Co-pilot | 98 | Spare; no mission credit | Rail bridge interdiction | No mission credit for Cary crew. |
| 24 Feb 1945 | Strong lead | Report 490 | Immendingen marshalling yards | Co-pilot | 94 | Sutherland pilot | Rail-yard interdiction | Needs page-crop extraction. |
| 12 Mar 1945 | Confirmed record | Report 500 | Kirkel ammunition dump | Co-pilot | 76 | Flew with Hartwell Davis | Ammunition storage destruction | Mixed/partial; some bombs returned after BAT malfunction. |
| 16 Mar 1945 | Strong lead | Report 514 | Siegfried Line defenses east of Zweibruecken | Pilot | 84 | Browne co-pilot | Ground-force support against fortified line | Needs page-crop extraction. |
| 18 Mar 1945 | Strong lead | Report 519 | Weidenthal railroad bridge | Pilot | 91 | Cashen co-pilot | Rail bridge interdiction | Needs page-crop extraction. |
| 21 Mar 1945 | Strong lead | Report 527 | Eberstadt ammunition factory/storage area | Pilot | 86 | Martley co-pilot | Destroy ammunition production/storage | Needs page-crop extraction. |
| 23 Mar 1945 | Confirmed record | Report 533 | Neckarelz railroad bridge | Pilot | 95 | Spare | Rail bridge interdiction | Likely no mission credit if spare status stands. |
| 15 Apr 1945 | Confirmed record | Report 560 | Jaffe defense area, Ile d'Oleron | Co-pilot | 84 | Liebendorfer pilot | Reduce remaining German coastal pocket | Good/partial pattern across assigned area. |
| 17 Apr 1945 | Open question | Report 569 | Alt Dettelsau ammunition dump | Pilot | 79 | Spare/early note | Ammunition dump destruction | Strong explosions/fires; mission-credit status needs clarification. |
| 18 Apr 1945 | Strong lead | Report 572 / file 571 | Schussenried landing ground | Pilot | 76 | Welborn co-pilot | Airfield denial | Needs page-crop extraction. |
| 25 Apr 1945 | Strong lead | Report 581 | Ebenhausen / Benhausen ammunition factory | Pilot | 10 | Bailey co-pilot | Ammunition factory destruction | Good pattern noted; exact squadron relation needs full visual extraction. |
Patterns
- Cary appears first as co-pilot, including multiple pairings with Hartwell Davis.
- By March 1945, Cary appears as pilot on several missions.
- The targets fit the 320th's late-war role: rail bridges, marshalling yards, ammunition sites, fortified defense areas, and airfields.
- The 17 April 1945 ship 79 entry is no longer a Lady Bugs proof point. The inspected 320th aircraft list places Lady Bugs at battle number 78.
- The 25 December 1944 ship 82 entry proves Cary was on the Singen mission, but not yet whether his aircraft dropped on Singen or Thayngen.
Research status last reviewed: 8 June 2026.