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TUESDAY, 4 MAY 1943
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force)
VIII Bomber Command Mission No. 54: 79
B-17's are dispatched against the
former Ford and General Motors plants at Antwerp, Belgium; 65
aircraft
hit the target between 1839 and 1843 hours local. We claim 10-0-2
Luftwaffe
aircraft; 16 B-17's are damaged. Casualties are 3 WIA. The B-17's
are
escorted by 117 P-47C's up to 175 miles (280 km) from base. A
diversion is
flown by 20 B-17's and 13 B-24's towards the French coast arousing
more
than 100 German fighters (about half of the total number in the
region) and
keeping many of them airborne long enough to prevent their attacking
the
main effort. None of the 33 diversionary aircraft are damaged or
lost.
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