He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type III, serial MZ577, code EY-O).
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 400: 1,178 bombers and 1,353 fighter sorties are flown on communications in France to isolate German forward elements, and airfields are bombed to prevent Luftwaffe support.
Cloud conditions prevent 400+ bombers from executing attacks.
1. 640 B-17s are dispatched to La Frilliere (66 bomb), Orleans (36 bomb), Rennes Airfield (30 bomb), Orleans/Les Aubrais marshalling yard (60 bomb), Nantes (25 bomb), La Huchetiere (31 bomb), Tours/La Riche (61 bomb) and Cinq Mars bridge (57 bomb); 18 hit Bruz, 2 hit Rennes and 13 hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 63 damaged; 11 airmen are KIA and 10 MIA.
2. 538 B-24s are dispatched to Pontaubault (67 bomb), Angers/St Laud (24 bomb), Angers (19 bomb), Le Mans/Arnage Airfield (14 bomb), Pontaubault (13 bomb), Nantes (42 bomb) and Cinq Mars bridge (55 bomb); 5 hit Dinon, 1 hits Precey, 1 hits Cinq Mars bridge, 30 hit Grandville Harbor, 19 hit a bridge at Rennes, 9 hit Precey and 26 hit targets of opportunity; an attack on the Melun bridge by an Azon unit is foiled by clouds; 2 B-24s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 73 damaged; 17 airmen are KIA, 4 WIA and 20 MIA.
Escort for the bombers is provided by 116 P-51s; they claim 3-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost and 1 is damaged beyond repair.
Other fighter-bomber missions are:
1. 381 P-38s, 24 P-47s and 89 P-51s fly sweeps and patrols along the Normandy beachhead and the Channel area; P-47s claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost; 1 P-38 and 1 P-51 are damaged beyond repair.
2. 333 P-47s and 526 P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions against communications in NW France; they claim 27-2-4 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 21-0-11 on the ground; 6 P-47s and 11 P-51s are lost; 1 P-51 is damaged beyond repair. Overall, the fighters fly 1,405 sorties and attack nearly 75 targets; 1 pilot is KIA and 21 MIA during the day.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): Around 400 B-26s attack rail and road bridges and junctions, rail sidings, marshalling yards, town areas, fuel storage tanks, ammunition dumps, troop concentration and strong points in the Calais, France area.
Around 1,300 fighter sorties provide support to B-26s and high cover over the assault area, and bomb and strafe bridges, marshalling yards, gun batteries, rail facilities, vehicles, towns, and troop concentrations.
125th Liaison Squadron, Ninth Air Force (attached principally to Headquarters Command, ETO), arrives at Cheltenham, England from the US with L-5s; first mission is in Aug 44.
US STRATEGIC AIR FORCES IN EUROPE (USSTAF): General Carl Spaatz, Commanding General, places oil as the first priority target for USSTAF as a result of the destructive effect achieved by several missions against oil centers in May 44.
337 aircraft - 195 Halifaxes, 122 Lancasters, 20 Mosquitos - attacked railway targets at Achères, Juvisy, Massey Palaiseau and Versailles. Bombing conditions were better than on the previous night. All targets were accurately bombed and, although no details are available, it is probable that fewer civilians were killed. The targets were mostly more distant from the battle front than those recently attacked and German night fighters had more time to intercept the bomber forces. 17 Lancasters and 11 Halifaxes were lost, 8.3 per cent of the forces involved.
112 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 5 and 8 Groups carried out an accurate attack on an important 6-way road junction half-way between Bayeux and St-Lô at Forêt De Cerisy. The surrounding woods were believed to contain fuel dumps and German tank units preparing to counter-attack the Allied landing forces. The nearest French village was several kilometres away. 2 Lancasters lost.
32 Mosquitos to Cologne, 10 RCM sorties, 18 Serrate and 18 Intruder patrols, 22 Halifaxes and 3 Stirlings minelaying off Lorient and Brest, 24 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 586 sorties, 30 aircraft (5.1 per cent) lost.
483 aircraft - 286 Lancasters, 169 Halifaxes, 28 Mosquitos - attacked railways at Alençon, Fougères, Mayenne, Pontabault and Rennes to prevent German reinforcements from the south reaching Normandy. All of the raids appear to have been successful. 4 aircraft were lost, 2 Lancasters from the Pontabault raid and 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito from the Rennes raid.
The first 12,000lb Tallboy bombs developed by Barnes Wallis were used on this night by No 617 Squadron in a raid on a railway tunnel near Saumur, 125 miles south of the battle area. The raid was prepared in great haste because a German Panzer unit was expected to move by train through the tunnel. The target area was illuminated with flares by 4 Lancasters of No 83 Squadron and marked at low level by 3 Mosquitos. 25 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron then dropped their Tallboys with great accuracy. The huge bombs exploded under the ground to create miniature 'earthquakes'; one actually pierced the roof of the tunnel and brought down a huge quantity of rock and soil. The tunnel was blocked for a considerable period and the Panzer unit was badly delayed. No aircraft were lost from this raid.
17 Serrate and 19 Intruder patrols, 34 aircraft minelaying from the Scheldt to Lorient. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 585 sorties, 4 aircraft (0.7 per cent) lost.
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