Description

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 4 missions are flown:

Mission 527: 905 bombers and 471 fighters are dispatched to hit fuel dumps

and bridges in France but heavy cloud cover forces many aircraft to return

with bombs and other formations to be recalled; 1 bomber and 5 fighters are

lost; targets hit (number in parenthesis indicates bombers bombing) are:

1. Of 112 B-17s, 71 hit Montbartier and 34 hit St Loubes; 1 B-17 is

damaged beyond repair and 26 are damaged; 2 airmen are WIA. Escort is

provided by 123 of 139 P-51s; they claim 1-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air

and 0-0-1 on the ground.

2. The primary targets of 224 B-17s are Nanteuil Bridge (36), Sens (26), St

Florentin (25), Dueny (24), Bourron Marlotte (23) and Paris-St Quen (12);

other targets hit are Chartres Airfield (23), Maintenon Bridge (23), Houden

marshalling yard (14), Chateaudun Airfield (11) and Rouglaf (1); 1 B-17 is

damaged beyond repair and 80 damaged. Escort is provided by 96 of 97 P-51s.

3. 1 of 182 B-17s hits Montdidier Airfield; 35 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman

is WIA. Escort is provided by 90 P-38s and P-51s.

4. Of 51 B-24s, 10 hit Andenne Bridge, 8 hit Semuse and 8 hit targets of

opportunity; 1 B-24 is lost and 19 damaged; 11 airmen are MIA. Escort is

provided by 34 of 35 P-47s.

5. The primary targets of 333 B-24s are Doullens Bridge (37), Saleux (24),

Recques-sur-Course (23), Frevent Bridge (15), Rieme/Ertveld (11) and

Langerbrugge (9); 12 also hit a factory near Wendelghem and 1 hits a target

of opportunity; 1 B-24 is damaged beyond repair and 45 damaged; 8 airmen are

KIA and 1 WIA. Escort is provided by 94 of 100 P-51s.

Mission 528: 1 of 3 B-17s flies a Mico H test mission (Micro H was a radar

system which combned the Gee-H and H2X radar functionality for use by

pathfinders).