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THURSDAY, 18 MARCH 1943
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force)
VIII Bomber Command Mission No. 45: 76 B-17's of the 1st Bombardment
Wing
and 27 B-24's of the 2d Bombardment Wing are dispatched against the
submarine yards at Vegesack, Germany; 73 B-17's and 24 B-24's drop
268 tons
of bombs on the target at 1531-1535 local. Seven U-boat hulls appear
severely damaged. This mission marks the first successful combat use
of
automatic flight control linked with bombsights. Our claims are
52-20-23;
we lose 1 B-17 and 1 B-24; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond repair; 9 B-17's
and 14
B-24's are damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 16 WIA and 20 MIA.
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