The Mighty Eighth - Wednesday, 21 October 1942

Wednesday 21 October 1942

Eighth Air Force: Mission 15: 107 bombers are dispatched to hit submarine
bases and an airfield in France; 3 bombers are lost:
  1. 66 B-7s and 24 B-24s are dispatched to hit the U-boat pens at Lorient/
Keroman; clouds prevent all but 15 B-17s from bombing from 17,500 feet (5,334
m), 5,000 to 10,000 feet (1,524 to 3,048 m) lower than usual; 36 Fw 190s
intercept and shoot down 3 B-17s.
  2. 8 of 17 B-17s hit Cherbourg Airfield; they claim 10-4-3 aircraft without
loss.

  Twelfth Air Force: HQ 52d Fighter Group, the 154th Observation Squadron and
the 438th and 440th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 319th Bombardment Group
(Medium), depart England for the N African invasion. The detachment of the
16th and 122d Observation Squadrons, 68th Observation Group, cease operating
from Wattisham, England.