Description

The harbour facilities, port areas and U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven and Cuxhaven, Germany are the primary targets for this mission. This is the largest number of heavy bombers yet despatched on a single mission - 252. This is the first mission flown since 29-May-43 due to a build up of heavy bomber forces in the UK in early June. There are now 17 heavy bomb groups and 3 medium bomb groups in the UK.

The first element of this formation is a combined force of 166 B-17s despatched from 1st Bomb Wing: 91BG (21); 92BG (14); 303BG (25); 305BG (24); 306BG (27); 351BG (24); and 379BG (31) to bomb the naval facilities at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. This is a "maximum effort" operation. The 303BG is the lead Group in the formation but the lead aircraft of the formation was hit by anti-aircraft fire while on the bomb run which knocked out two engines. As a result the formation became scattered and 20 aircraft ended up bombing targets of opportunity. Of the 166 despatched 139 were effective on a target. 7 B-17s are MIA (6 from the 379BG alone). Fighter and flak opposition in stiff but the bomber gunners claim 76-20-11 of the enemy fighters.

A second formation of 97 B-17s is dispatched from 4th Bomb Wing: 94BG (29); 95BG (29) and 96BG (28) to join in the attack on Wilhelmshaven with 30 directed to bomb the port area of Cuxhaven, Germany. Only 1 B-17 from this formation is MIA and the bomber gunners claim 9-0-13 of the enemy fighters.

All total 219 of the 252 B-17s despatched are effective on their targets and the Luftwaffe takes a big hit of 85-20-24.

NOTE: The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) issues a directive through the Chief of Air Staff (C/AS), Royal Air Force (RAF), marking the official beginning of the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) of the USAAF and RAF against sources of German war power. The RAF is to bomb strategic city areas at night and the USAAF is to hit precise targets by daylight. The CCS sanctions the Combined Operational Planning Committee as the agency for coordinating the efforts of the CBO forces.