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MONDAY, 10 APRIL 1944
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 295: 729 bombers
and 496
fighters are dispatched to hit aviation industry targets and
airfields in
Belgium and France; 3 bombers and 2 fighters are lost.
1. 238 B-17s are dispatched to bomb aviation industry targets in
Belgium;
123 bomb the aviation industry and airfield at Evere, 52 hit
Brussels/
Melsbroek Airfield, 39 hit aviation industry targets at Brussels,
and 20 hit
Bergen op Zoom; 1 B-17 is lost and 99 damaged; casualties are 4 WIA
and 10
MIA.
2. 248 B-17s are dispatched to hit aviation industry targets and
airfields
in Belgium and France; in Belgium, 62 hit Maldagem Airfield, 60 hit
Diest/
Schaffen Airfield and 42 hit Florennes/Juzaine Airfield; in France,
21 hit
Courcelles and 21 hit Beaumont sur Oise Airfield; they claim 0-2-1
Luftwaffe
aircraft; 1 B-17 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 19 damaged;
casualties
are 10 MIA.
3. 243 B-24s are dispatched to hit the airfield and aviation
industry
targets; in Belgium, 151 hit the airfield and aviation industry at
Bourges;
in France, 28 hit Orleans/Bricy Airfield, 21 hit Romarantin Airfield
and 15
hit V-weapon sites at Marquise/Mimoyecques; they claim 6-0-0
Luftwaffe
aircraft; 1 B-24 is lost and 3 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA and 10
MIA.
Escort is provided by 51 P-38s, 295 P-47s and 150 Eighth and Ninth
Air
Force P-51s: P-38s haveno claims or losses; P-47s claim 12-0-7
Luftwaffe
aircraft, 1 P-47 is lost and 4 damaged, 1 pilot is MIA; P-51s claim
40-0-16
aircraft, 1 P-51 is lost and 1 damaged, 1 pilot is MIA.
Mission 296: Three forces are dispatched on fighter-bomber missions;
all
include P-38 Droopsnoot aircraft:
1. 39 P-38s are dispatched to attack Florennes/Juzaine Airfield,
Belgium;
no losses or claims.
2. 51 P-38s and 7 P-47s are dispatched to attack St Dizier, France;
the
primary is cloud covered and 16 P-38s attack Coulommiers Airfield,
France; 2
P-38s are lost and 1 damaged; 2 pilots are MIA; the P-47s claim
2-0-1
Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground.
3. 28 P-38s and 46 P-47s are dispatched to bomb Gutersloh, Germany;
1 P-38
is lost, the pilot is MIA.
Mission 297: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 2 million leaflets on Lille, Le Mans,
Chartres, Reims and Orleans, France at 2212-2258 hours local without
loss.
23 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): 258 B-26s and 41 A-20s,
including 12
aircraft dropping Window, attack coastal batteries at Le Harve/Le
Grand
Hameau, France and military installation nearby. In Belgium during
the
afternoon 267 B-26s and A-20s bomb the marshalling yard, airfield,
coastal
defenses, and NOBALL targets at Charleroi/Montignies, Namur, Coxyde,
Nieuport
and other points on the N coast of W Europe. 47 P-47s dive-bomb the
airfield
at Evreux, France.
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