He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type III, serial NA563, code C8-Y).
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Three missions are flown today (numbers in parenthesis indicate number of bombers attacking the target).
Mission 541: 660 bombers and 300+ fighters are dispatched to attack 13 marshalling yards, fuel dumps, airfields, and targets of opportunity, in NE France and the Paris area; 4 bombers are lost:
1. 157 B-17s are dispatched to attack Belfort (76) and Mulhouse (76) marshalling yards and 1 B-17 hit a target of opportunity; 16 B-17s are damaged.
2. Of 141 B-24s, 47 hit Coulommiers Airfield, 36 hit Pacy-sur-Armancon and 34 hit St Florentin; 5 B-24s are damaged.
3. 76 of 77 B-17s hit Villacoublay aircraft depot; 1 B-17 is lost and 17 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 9 MIA.
4. 45 of 65 B-24s dispatched hit Toussus le Noble Airfield; 9 others hit Orleans/Saran Airfield; 1 B-24 is damaged.
5. Of 220 B-24s, 66 hit Strasbourg fuel dump; marshalling yards at Strasbourg (65) and Saarbrucken (60); Nivelles Airfield (10) and 1 hits a target of opportunity; 3 B-24s are lost and 112 damaged; 7 airman are KIA, 7 WIA and 19 MIA.
Mission 542: 275 of 294 B-17s attack 23 arsenal areas, barracks, concrete emplacements and heavy artillery posts in and around Brest, France; 1 B-17 is lost and 37 damaged.
Mission 541 and 542 are escorted by 356 P-38s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost and 1 damaged beyond repair; 1 pilot is WIA and 1 MIA.
Mission 543: 1 of 2 B-17s flies a Micro H test against La Chenaie rail bridge.
Escort is provided by 7 of 8 P-47s.
Mission 544: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in Franc during the night.
165 of 180 P-47s fly a fighter sweep of the Paris area; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 2-0-0 on the ground.
28 of 31 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): In France, A-20s and B-26s attack bridges at Montrichard, Oissel, Fismes, and Creil/Saint-Maximin, gun defenses at Ile de Cezembre and Saint-Malo, and an ammunition dump at Foret de Roumare; fighters cover the assault area, escort IX Bomber Command aircraft, and fly armed reconnaissance in the battle area and extensively over N France; HQ 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) and the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and 34th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron move from Chalgrove, England, Le Molay and Chalgrove respectively, to Rennes with F-6s and F-5s; the 153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command (attached to First Army), moves from Canisy to St Pois with L-5s; and the 353d Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, moves from Cricqueville to Gael with P-51s.
215 aircraft - 109 Lancasters, 101 Halifaxes, 5 Mosquitos - of 5, 6 and 8 Groups attacked oil depots at Bordeaux and La Pallice successfully and without loss.
104 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 20 Lancasters of Nos 1 and 8 Groups attacked a railway junction and the railway yards at Dijon; much damage was caused. 2 Halifaxes were lost and a further Halifax crashed or crash-landed in the liberated part of Normandy.
32 Mosquitos to Berlin, 3 Lancasters of No 8 Group to Bremen, 8 RCM sorties, 37 Mosquito patrols, 12 Lancasters minelaying off Biscay ports, 8 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
The 3 Pathfinder Lancasters which bombed Bremen were the first Lancaster Mark VIs flown on operations by Bomber Command and they dropped the Command's first 10,000lb bombs.
459 aircraft - 270 Lancasters, 169 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 3, 4 and 8 Groups attacked 3 railway yards and 1 bridge. Forces of between 133 and 142 aircraft attacked Douai, Lens and Somain; the bombing at these targets started well but ground features rapidly became covered by smoke and dust. 1 Halifax lost on the Somain raid. 49 aircraft attacked the Étaples railway bridge without loss and claimed direct hits on the bridge.
53 Lancasters and 3 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked U-boat pens at Bordeaux and La Pallice with 2,000lb armour-piercing bombs, but examination of the pens after their capture a few weeks later showed that these bombs could not penetrate the roofs. 6 Mosquito fighters of No 100 Group provided a partial escort cover for the Bordeaux raid but no German fighters were encountered. No aircraft lost.
40 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 20 Pathfinder Mosquitos attacked 4 launching sites. Visibility was clear; the bombing was accurate and no aircraft were lost.
179 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups carried out an exceptionally accurate attack on the railway yards at Givors. No aircraft lost.
33 Mosquitos to Berlin and 2 to Trossy St Maxim, 9 RCM sorties, 28 Mosquito patrols, 8 Stirlings and 6 Lancasters minelaying off Biscay ports, 14 aircraft on Resistance operations. 1 Mosquito lost from the Berlin raid.
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