He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type III, serial MZ698, code KN-J).
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Targets in France, primarily airfields, are hit; 2 B-17s are lost; fighters fly 1,027 sorties during the day and destroy 15 locomotives, train cars, trucks and other vehicles
Mission 418: 232 of 332 bombers attack targets in France:
1. Of 174 B-17s, 52 hit Monchy-Breton Airfield, 31 hit a railroad bridge at Noyen, 18 hit Chateaudun Airfield and 18 hit Villiers/L'Eveque Airfield; 2 B-17s are lost and 22 damaged; 22 airmen are MIA; escort is provided by 43 P-38s, 39 P-47s and 90 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot is MIA).
2. Of 158 B-24s, 28 hit Laval Airfield, 26 hit Guyancourt/Caudron Airfield, 18 hit Le Mans/Arnage Airfield, 17 hit Bretigny Airfield, 12 hit Brunnelles, 9 hit Melun Airfield, 1 hits Dreux, 1 hits St Valery and 1 hits a target of opportunity; escort is provided by 87 P-47s and 170 P-51s; they claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 3-0-0 on the ground; no losses or casualties.
99 P-38s fly fighter-bomber missions against railroad bridges at Corbie and Peronne; 4 P-38s are lost (pilots are MIA).
Mission 419: Of 312 B-24s dispatched, 80 hit Angers Airfield, 75 hit Laval Airfield, 55 hit Tours Airfield, 38 hit Essay airstrip, 25 hit Lonray airstrip and 1 hits LeMans; 1 B-24 is lost and 35 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA.
Escort is provided by 122 P-47s and 148 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot is MIA).
49 P-38s and 39 P-47s, escorted by 47 P-38s, make fighter-bomber attacks on Corbie-Peronne railroad bridges; 2 P-38s are lost (pilots are MIA).
Mission 420: 9 of 10 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): Operational control of air-ground coordination of fighter-bomber missions moves from HQ Ninth Air Force and 21 Army Group Combined Control Center (in the UK) to Advanced HQ IX Tactical Air Command (in Normandy) operating in close proximity to the US First Army.
In France, 265 B-26s attack fuel dumps, a bridge and a railway line S of the battle area; 1,300+ fighters fly escort and top cover, and strafe and bomb troop concentrations, military vehicles, bridges, gun emplacements, tanks and other tactical targets; units moving to France from England with P-47s: HQ 354th Fighter Group and 353d and 356th Fighter Squadrons from Lashenden to Criqueville; HQ 366th Fighter Group and 389th and 391st Fighter Squadrons from Thruxton to St Pierre du Mont; HQ 371st Fighter Group and 405th and 406th Fighter Squadrons from Bisterne to Beuzeville.
405 aircraft - 236 Lancasters, 149 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8 Groups commenced the new campaign against flying-bomb launching sites with raids on 4 sites in the Pas de Calais area. All targets were accurately marked by Oboe Mosquitos and successfully bombed. No aircraft lost.
321 aircraft - 162 Halifaxes, 147 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups to attack the synthetic-oil plant at Sterkrade/Holten despite a poor weather forecast. The target was found to be covered by thick cloud and the Pathfinder markers quickly disappeared. The Main Force crews could do little but bomb on to the diminishing glow of the markers in the cloud. RAF photographic reconnaissance and German reports agree that most of the bombing was scattered, although some bombs did fall in the plant area, but with little effect upon production. Unfortunately, the route of the bomber stream passed near a German night-fighter beacon at Bocholt, only 30 miles from Sterkrade. The German controller had chosen this beacon as the holding point for his night fighters. Approximately 21 bombers were shot down by fighters and a further 10 by flak. 22 of the lost aircraft were Halifaxes, these losses being 13.6 percent of the 162 Halifaxes on the raid. No 77 Squadron, from Full Sutton near York, lost 7 of its 23 Halifaxes taking part in the raid.
25 Mosquitos and 1 Lancaster of No 8 Group to Berlin, 12 RCM sorties (the airborne Mandrel jamming screen was used for the first time on this night), 53 Serrate, Intruder and flying-bomb patrols, 8 Stirlings and 4 Halifaxes minelaying in the Frisians and off the Biscay coast. 1 Stirling RCM aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 829 sorties, 32 aircraft (3.9 per cent) lost.
317 aircraft - 196 Lancasters, 90 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitos, 12 Stirlings - of Nos 1, 3, 4 and 8 Groups attacked railway targets at Aulnoye, Montdidier and St Martin l'Hortier. 1 Lancaster was lost on the Montdidier raid. All targets were covered by cloud and the Master Bombers at Aulnoye and Montdidier ordered their forces to stop bombing after only 7 and 12 aircraft had bombed respectively. 87 aircraft of No 4 Group bombed their target at St Martin l'Hortier but no results were seen.
114 aircraft - 90 Halifaxes, 19 Lancasters, 5 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups bombed a site at Oisemont, near Abbeville. No results were observed and no aircraft were lost.
30 Mosquitos to Berlin and 4 to the Scholven/Buer oil plant, 10 RCM sorties, 54 Mosquitos on Serrate, Intruder and flying bomb patrols, 8 Stirlings and 4 Halifaxes minelaying in the Channel Islands, 12 Halifaxes on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 553 sorties, 1 aircraft (0.2 per cent) lost.
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