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WEDNESDAY, 22 DECEMBER 1943
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): VIII Bomber Command
Mission 161:
Marshalling yards at Osnabruck and Munster, Germany are targetted;
22 US
bombers are lost. Heavy cloud conditions along with a malfunction of
Pathfinder equipment result in a large number of heavy bombers
failing to
attack targets.
1. 147 of 225 B-17's, 87 of 121 B-24's and 2 PFF aircraft hit the
Osnabruck
at 1356-1434 hours; they claim 18-8-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17's
and 12
B-24's are lost; 2 B-17's and 1 B-24 are damaged beyond repair; and
21 B-17's
and 11 B-24's are damaged; casualties are 6 KIA, 13 WIA and 160 MIA.
2. 164 of 177 B-17's, 30 of 43 B-24's and 3 PFF aircraft hit Munster
at
1353-1417 hours; 3 B-17's and 2 B-24's are lost, 1 B-17 is damaged
beyond
repair, and 29 B-17's are damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 50 MIA.
The bombers are escorted by 40 P-38's, 448 P-47's and 28 Ninth Air
Force
P-51's; they claim 15-1-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 P-38's and 2 P-47's
are lost
and 1 P-47 is damaged; casualties are 4 MIA>
VIII Bomber Command Mission 162: 6
B-17's drop 1.212 million leaflets on
Paris, Amiens, Chartres, Orleans and Rennes, France at 1942-2018
hours; no
casualties.
VIII Bomber Command Mission 163: 1 B-17
drops two 2,000 pound (907 kf)
general purpose bombs and 1 Photoflash on Cologne, Germany at 2020
hours;
no casualties.
RAF light bombers attack numerous NOBALL (V-weapons) targets in
France in
conjunction with the Osnabruck-Munster raids.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 210 B-26's sent to bomb
special
targets in France are recalled because of bad weather.
HQ 365th Fighter Group and it's 387th and 388th Fighter Squadrons
arrive
at Gosfield, England from the US with P-47's. They will fly their
first
mission on 22 Feb 44.
The 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 73d Tactical
Reconnaissance
Group, arrives at Aldermaston, England from the US without aircraft.
They
will be equipped with Spitfires and fly their first mission on 26
Mar 44.
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